THE ENGINEERING TRADE

Otago Witness, Issue 2355, 13 April 1899, Page 17

THE ENGINEERING TRADE

CONSTERNATION IN BRITAIN. LONDON, April 8. Consternation has been created in the engineering trade in Britain owing to several British railway companies and the Egyptian Government ordering locomotives and -iron bridge material from America and Belgium, where quicker and cheaper delivery, is guaranteed, because the Ameri- " can workmen work longer hours and do not limit the output. Some days ago a cable message was received elating that an American firm (the IPencoyd Ironworks Company, of 'Philadelphia) had • contracted to deliver the iron work for the military bridge over the Atbara River, in ihe Soudan, within six weeks. The time allowed was so short that it was suspected that a mistake in transmission had occurred. It • proves, however, that the Yankee ironmasters are going to be even as smart ias the cable suggested. The following extract from a letter written by Lord Belhaven, who is now - in Egypt for the benefit of his health, appears • In an English paper: — " I have been thinking very much lately about the great loss of •• trade in iron and steel bridges which is now . going :on, and which I hear 'about constantly ■in 'this country. I have conversed with . several engineers employed both on the mili- • tary and Egyptian Government railways, and they complain that they cannot get any ' bridges or locomotives from England or Scotland within a reasonable time. Here is a case in point. Before Christmas the Sirdar determined to have a permanent bridge over the Atbara built before the next Nile floods, which come down in July. He asked for in England and Scotland, and they could not supply the bridge for periods (in the different offers) of from six to 12 months, being so full of orders. He then telegraphed to America (United States), and got a promise that the whole bridge should be on board in six weeks. The same thing happened about locomotives for the military railway, 3ft 6in gauge. Some were put on board in six weeks, also in the United States. Now here are the Cape, Uganda, Egypt, India, China, and probably many more countries crying out for ' iron and steel bridges, and all our factories are too full of orders. Consequently the work goes to America and Belgium. And this is not a momentary boom, but just the ■first flood 'of orders, which will in all probability (I might say for a certainty) last for years. .