The Iron Age 1906-03-08: Vol 77 Iss 10

ON AGE , 4, 13, 81 A Review of the Hardwatt: Iron, Machinery nae sale es. e Or, Published every Thursday Morning by David Williams Co., 14-16 Park Pla L New York. —_ —— Vol. 77: No. ro. New York, Thursday, March 8, 1906. 2ESe. 0, Lares Seating Pesan Reading Matter Contents...... page 905 : = Alphabetical Index to Advertisers “ 181 || Classified List of Advertisers — 073} Advertising and Subscription Rates ‘‘ 180 | ~ COMPRESSION SHAFT COUPLINGS Manufactured by FORSTER PULLEY WORKS, cuba, N.Y, GE, saseeeeceiemeen een aeeiiarerereccs z The American-Mfg. Co. —_ every aa 3 camp Ropes and Twines Different men differ as to their favorite kind of rifle. Practically all agree, how- 65 Wall Street, New York ever, on U.M.C. Cartridges. A glimpse at the interior of most any hunting shack presents these facts. A good stock of U.M.C. Cartridges, therefore, is good business. THE BRISTOL COMPANY. Ne ew methods and old quality 1m manufacture keep UM. C. Cartridges im the lead ® Waterbury, Cenn. Bristol’s Recording THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY, Instruments. BRIDGEPORT, CONN Ver Pressure Temperature | AGENCY, P DEPOT, and Electricity. 313 Broadway, 86-88 First Street, Gold Medal, St. Louis Exposition- New York City. San Francisco, Cal. All Ranges, Low Prices, and Guar. anteed. Send for Catalog R. R. SAMSON SPOT CORD STIRLING CONSOLIDATED BOILER CO. see Page 46 Also Linen and Italian Hemp Sash Cord. SAMSON CORDAGE WORKS, Boston, Mass. TU a The Best in the World Branch . Cleveland City Forge and iron Go. "= cleveland, ©, Capewell Horse Nails are Flexible enough sonaienan to Clinch easily and so Tough that the — will_not break ender the severest streis ew in service. JFORGINGS. PILLING & GRANE, fnr"nurscs est OUR MADE BY The Capewell Horse Nail Company Hartford, Conn. you can buy joint packing for less money than JENKINS ’96, but will it last? JG You can maintain an absolutely tight steam joint Lea with JENHINS °96. It is guaranteed. My All genuine bears Trade Mark as shown in 1) the cut. CA LE N DA R JENKINS BROS., New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, London. cree ong dad ees sree SMO" G RU Stl ett DAN STAN problem. (Water and Ral Datverr)Baponromr, comm. Pa Ihe MAGNOLIA METAL. See Best Anti-Friction Meta) for all Machtnerv Bearings, AMERICAN Beware << Ben. SHEET & TIN PLATE ee cna MAGNOLIA METAL CO., Owners and Sole Manufacturers, 113-115 Bank Street, Seo Francisco, Montreal, and Pittsbarg. Ad on Page 14 Chicago. Fisher Bldg. NEW yor. “° Manufacture sii erades of Babies Motsh @ AGE va IRON BRASS| ™ THE quan at FOLLANSBEE . COPPER SHEET ROD FOLLANSBEE| 0 GERMAN WIRE T SHEET FOPLANS BEE HJ] SILVER WIRE FOLLANSBEE | te |2uctactsu ~ TUBING. BRAZED BRASS AND FOLLANSBEE BRONZE TUBING. +: strats C WATERBURY BRASS C0., FOLLANSBEE O WATERBURY, CONN. ins eS ate S. Care Sees of Bridgeport Deoxidized Bronze & Tin, Sheet Metal Go., Plates Steel BRIDGEPORT, CONN. Automobile Castings a Specialty. D IT x 5 BE U Fr GC e High Tensile Strength. BUFFALO LOUISVILLE Bronze and Aluminum Alloys. Write Us. Matthiessen & Hegeler Zinc Co., LA SALLE, ILLINOIS. SMELTERS OF SPELTER SHEET ZINC AND SULPHURIC ACID. Special Sizes of Zinc cut to order. Rolled Battery Plates, Selected Plates for Etchers’ and Lithographers’ use. Selected Sheets for Paper and Card Makers’ use. Stove and Washboard Blanks. ZINCS FOR LECLANCHE BATTERY. WSN mr ee EH 105-109 So.Jefferson St.: Chicago. Best Bronze, Babbitt Metals Brass and Aluminum CASTINGS rass, Bronze and CASTINGS ® Aluminum #2 FOUN DERS—FINISHERS. Ww. G. ROWZLI. CO., HENDRICKS BROTHERS ROPRIETURS OF Belleville Copper Rolling Mills, Brazxicrs’ mene com aa Sheathing Ingot Copper, Block ‘Tin, Spelter, “Lead, Antimony, eto. 49 CLIFF ST., NEW YO Bridgeport, Conn. THE PLUME & ATWOOD MF6, Co, MANUFACTURERS OF Sheet and Roll Brass — AND——_ WIRE PRINTERS’ BRASS, JEWELERS’ METAL, GERMAN SILVER AND GILDING METAL, COPPER RIVETs AND BURRS. Pins, Brass Butt Hinges, Jack Chain, Kero» sene Burners, Lamps, Lamp Trimmings, &c. 29 MURRAY ST., NEW YORK. 199 LAKE ST., CHICAGO. ROLLING MILL: THOMASTON, CONN, FACTORIES: WATERBURY, CONN. SCOVILL MFG. CO. MANUFACTURERS OF BRASS, GERMAN SILVER, cnee. Rolls, —, ee tsa and Tub Brass Sheten Cups, ‘Hinges, Buttons, Lamp Goods. Special Brasa Goods to Order. Factories: WATERBURY, CONN. Depots: NEW YORK. CHICAGO, BOSTOR, Henry Souther Engineering 60. RTFORD, GO sniagkaet Chemists, Dail and Analysts ete eet Seen epeetery Bxpert Testimony ia Court and Paten Arthur T. Rutter & Go. 256 Broadway, NEW YORK. Small tubing in Brass, Copper Steel, Aluminum, German Silver, &c. Sheet Brass, Copper and Ger- man Silver. Copper, Brass and German Silver Wire. Brazed and Seamless Brass and Copper Tube. Copper and Brass Rod. “PHONO-ELECTRIC WIRE. “IT’S TOUGH.” TROLLEY, TELEPHONE and TELEGRAPH LINES. BRIDGEPORT BRASS CO., Postal Telegraph Bldg. . Broadway and Murray St., New York. ELECTRIC WELDING Millis Bridgepert, Coan. THE STANDARD WELDING CO., Cleveland. Manf’rs Standard Seamless Tubing. THE IRON AGE New York, Thursday, March 8, 1906. The Lelong Process of Chain Making. An advance in the art of chain making appears to have been realized in the process patented by Emile Lelong, Brussels, Belgium, by which with one furnace and one machine continuous chain is made and com- pletely finished. It is stated that up to the present time no other system has been able to accomplish this. The process is one that may be used for all sizes and di- instead of being a transverse one across the link, extends completely around the coil and is so well distributed that even if imperfect in places it is practically impossible for the link to fail. An important part of the machine is called the cap and is shown at @ in sectional plan and elevation in Fig. 3. This cap, which rests upon the forging anvil b, con- tains two rollers, one of which, c, acts on the inside of the ring in forming it, while the other, d, serves as a mold for the outside of the ring. The cap @ has recesses in its Fig. 1.