CONDITIONS IN PARTICULAR INDUSTRIES. 229
to this article is limited to a tacit understanding for the fixing of
prices and the division of orders.”*
The Comptoir d’Exportation des Produits Métallurgiques {(metallurgical
 products) centralizes the sales abroad of many of the prodacts
 which have separate comptoirs for the domestic business, chiefly
rails and their accessories, metal ties, small beams, joists, girders,
and channels. It has a virtual monopoly of the trade in its line
and its business is on a purely commission basis? The comptoir
has been able greatly to increase the export business of its members,
 which in a period of six years rose from 40,000 tons to 200,000
tons. This development has been largely due to the reduction in
selling cost resulting from a unified representation abroad. The
markets of Brazil, Argentina, and China were opened to French
metal interests, as they were able to execute in unison orders that it
would have been impossible for them to fill singly. Many of the
large producers are unable to fill a rush order for 6,000 tons of
rails for Brazil, for example, but the comptoir by judicious apportioning
 is able to accept and fill the engagement. The centralization
of orders permits of their being distributed in a normal way and
useless transportation expenses are saved. Some concerns which
are favorably situated work almost altogether for the export business,
 while the others serve the customers near at hand.®

AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

In 1911 Austria-Hungary produced 4,600,000 long tons of iron
ore, and manufactured 2,100,000 tons of pig iron and 2,600,000 tons
of steel. Iron and steel products, including machinery, railroad
rolling equipment, etc., amounting to about $9,900,000, were exported.

The iron and steel industry in Austria-Hungary is organized in
a head cartel with several subsidiary cartels. The Head Cartel of
the Austro-Hungarian Iron Works (Das Hauptkartell der osterreichischen
 Eisenwerke, or Ubereinkommen zwischen den Osterreichischen
 und ungarischen Eisenwerken) has been in existence since
1881. The Austrian iron cartel originated in 1878 as a rail cartel,
but in 1881 most of the Austrian iron works came together and
included also the separately organized cartel of Hungarian iron
works. The original rail association was continued as a subsidiary.
In 1891 the general Austro-Hungarian iron cartel effected a closer

1G. De Leeper, L’organisation syndicale des chefs d’industrie (Brussels). 1909, p. 67.
1 pt. II, pp. 101-102.
sp, de Rousiers, op. cit., p. 222.
+ Statesman’s Year-Book, 1914, p. li, and Statistical abstract for the principal and
“ther forelzn countries (Londen), 1914, No. 89, p. 171