n iron ore production once held by Germany. Sweden
and Spain have been considerable producers of iron ore, but both lack
coal, with the result that their ores have been largely exported to
England and Germany. With increase of per capita consumption in outlying
parts of the world, iron and steel industries are beginning to develop
locally on a small scale, as in India, South Africa, and Australia.
Russia has had sufficient supplies of coal and iron, but the stage of
industrial development in that country has not called for great
expansion of its iron and steel industry.

There has been a tendency for iron and steel manufacture to become
concentrated at a comparatively few places on the globe favored by the
proper combinations of coal, iron, transportation, proximity to
consuming populations, initiative and capacity to take advantage of a
situation, and other factors. Even though on paper conditions may seem
to be favorable in outlying territories for the development of
additional plants, this development is often held back by competition
from the established centers. On the west coast of the United States,
there are raw materials for an iron and steel industry and there has
been discussion for years as to the possibilities of starting a
successful large scale steel industry. The consuming power of the local
population for all kinds of iron and steel would seem to be great enough
to warrant such action. However, the demand is for an extremely varied
assortment of iron and steel products; and to start an industry, making
only a few of the cruder products such as pig iron and semi-finished
forms, would not meet this demand. All varieties of finishing plants and
associated factories would also need to be started in order to meet the
situation. This would require large capital. Furthermore the local
demand for some of the accessory finished products might not warrant the
establishment of the accessory plants.

Throughout the history of the iron and steel business there has been a
marked tendency for the iron ore to move to regions of coal production
rather than for the coal to move to the iron ore regions. The coal or
energy factor seems ultimately to control. This is due in considerable
part to the fact that coal furnishes the basis of a great variety of
industries for which iron ore is only one of the feeders, and which are
so interrelated that it is not always easy to move the iron and steel
industry to a spot near the s