—The Lelong Chain Making Machine. ameters, from the smallest tackle up to chains of the largest size used in the navy. The links of the chain are formed from a straight metal bar, which, previously heated, is put in the trough of the machine, Fig. 1, and is formed into a spiral coil, interlacing with a complete ring. This rough ring after being coiled on the anvil of the forging machine is welded, molded to circular cross section and formed to oval con- tour without being removed or further heated. The proc- ess begins with a square bar scarfed at the ends, Fig. 2, of a size determined by the link required. This bar while hot is introduced into a forming mechanism which reduces it, through the stages indicated, to the rough ring b, interlinked with the completed ring ec. The weld, lower surface which, when it settles on the anvil, receive the rollers e, f and g, extending up from the anvil. The work is introduced into the cap through the sloping trough h, between the rollers e and e, leading to a cir- cular trough formed by the body of the cap and the dif- ferent rollers. The cap is hinged, enabling it to be with- drawn, leaving the ring, after it has been formed on the anvil, between the rollers e, f and g to be there welded and molded. At the will of the workman a continuous chain may be made or separate rings. The half-tone, Fig. 1, gives an idea of the general ap- pearance of the machine, which in this case is supplied with a steam hammer for the welding, operating at about 400 strokes per minute, and shows the two workmet tee nn aS nainn oa ar" te ete os ws ee ee tt mr a nb f ual ja ts bd t it 856 needed to operate it, one introducing the bar into the trough of the cap and the other manipulating the forging and shaping parts. A similar machine supplied with an automatic ham- mer worked by compressed air and capable of making chains varying in diameter from 5-16 to 1 inch is shown in the drawings Fig. 4. It comprises three parts: the pedestal 4, on which is placed the anvil b, containing the mechanism for making the spiral; the support j, for the Fig. 2.—-The Bar and Plan and Side Views of the Intermediate and Final Stages in the Coiling. hammer of the forge k, and the extended base 1, sup- porting the outer bearing for the driving shaft carrying the fly wheel n, loose pulley o and fixed pulley p. The gearing in the pedestal drives the three vertical rollers e, f and g, Fig. 3. These rollers may be separated radially and are held in action at the proper time either by the counterweight q, Fig. 4, or by the hand lever r. The rollers are connected together by links s, t and u, to secure equal displacements of the rollers. Another sys- tem of gears drives the rollers contained in the cap. On top of the bed are two hydraulic cylinders, v and , pressure to which is furnished through an accumulator by the pump @, which is driven by an eccentric on the outer end of the driving shaft. The hydraulic plungers carry heads or molds, y and z, of suitable shape and di- mensions to hold the links in position while being worked upon and to shape them to the required finished form and size. When the cap is raised to permit the forging a special mechanism ejects the formed spiral from the trough inclosed by the cap and leaves it in position on the anvil. The detail in Fig. 4 shows the cap in lifted position. For the next operation the hammer is used, a few blows being sufficient to forge and mold the last link. For the sake of clearness the plunger of the forging mechanism is omitted in Fig. 4. It carries a die sym- metrical to one on the anvil, both being of proper form to give the welded ring its circular cross section. The chain is next turned through a quarter of a revolution and the last link is held in position to allow the joining of the next new link, while the preceding link is pressed between the jaws of the hydraulic plungers and is shaped to oval form. These operations take place consecutively and completed links are turned out at the rate of two or three a minute. With the exception of the accumulator the machine is self-contained and requires no separate apparatus or parts. The frame is of tast steel and is of exceptional thickness, not only to enable it to resist the working strain without danger of breaking, but also to give it a sufficient mass to absorb the shocks of the hammer blows and reduce the tendency to weaken the foundations. The weight of the frame alone is half that of the total machine, which in the case of the one illustrated is about 7700 pounds. All of the mechanism is of steel except the hammer, pulleys and fly wheel, which are of cast iron. The parts are all easily accessible for cleaning and _ re- pairing and the machine occupies a comparatively small space, about 3% x 5 feet. The accumulator is a_ hori- zontal cylinder, 20 inches in diameter by 60 inches long, and can be located in any convenient corner. THE IRON AGE March 8, 1906 The machines are made in three sizes, the smallest making up to 1-inch chain, the next larger making up to 24-inch chain and the largest size making up to 4-inch chain and over. To make the different intermediate sizes that each machine is capable of turning out. it is only necessary to replace a few interchangeable parts. It is claimed that by the Lelong process the equal of crane quality chain can be made at less than half the cost of hand made chain. so The German Tariff and Our Customs Ad- ministration. WaAsHrneTon, D. C., March 6, 1906.—The State De- partment, having received from the German Government official advices of the action taken suspending until June 30, 1907, the maximum rates of the new German tariff as applied te American products, has proclaimed the exten- sion of the reciprocal arrangement between the United States and Germany, concluded in 1900, under which, in consideration of the assessment of minimum rates on our goods, reduced duties are levied on German argols, bran- dies, wines and works of art. Coincidently the Treasury officials are taking steps to redeem the pledges made by this Government in the negotiations with Germany re- garding changes in the customs administrative laws and regulations. The concessions made on the part of the United States embrace three modifications of customs regulations which will at once be put into force, not only with respect to the commerce of Germany, but as to the products of all other countries, and two recommendations for amendments to the customs administrative law which Secretary Shaw has already submitted to the Ways and Means Committee. Amended Customs Regulations, The changes to be made in customs procedure include the granting of open hearings in reappraisement proceed- ings under certain conditions; the consulation of in- Fig. 3.