The Star TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1919. THE TRADE WAR.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 12776, 21 October 1919, Page 6

The Star TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1919. THE TRADE WAR.

Notv that the wav is over and international trade is being resumed upon something like normal competitive principles it is becoming more evident that the position of Great Britain in the economic world is being seriously challenged by the United States. The recent substantial increases in the wages of the coal minors and transport workers at Horae have increased the cost of production in Britain, a circumstance which the more favoured nations, such as America, will be prompt to take full advantage of. IVe have been told that an American trade invasion of Britain has been carefully planned to take place as soon as the British import restrictions cease to operate. That invasion will receive tremendous assistance from the high price of coal alone, cheap coal admittedly being the secret of Britain’s industrial and commercial supremacy. Where coal is cheap, there will iron and steel be produced cheaply and in great quantities. Hitherto it has paid British ironmasters to import great quantities of iron ore because they had cheap coal to treat it with, but with coal dear in Britain iron and sfceol produced locally will he dear also, and it will probably be found cheaper to import from the United States. Even if this does not prove to he the caso it is obvious that there will be a marked diminution in the export of steel and iron goods from England, with always the possibility of the- American mills capturing the world’s markets. I urther, during the war the United States became a shipbuilding country, and it is almost certain that with cheap iron and steel, and fully equipped yards, the Americans will challenge Great Britain’s position as the world’s shipbuilder. Reverting to the question of coal the following table is interesting. It was compiled by Mr W. A. Anpleton, secretary to the General Federation of Trade Unions in Britain, who obtained a series of comparative prices, British and American, of certain iron and steel materials, the British costs allowing for the increase of 6s a ton on coai. The comparison is as under:— England. America. (Per ton.) £ s. d. £ s . d. R r >ih . . . 17 10 0 10 0 0 S:p plates ( . .19 0 0 14 0 0 C-'wa bars . . .22 10 0 11 15 0 Pig iron . . . 90 0 6 0 0 It is regarded as certain that the American agents will at no distant date export coal to England to undersell coal obtained from the home collieries. “As far back as last autumn,” Mr Appleton writes m the “Democrat,” the semi-official paper of the General Federation, “ Frank Hayes, president of the Miners’ Federation of America, more statesman than politician, came to Europe with an experienced colleague for the purpose of discussing with President Wilson the best means of opening European markets to American coal. What these two men achieved may be gathered from the text of the cable they sent home:— Mission success. Everything that can be done has been promised by our Government' representative at Paris.’ These Americans know that enterprise, brains and hard work are the only real sources of success.” A writer in the “ Iron Ago” contends that there exists at present what amounts to a desire to live at somebody else’s expense. “ The British blast furnaces and steel mills have not lost such efficiency as they had before the war,” he says, “ wmlo in the United States there has been no material increase in plant efficiency. In Doth countries the men amployed are much the same as before the war. Some change, however, must have occurred. Apparently that change is, speaking broadly, that the quantity of work done by the men for a certain amount of pay has decreased more in Britain than in the United States. By the majority of those who reflected on what was likely to occur after the war, the notion was hold that everyone, from the most influential to Die humblest, would be eager to rebuild and reconstruct the world, encouraged by the prospect of a better world, for which the war was fought. Better and harder work by the individual was expected. It has been learned lately that the expected mental attitude does not obtain, and there exists what amounts to a desire to live at somebody else’s expense. Such a condition could be borne much better by the United States than by Britain or France. The United States lias grown richer and while it would be imprudent to use cur riches to have a good time, the thing could be done while the riches lasted. Britain and France cannot co that because they have grown poorer; yet their workmen desire to do that very thing.”