Automatic Age

70
T he A
u t o m a t ic
steel conforming to our standards it
is a special and unusual undertaking
which naturally results in a certain
lack of uniformity -in quality, and re­
sultant undependability in service.
When this condition confronts us,
the source o f supply is too distant to
rectify quickly the errors.
It is admitted that a lower price
certain apparent inducements for the
use of foreign steel. These induce­
ments, however, are not valid or
sound for several reasons other than
the element of quality. The use of
foreign steel in considerable volume
will naturally affect American pro­
duction in the form of a restricted
output. A disorganized and dis­
turbed market will follow. The in­
evitable result will be an undepend­
able supply of domestic steel as to
quantity.
The speed with which the Ameri­
can building industry operates is
based upon a dependable service of
supply. The foreign sources cannot-,
for obvious reasons, render this ser­
vice either as to quality or delivery.
If the building industry, having be­
come dependent on foreign steel,
should be confronted with a restrict­
ed supply insufficient for its needs, the
industry would have to turn to the
American mills. The price o f Amer­
ican steel would then immediately
advance and deliveries become uncer­
tain. This condition would entail
loss to every bi'anch of the building
industry.
The unprecedented volume of
building construction during the past
few years has been the result of two
things; the shoi'tage of buildings of
every kind and the stability of the
material and labor market. To fool­
ishly disturb these ' conditions, espe­
cially as regards a basic material
such as steel, would immediately re­
act as stated, on the entire building
industry. This would entail much
larger losses to all producers o f ma­
terials of construction, and to labor,
© International Arcade Museum
A ge
than the present really paltry differ'
ence between the cost of foreign and
domestic steel.
The fabricators, who are distrib'
utors or users of steel, should care­
fully consider all of the conditions
imposed by the use of foreign mate­
rial and should promote the use of
the product of the American mills?
thereby maintaining the present
stabilized conditions.
The American Institute of Steel
Construction was organized
f° r
much the same reason that these
other associations were organized —
that is to combat outside competi­
tion. Our problem is that of the
'market. The use of steel has not
increased as might have been the
case. The public have been educated
to use substitutes that neither pos­
sess the merit nor the permanency
that steel affords. There are many
instances where steel could be used
profitably yet these uses will never
just happen. Plans must be de­
veloped that will create interest and
win acceptance.
Efficiency
in production
and
finance are the result of painstaking
effort, calling for investment of time
and money. The market requires
just as much attention and it re­
sponds with greater returns and as­
surances of better business condi­
tions. But the steel industry, partic­
ularly the branch of it with which I
have the honor to be associated—-the
structural steel industry—has been
making great progress since we rec­
ognized our problems four years a g °
and organized the American Insti­
tute of Steel Construction.
Six American, two Canadian, three
Spanish, two French, six Italian, five1
Belgian coins, one German mark and
a street car pass between Philadel­
phia and Wilmington, Delaware,
were found in a collection taken at
St. Patrick'sCatholic Church in Lon­
don.
http://www.arcade-museum.com/