—Flan and Elevation of the Forming Mechanism, Known as the Cap. voices in the district of manufacture rather than the dis- trict of purchase, and the requirement upon consuls to forward with invoices such reports of local chambers of commerce and other commercial bodies as to values as may be desired by exporters and shippers. The State Department has begun the framing of in- structions to consular officers, with a view to putting the last two innovations into practice. While the concession in the matter of consulating invoices in the district of March 8, 1906 manufacture is regarded by German exporters as of much importance the Treasury and State Departments have made it without any reluctance whatever, and it is be- lieved that the new regulation will work to the advantage of both governments, for it is obvious that, especially as to consigned goods, it will be less difficult to obtain accu- rate values in the district of manufacture than in that of FRONT ELEVATION Fig. 4.—Details of a Lelong Machine Capable of purchase, while exporters will be saved much time and expense. The decision to instruct consuls to forward reports of local chambers of commerce and other commercial bodies regarding values is rather a matter of courtesy than a substantial concession, for it is not to be expected that the appraising officers will accept these reports as con- clusive or as outweighing other consular notations or ad- vices received from customs agents abroad. The action to be taken by the Treasury Department with regard to open hearings should not be misunder- stood. No hard and fast rule will be made. The Board of 4eneral Appraisers will be instructed to grant such hear- ings only in cases where the interests of the United States will not be imperiled thereby, and the beard will be the sole judge as to the propriety of permitting Gov- THE IRON AGE 857 d/ ernment witnesses to be cross-examined by importers’ attorneys. Proposed Changes in the Law. The concessions in the way of recommendations for legislation, which were recently submitted to the Ways and Means Committee by Secretary Shaw, are far more important than the modifications that are to be made in customs practice. The most important departure from the provisions of the customs administrative laws is the proposition to give importers of consigned goods the right SIDE ELEVATION THE IRON AGE Making Chains from 5-16 to 1 Inch In Diameter. to add to their invoices to make market value, a privilege now limited to those importing purchased goods. As is well known, fully nine-tenths of the undervaluation now practiced is in the case of consigned goods and the pro- hibition against adding to invoices to make market value has had a wholesome effect in deterring unprincipled per- sons from committing even greater frauds than those oc- casionally detected. The change in the law has been recommended with considerable reluctance and only as a necessary condition to secure to American products the minimum rates of the German tariff. In the case of ex- porters from other countries than Germany the con- cessions will be in the nature of a gratuity and the prac- tical operation of the new system, if adopted, will be watched by the customs officials with no little appre- hension. Congress will consider this feature of the Secre- 858 tary’s recommendations very carefully before enacting it into law. The proposition to provide a margin of 10 per cent. for nonpenalized undervaluations has been safeguarded to some extent in the recommendation made by Secretary Shaw. He suggests that the Secretary of the Treasury be given power to remit penalties on undervaluations of 5 per cent. or less, and that on undervaluations ranging from 5 to 10 per cent. he shall be clothed with the same authority, provided the Board of General Appraisers shall certify that the advance made was due to changed con- ditions in the foreign market subsequent to the date of purchase. The Secretary also intimated that it might be well to provide in this connection that deductions may be made from invoiced values where the market has de- clined between the date of purchase and shipment. Export Prices No Basis tor Invoices, The Treasury Department has felt obliged to decline to grant the important concession asked by the German Government involving the acceptance of export prices, in- stead of prices for domestic consumption, as the basis of invoice values. Such an innovation, it is believed, would result in an enormous loss of revenue and in the complete demoralization of the customs service. It is a well-known fact that export prices are not only much less than those for domestic consumption, but that they fluctuate. vio- lently. The practice of selling for export at low prices has resulted in the adoption by several countries of the so-called “antidumping clause” in new tariffs, under which a surtax is assessed equal to the difference be- tween the domestic price in the country of origin and the price at which the goods in question were sold. In Can- ada this feature of the law is claimed to have worked extremely well and has served to harden export prices in the United States and other countries shipping largely to the Dominion. To adopt an export price basis for invoice valuations would be a step in the opposite direction from that taken by Canada and other countries that have recently revised their tariffs and administrative regula- tions and, in the opinion of Treasury officials, would be exceedingly unwise. the Department should submit such a recommendation, it would be rejected by Congress. Ww. L. Cc. ——~-e—____ The Standard Chain Company. The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Stand- ard Chain Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., was held in Jersey City, N. J., February 20. The old officers were re-elected, consisting of J. C. Schmidt, president; Robert Garland, vice-president; J. T. Davis, general