Sir Alfred Hickman returns to the charge in a letter
which appears in Tuesday's Times. He traverses Lord George Hamilton's statement as to the satisfactory results achieved by the American locomotives, quoting from the later Burmah reports a passage stating that the Baldwina burnt 35.5 per cent. more fuel per train mile and 23.5 per cent. more per vehicle mile than the English engines. As regards the alleged formidable nature of American competition founded on superior chemical research, technical education, &c., Sir Alfred asks : "If this were true, how do you account for the fact that the English maker is full of orders, while the American will undertake to deliver immediately at any price P" As regards the quality of the product, he quotes the official reports of the chief engineers in Burmah, Egypt, and Assam, showing that, as against cheapness in first cost, far greater consumption in fuel and oil and an enormously greater outlay on repairs are entailed by the use of American and Belgian engines. He then answers his own question given above by observing that the American engineer has a protected market, enabling him to make enormous profits at home, and that even selling at a loss abroad he can still get a satisfactory return on his capital. Similar results are achieved in Germany by what virtually amounts to a system of export bounties. Finally, Sir Alfred suggests the appointment of a small Committee to investigate the whole question.
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