Excerpt from German Iron and Steel Industry In the conversion of raw iron, that is, in making steel, the change has been even more momentous. In 1900, when Germany passed Great Britain, the figures of steel production were: United States Germany Great Britain metric tons. In 1907 the steel production of these three countries, com prising approximately 80 per cent of the world's total, stood: United States Germany and Great Britain metric tons. The periods of progressive growth during the last twenty-five years have not been uninterrupted. A partial paralysis was the penalty of the extraordinary activity of 1900, and the rapid expansion which followed the recovery from that depression culminated in 1907 to be succeeded by sharply curtailed demand, demoralized prices, and universal uncertainty in 1908. The year 1909 begins with little improvement, and the means by which the crisis is to be overcome will put German industrial and commercial conditions to a severe test. Yet in the light of past results the future is faced with confidence. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.