manager; William Robertson, treasurer; Stanley Mann, assistant treasurer, and Arthur E. Crockett, secretary. Mr. Crockett is also assistant general manager, having been appointed to fill that position at this meeting. The directors are J. C. Schmidt, Robert Garland, J. T. Davis, Peter Wertz, Charles A. Painter, Franz Krein, James Hay, F. M. Davis and N. B. Marple. The capital stock of the Standard Chain Company is $800,700, of which $515,700 is preferred and $285,000 common. A condensed financial statement was submitted at the meeting, showing the condition and operations of the company for the last year, which was regarded as very satisfactory by the stockholders. The company maintains works at Columbus, Ohio; Marion, Ind.; St. Marys, Ohio; Braddock, Pa.; Carlisle, Pa., and York, Pa., two works being operated at the last named place. All these plants, including the rolling mill at Columbus, Ohio, are in full operation, and the outlook for business this year is regarded as very promising. ———-__ —»> oe - Exports of steel rails from Belgium have been de- clining. In 1908 they were 267,152 metric tons; in 1904 they dropped to 174,238 tons and in 1905 to 132,989 tons. Exports of Belgian rails to Brazil in 1905 showed an in- crease of 5000 tons, and to Chile an increase of 1000 tons over 1904, while to Spain, the Congo, Portugal, Russia and Turkey the increase aggregated 18,000 tons. The principal falling off from 1904 consisted of 10,000 tons to Great Britain, 4000 tons to Canada, 3000 tons to Cape Colony, 2000 tons to Cuba, 3000 tong to United THE IRON It goes without saying that, even if AGE March 8, 1906 States, 7000 tons to Italy, 5000 tons to British India, 9000 tons to Mexico, 4000 tons to Holland, 16,000 tons to Argentina and 5000 tons to Sweden. Some Oliver Iron Mining Company’s Large Properties. DuLvuTH, March 3, 1906.—Of all the purchases of iron ore tonnage on the Mesaba range by the Oliver Iron Mining Company those of the Chemung and Canisteo seem to have been by far most important. It is a fact that there have been so far but two or three develop- ments on the range that have been proved poorer by final maps than shown from the preliminary and partial developments of original explorations. The Chemung properties were taken over by the Oliver Iron Mining Company in the fall of 1903, after partial explorations by the original exploring syndicate. At the time of this deal the annual mining minimum under lease was 2 per cent. of the ore in sight, which then amounted to about 70,000,000 tons. There was a provision in the lease that a revaluation of the mine should be made after completion of explorations on various parts of the properties, and the first of these revaluations will come in a short time. The original owners have maintained explorations on parts of the land for some time and they have added many million tons to the ore in sight. The Monroe, for instance, which was estimated at about 24,000,000 tons when the deal was first made, is now one of the very large mines of the Mesaba, with a tonnage exceeded by that of few properties. On this mine deep drilling showed the ore to extend far beneath what was thought to be the bottom of the basin. The Niles, which was put in on an estimate of small tonnage, is now a very large mine, with ore extending a length of nearly 4000 feet. It is quite probable that when a readjustment of mini- mums is made there may be an annual output from the Chemung lands of not less than 2,000,000 tons. This Chemung lease is somewhat different from most of those on the Mesaba, as it is non-forfeitable, the leasing com- pany agreeing to take out all the ore in a specified time. The lease of the Canisteo and the purchase of the Walker lands are similar in some details and provide for a specified percentage of the amount in sight for an- nual minimum. Explorations are now under way on the Walker purchase to determine the amount that will have to be taken out per annum. On th's the payment of the property will be based, so that the deal, though a pur- chase, is similar to a lease in some of its details. By reason of its enormous annual ore requirements the United States Steel Corporation has been able dur- ing the past few years to make new leases, extensions of those that were to expire in the coming 15 or 20 years, re- arrangements of royalties, &c., on a very extensive scale. It has changed practically all its big leases within the past two years. Most of these now run for 50 years, some longer. In return for concessions from the fee owners, in the way of longer leases and no additional royalties, or longer leases and very slight advances in royalty rates, the Oliver Company has agreed to large annual minimums and has several single fee holders from whose lands it is under obligation to take not less than 1,000,000 tons a year. This is true of several tracts located around Eveleth and Hibbing. It is not always on single mines, but from feeholders, who, like W. R. Burt, had leased to the company and its predecessors more than a thousand acres, on which several mines have been dis- covered. The Burt leases call for 1,000,000 tons a year and so do some of those around Eveleth. In the Burt lands east of Hibbing there are about 40 40-acre tracts, and, in addition to the great mine, from which there is a possibility of nearly 2,000,000 tons the coming season, other large and valuable ore deposits have been found. With ‘all these large leases the Oliver Company has im- mense annual minimums. But great as these are they do not approach the annual requirements of the corpor- ation even in moderate years, which have enabled the Oliver Company to make most favorable arrangements. D. E. W. March 8, 1906 The Excelsior Automatic Multiple Punching Machine. Requirements in the manufacture of stoves and ranges were particularly in mind when the machine illustrated was designed, although its usefulness is not limited to that class of work. It may be used for any work where numerous holes are to be punched in regular or irregular arrangement through sheet metal up to No. 14 gauge. While the machine might be classed as a mul- tiple punch it is radically different from machines com- monly known by that name in the manner in which the