THE WORLD'S IRON PRODUCTION.

Press, Volume LII, Issue 8994, 5 January 1895, Page 6

THE WORLD'S IRON PRODUCTION.

At a conference held in connection with the iron and steel trades, Mr W. Jacks M.P., the President of the British Iron Trade Association, gave some interesting figures, illustrating the relative progress since 1870 of the principal iron and steel producing countries of the world. Taking the production of pig-iron as an index of the rate of growth, Mr Jacks submitted tho following table of the output in various parts of the world since the year above mentioned:— ~'•■.

Production of Fig Iron. ■ ■:■• 1871 1882 1893 Tone. Ton?. Tottt. Great Britain .. (i>627.000 8,493,287 6.829,841 United States .. 1,7*>,0U0 5178.121 7,i«,30i Germany .. 1.278,(XW 3,499.719 4,70U,MK) Other countries .. 2,168,100 4,180,572 4,585,000

Total .. 11.783.000 21,321,699 23,239,313 Though the English share of the aggregate quantity has fallen from over 50 per cent. - in 1871 to 40 per cent, in 1882, and to a little over 25 per cent, in 1893, the country ,1 is really in as sound a position as ever. - There is no decrease in the output, and the English prices still compare favourably to .< those of other countries, in spite of the low -;.. wages paid in Germany and Belgium. That ■}_• other countries should have gone ahead?* rapidly is hardly to he wondered at. Every-;-, where the home trade is the most important*-',' in the iron and steel industries, and muclr ± of the advance in Germany and the United-?; States represents merely general com* 4 mercial development in those oountries. -;