punches are actuated. The punches and dies are inde- pendently supported and may be shifted over any part of the bed, according to the pattern to be punched, and are forced through the metal by the passing of a heavy roll over the heads of the punches. The machine is the invention of Theodore F. Philippi, of East St. Louis, IIlL., and is manvfactured by the Excelsior Tool & Machine Company of the same city. It will take a sheet 32 x 110 inches in area, punching as many ‘holes as can be placed a distance of 34 inch apart. The essential parts of the machine are a horizontal bed carrying the adjustable dies; a superimposed box of the same dimension as the bed. affording upper and lower guides for the punches, with a space between into which the work is inserted; a stripper plate between the top and bottom sides of the box to withdraw the punches from the work, and a heavy roll operated by power from end to end of the machine, which in transit forces the punches through the work. The die plate and punch holders are made in sections from 8 to 14 inches in width, according to requirements and locations of holes. These sections merely rest upon the bedplate of the ma- chine, but are kept from accidental displacement by side clamps. The power to travel the roll is applied through a driving shaft carrying a spur gear, which intermeshes with spur gears keyed to the ends of long screws, which are supported in bearings at the sides of the machine, as may be seen in the engraving. The screws work in nuts counected to the roll carriage, so that when the screws THE IRON AGE 859 revolye the carriage is moved from end to end of the machine. The carriage is guided at the ends, the lower guides holding the roll a definite distance above the bed plate and the upper guides assisting the weight of the roll in depressing the punches. As it is necessary to revolve the screws in opposite directions alternately to reciprocate the roll a reversible drive is provided resem- bling that commonly used on a planer. From the coun- tershaft there are two driving belts, one open and the other crossed. The active belt runs on a tight pulley on the driving sbaft between two loose pulleys. The loose pulleys carry the inactive belt or both belts when the rol! is stopped. ln operation, after the punches and dies are set and a piece of work inserted, the lever at the right is thrown backward from its vertical neutral position, which starts the screws, setting the roll in motion, and lowers the stripper plate, allowing the punches to rest on the sheet The Excelsior Automatic Multiple Punching Machine. to be punchec. When the roll has passed over all of the punches a trip is automatically operated which shifts the active belt so that both belts run on their loose pulleys and the roll is stopped. Simultaneously the stripper plate is raised, lifting the punches clear of the work. The sheet may then be removed from either end and a new one inserted, after which by pulling the lever forward the operation is repeated, with the roll traveling in the opposite direction. The length of the stroke may be changed from 2 feet to 10 feet, according to the lengtl. of the sheet. As the dies are in sections, for a different pattern of work it is only necessary te remove. add or shift some of the dies, depending upon the num- ber and positions of the holes. The machine is guaranteed to punch all the rivet, ven- tilating and water-back holes in a range body and mark oll the bending lines for the brake, absolutely true to pattern, witbcut the use of horseshoe gauges or any mark- ing, in a sheet 32 x110 inches in less than one minute, and smaller sheets in proportion. With a different set of dies it can cut the openings for ovens, fire boxes or clean-out flues in the same amount of time, all equally true to pat- tern. Its capacity is given as 300 range bodies per day, with one man and a helper to operate. After an — ite eo ee nie 860 accurately punched sheet is prepared as a template for each job no skilled labor is required in setting the dies. which are all interchangeable, and additional ones may be ordered at any time. An overhead trolley is furnished with each machine to facilitate the quick and easy han- diing of the dies. The machine illustrated requires about 3 hLorse-power to drive it, occupies a floor space of 4x 12 feet and weighs about 30,000 pounds. —————--o____—_ A New Reciprocity Project. WASHINGTON, D. C., March 5, 1906.—After a confer- ence with the Secretary of State Representative Curtis of Kansas, a prominent member of the Ways and Means Committee, has introduced a bill in the House designed to provide a new basis for the negotiation of reciprocity treaties with the leading commercial countries. His proposition in its basic principle is an important de- parture from any legislative measure looking to the negotiation of reciprocal trade agreements that has ever been brought forward. Mr. Curtis has reached the conclusion that Congress can delegate to the President of the United States much broader powers for the formulation and proclamation of reciprocity agreements than have been embodied in either * section 3 or 4 of the Dingley aét, or were embraced in the reciprocity provisions of the McKinley law. Section 3 of the Dingley act authorizes the President to conclude and proclaim treaties making certain specified reductions in the duties on argols, brandies, wines and works of art “ whenever the Government of any country or colony producing and exporting to the United States the above mentioned articles or any of them shall enter into a com- mercial agreement with the United States or make con- cessions in favor of the products or manufactures there- of, which in the judgment of the President shall be recip- rocal and equivalent.” Treaties so framed do not require to be ratified by the Senate or “approved by Congress.” Section 4 authorizes the President for adequate recipro- cal concessions to reduce to the extent of not more than 20 per cent. the duties on any goods imported from any foreign country, but treaties so framed must be “ duly ratified by the Senate and approved by Congress and public proclamation made accordingly.” The difference between the provisions of the two sections, it will be noted, is that in the first case the President may proclaim immediately treaties in which the concessions made have been specifically authorized by Congress, both as to the amount of the reduction in the rates and the items upon which the reductions are to be made, while in the second case the reductions may be made upon any item and of any amount up to 20 per cent., but such treaties must be ratified by the Senate and approved by Congress. Under these provisions it has been found impossible to secure the ratification of important treaties, and more than a dozen conventions with leading foreign countries have been allowed to die on the Senate calendar without action. The impossibility of securing the ratification of a comprehensive reciprocity convention with Germany under section 4 of the Dingley act is what has forced the Secretary of State into negotiating a modus vivendi under the terms of which Germany has agreed to sus- pend the application of the maximum rates of its new tariff to American products, Mr, Curtis? Bill, After some investigation of the subject Mr. Curtis has reached the conclusion that it is practicable to com- bine the principles underlying sections 3 and 4 of the Dingley act and to empower the President to proclaim treaties without referring them to Congress, provided the concessions made do not exceed the authorized limit of reduction, which in his bill he fixes at 20 per cent. The measure as presented in the House by Mr. Curtis is as follows: . That the President of the United States be and he is hereby authorized, with a view to securing reciprocal trade with for- eign countries, to enter into commercial agreements with any other country or countries concerning the admission into any such country or countries of the products of the United States and their use and disposition therein deemed to be for the in- terest of the United States, and in agreement or agreements in THE IRON AGE March 8, 1906 consideration of the advantage accruing to the United States therefrom, shall provide for the reduction during a specified period, not exceeding five years, of the duties imposed in an act entitled “An Act to Provide Revenue for the Government and to Encourage the Industries of the United States,” approved July 24. 1897, to the extent of not more than 20 percentum thereof upon such goods, wares or merchandise as may be designated therein of the country or countries with which such agreement or agree- ments shall be made as herein provided, or shall provide for the transfer during such period from the dutiable list of said act to the free list thereof of such goods, wares and merchandise, be- ing the natural products of such foreign country or countries and not of the United States, or shall provide for the retention upon the free list of said act during a specified period, not ex- ceeding five years, of such goods, wares and merchandise now included in said free list as may be designated therein, and when any such agreement shall have been entered into and public proclamation made thereof then and thereafter the duties which shall be collected by the United States upon any of the desig- nated goods, wares, merchandise and products from the foreign country with which such agreement has been made shall during the period provided for be the duties specified and provided for in such agreement and none other. Constitutionality Questioned, It is only fair to state that the tariff leaders of the House and Senate are of two minds as to the constitu- tionality of Mr. Curtis’ bill. An examination of the de- cisions of the United States Supreme Court in the so- called Blaine. reciprocity cases has convinced some of them that the Curtis plan is not practicable. In those cases the court held that the Blaine treaties were con- stitutional for the reason that the concessions made therein were limited to the reductions which the President was specifically authorized to make by the terms of the McKinley act. In the exercise of the power thus conferred the President discharged a purely ministerial duty. In the first place he ascertained that the foreign Govern- ments in question had made certain concessions on Amer- ican products, such as were contemplated by the McKinley act, and he thereupon authorized the customs officials to collect on the products of those countries the reduced rates specified in the reciprocity section of the tariff law. The operation of the McKinley act in this regard was automatic and the President exercised no discretion whatever beyond selecting the countries with which were made the treaties authorized by Congress. Mr. Curtis is not disposed to insist that he has dis- covered a safe path out of the present reciprocity tangle, but he believes he has at least put forward a proposition that will attract general attention and that will serve to develop the views of the tariff experts of both houses of Congress. It is probable that his bill will be discussed in the Ways and Means Committee at an early date, and it may be referred to the State Department for an ex- pression of opinion. WwW. I. ©. —_——_a- oe ___—_——_ Reported New Steel Plant at Youngstown.—For some time plans have been under way by some of the leading blast furnace interests at Youngstown, Ohio, to build either a Bessemer or open hearth steel plant for the purpose of supplying sheet and tin bars to independent mills. While the project is yet in an embryotic condition it gives promise of materializing before very long. The Ohio Iron & Steel Company, which operates Mary fur- nace at Lowellville, Ohio, has bought 60 acres of ground adjoining its furnace and it is understood that this ground will be used for building a steel plant, providing plans now under way go through. —_—_~>--e—__—_ In the annual report of the Pennsylvania Railroad published in the past week President Cassatt referred to tke plans for a double track railroad between Pittsburgh, Philadclphia and New York, entirely independent of the present four-track road. The preliminary estimates call for an expenditure of $30,000,000 and two years will be required tor the work. The two additional tracks will not be laic on a section of about 96 miles on the Middle Division and on a short section between Parkesburg and ‘Thorndale on the Philadelphia Division, as the low grades on those divisions will admit of heavy trains, and therefore a smaller number of trains. The additional system will comprise 480 miles of line, of which 184 miles are virtually completed. March 8, 1906 THE IRON AGE 861 The Revision of the Canadian Tariff.” Strong Pleas for Bounties for Canadian Shipbuilders. In October last, as briefly stated in a previous article, when the Tariff Commission was at Victoria, British Columbia, steel shipbuilders on the Pacific Coast peti- tioned for bounties at the rate of $10 a ton and ex- pressed their willingness if these bounties were granted to buy their steel from eastern Canada. It was then agreed by the shipbuilders that there should be a con- ference with shipbuilders on the Great Lakes and on the Atlantic Coast and that a more detailed scheme should be submitted to the commission at a later stage of its inquiries. Municipalities and Trade Organizations Favor Bounties, The shipbuilders’ case came up in its final shape at Halifax, at the last sitting in the tour of the commis- sioners, when James A. Johnston appeared as the repre- sentative of the city council of Halifax and the Halifax Board of Trade. He stated that the shipbuilders were now agreed that a bounty of $6 a ton would be sufficient. As regards shipbuilding at Halifax the municipalities of Halifax and Dartmouth had been in consultation with Mr. Hunter of the shipbuilding firm of Swan & Hunter, Newcastle. Mr. Hunter had gone over the ground and he had pointed out an excellent site on the Dartmouth side of the harbor for a steel shipbuilding yard. Further than this Mr. Hunter had promised to invest in the in- dustry ; but he had told them that the industry could not be established with anything less than a $6 bounty. The Polson Shipbuilding Company of Toronto, Mr. Johnston further stated, is to-day the only successful steel shipbuilding concern in Canada. Mr. Bertram, who supported the plea for bounties, was certain that in a short time Nova Scotia mechanics would become pro- ficient in the construction of steel ships. Mr. De Wolf, another representative of the Halifax interests, pressed the commission for an immediate decision. He recalled the fact that Canadian shipbuilders had agreed on a $6 bounty nearly a year ago; that they had laid their case before Mr. Fielding, the Minister of Finance, at Ottawa; and he said that they had hoped that some progress would have been made with the scheme long before this time. Mr. Johnston had stated that if the Dominion Govern- ment would help the industry the city of Halifax would grant a bonus of $100,000, the city of Dartmouth would grant a bonus of $100,000 and the Provincial Government would be prepared with a bonus of $100,000. Mr. De Wolf urged that.if there were no hope of anything being done by the Government the people who ar®é interested in shipbuilding should be notified, that they might abandon the project. They were tired, he added, of the suspense. As proof of the shortage of Canadian tonnage Mr. De Wolf stated that the Algoma Steel Company, at Sault Ste. Marie, handled 800,000 tons of freight a year on the lakes, and 75 per cent. of this business went to American steamers, because there were no British steamers available. A large proportion of the coal trade between Sydney and Quebec, Montreal, Halifax and St. Jobn is also carried in Norwegian steamers. Free Raw Material Not Sufficient Help. Mr. Paterson inquired whether if shipbuilding ma- terial were put on the free list that would meet the case? Mr. De Wolf answered that it would not be suffi- cient. Labor is dearer in Canada than in Great Britain; and, moreover, it would have to be trained. The bonus they asked was $6 per registered ton; and they urged that there should be a guarantee that the bounty should be continued for ten years. At the end of that time it was felt that the shipping industry in Canada would be self-sustaining. * Continued from page 668, February 22. George ®@ Campbell, another advocate of shipbuilding bounties, reminded the commission that there is no trade so highly specialized as shipbuilding. Consequently it has to be done on a large scale, and the industry re- quired a large amount of capital. In Great Britain ship- building has been brought to such a state of perfection that shipbuilders in Canada could not begin to compete with British shipbuilders without Government assistance. In Germany, France, Austria and Russia the Govern- ments have been compelled to give aid to shipbuilders, in order that those countries might have mercantile marines of their own; and more recently Japan has granted bounties, ranging from $6 to $12 per gross ton. Canada, Mr. Campbell continued, has a larger coasting trade than any other country in the world; yet every year a larger proportion of it is going into foreign hands. The coal trade of the St. Lawrence is now going chiefly to Nor- wegian vessels, because these ships can be built and manned cheaper than British or Canadian vessels, and the money earned by these vessels is all carried away to Norway. Want Foreign Vessels Excluded from Coastwise Trade, W. A. Johnston stated that the coal companies of Nova Scotia, as well as the Dominion Iron and Steel Company, which imports its ore from Wabana Island, Newfoundland, all charter Norwegian steamers on time charters at cheaper rates than Canadian steamers can afford to work for. If these Norwegian ships were ex- cluded from the coasting trade the coal and steel com- panies would be compelled to buy ships or to build ships of their own or to charter British ships, which pay better wages to their sailors and buy their supplies at Canadian ports. He cited the working of the coastwise navigation ~ law in the United States, which absolutely restricts the coastwise trade to American built ships, and he told the commission that he wanted a law under which no for- eign ships would be allowed to trade between Canadian ports. B. Pierson, a member of the Nova Scotia Legisla- ture, urged that nothing less than $6 a ton as bounty would suffice. Indeed, Mr. Hunter had told them that $6 would be scarcely sufficient. Six dollars a ton, Mr. Pier- son reminded the commission, would represent a duty of from 12% to 15 per cent., as the cost of building ships in England had been put at £8 a ton. “ Suppose,” said Mr. *aterson, “we say that the bounty shall not exceed a duty of 15 per cent.” This was the only comment from the commissioners indicating any line of action. When the commission was at St. John, January 8, a strong plea was made for shipping bounties, but no scheme for municipal or provincial bonuses was there discussed, such as was submitted to the commission at Halifax. It is beyond question that the Dartmouth side of Halifax Harbor is admirably adapted for shipyards or for any other industry requiring a frontage on shel- tered deep water. The Structural Steel Duty. Structural steel was one of the subjects which came up at the final session in Ottawa when the Dominion Bridge Company, the Hamilton Bridge Company, the Canadian Bridge Company, the Canada Foundry Com- pany and the Phenix Iron Works all joined in a memo- rial in which it was urged that the duty on structural metal work should be specific instead of ad valorem and that in the revision of the tariff duty on bridges and structural metal work should be made $20 per ton, which would correspond to the present rate of 35 per cent. on material valued at $2.86 per 100 pounds. It was insisted that the change was necessary by reason of the American competition, as American bridge builders sell in Canada below cost at every recurring period of depression. It 862 was also asked that the duty on small structural parts, now 35 per cent., be reduced to 10 per cent. The present duty is prohibitive and if it were reduced to 10 per cent. there would be a great increase in the use of small parts and consequently an increased demand for much of the structural work which the petitioning companies are equipped to make. It was added that $5,500,000 are now invested in these Canadian structural plants, and that they have a capacity of 100,000 tons of finish®d material, which at present is in excess of the requirements of the Dominion. Prospective 'fTin Plate Makers Ask Protection, The most numerously supported petition presented to the commission was in the interest of the Canada Tin Plate & Steel Sheet Company, which is now installing a plant at Morrisburg, Ont., for the manufacture of tin, terne, Canada and black plates, plain and galvanized sheets and steel sheets for enameled ware and electrical machinery. It was pleaded for the Morrisburg Company that it was engaged in an infant industry and protection at. the rate of 331-3 per cent. ad valorem was asked against all comers. The petitioners said: It has been the wise policy of the Canadian Parliament and the Government to foster and assist other branches of the iron and steel industry, particularly in the early stages of their ca- reer. As this is one of the most important units of that great industry and there is no reason why, with reasonable assist- ance, it should not attain to large proportions in Canada, we venture to hope that our request will receive favorable consider- ation from the commission. It is conceded that South Wales has long been regarded as the home of the tin plate industry, but as a matter of fact Wales has no special claims to the in- dustry which cannot be equally well advanced for Canada, other than the fact that it has existed there for the last hun- dred years. Wales has no advantage over Canada in procuring tin and palm oil; and as to the question of steel, it is well known that the Welshman, whether because he cannot procure sufficient quantities of steel at home or because the home made article is too dear, imports a very large proportion of the steel used from Belgium, Germany and the United States. The main advantage the Welshman has in the manufacture of- tin plate, and the only raison d’etre for his successful competition, is that his labor cost is so low. The skilled workman in the tin plate business in the United States is paid about 100 per cent. more than in Wales; yet notwithstanding this fact the selling prices of tin plate in the United States, the home of protection, and in Wales, the home of free trade, are, according to recent quota- tions in The Iron Age of New York, almost the same, thus prov- ing conclusively that steel and the other raw materials entering into the manufacture of tin plate can be purchased more cheap- ly in the United States than in Wales; also proving conclu- sively that, given the same labor conditions in each country, Wales would be totally unable to compete with the United States, It was further insisted that the manufacture of tin plate is as natural an industry to Canada as that of steel rails, “ and much more so,” it was added, “ than cotton.” In answer to objections which have been raised every- where on the commissioners’ tour to this request of the Morrisburg company, figures were quoted to show that as the result of the high protection afforded in the Ameri- can tariff to the tin plate industry, the price per box of 100 pounds at New York decreased from $4.91 in 1892 to $3.56 in 1904. Prof. F. L. McVay of the University of Minnesota was also quoted as having said that, “ taken all in all, the development of the tin plate industry of the United States is a remarkable example of timely pro- tection.” The commissioners were told that the plant at Morris- burg would be the most modern tin plate factory in the world. As no tin plate manufactory now: exists in Can- ada, the labor, the petitioners explained, “ will largely have to be obtained from abroad, and many applications for positions from skilled workmen now living in Wales and in the United States have already been received, and the advent of these men will be a distinct advantage to the community in which they settle.” “ That the Morrisburg factory will be of great advan- tage to Canada,” the petitioners proceeded, “no one can deny. But at the same time they recognize that there are many difficulties to overcome. The best skilled labor will have to be imported at high wages. Arrangements will have to be made for a supply of the requisite steel bars, and at first higher prices will have to be paid for them. Losses incidental to all such new enterprises caused by inferior material or by mistakes in