The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-05-08
BLOW FALLS.
Steel Colossus Preparing For
Its Initial Move
In Crushing Out Small Manu-
featuring Towns.
CENTRALIZING PLAN.
Business Of the Concern to BE
Consolidated in Pittsburg.
$4,000 WOrkmen to Be Brought
There From Other Places.

Pittsburg, Pa, May S.-The CONNER
cial Gazette this morning publishes the
following:
The United States Steel corporation
has adopted the policy Of centralizing
operations, of abandoning its small
plants. those disadvantageously located
and those that can not be run eccnom-
ically. The work heretofore done at
these plants viii be transferred to those
that can be operated to the advantage
Of the company. OF the details / can
say nothing. only know that to work
out some of the details of this policy
operating heads of the concerns of the
United States Steel corporation have
been in conference in New York I'm
doubtedly the plan will revert with
greatest benefit to the PittSDurB as
trict as the most favored of all in which
the United States Steel corporation OPP
crates"
The above is the statement of Joshua
Rhodes. of Pittsburg, retired as chair
man of the board OF directors of the
National Tube CON pany. now cOnstit-
uent of the United States Steel corpora
ton. in reply to an inquiry as to
whether the new Morgan combine had
adopted such a policy.
Adoption of this policy of centrallz-
ing operations by the United States
Steel corporation viii mean to the Pitts
burg district. if carried into effect with
out delay. the bringing here within
year of about 10000 mill men from
plants of the company that will be
abandoned MaSsing of much more of
the operations of the company in Pitts
burg viii not only add to the number
of mill men employed here, but the
plants from which the most important
supplies of raw material are drawn in
this district will also take on more
men, This is notably the fact in rela-
ton to the coking plants of the CON
pany in the Connellsville and adjoining
fields.
The underlying companies of the new
Morgan combine have been working
toward the same plan of mobilizing
operations and abandoning the isolated
and smaller plants and those that can
not be operated economically. The
American Bridge company has plans
drawn for a new 81, 900 plant to be
erected IN the PittSburg district The
American Bridge company has its
plants scattered through the east at
points where they are at a disadvant-
age to operate, and some are considered
for abandonment
Recent announcement that the Ameri-
can Sheet company had given up its
plan to operate the new and costly plant
the new policy OF the new Morgan com
bine- The equipment OF this plant viii
be taken to Nandergrift. where the most
modern plant of the company, that of
the Apollo Iron & Steel company is
operated Since the sheet company
formed it has abandoned a number of its
plants of lesser importance and nearly
all of the apparatus of these was sent
to Vandergrift Other plants of the COM
pany located at Cambridge, East Liver
pool. COshOrne. DenniSOn, Dresden,
Niles, Canton, Canal Dover and Piqua,
O.. and Carnegie and Hyde Park Pa,
are among those which are being con-
sidered best to abandon and their
equipment to be centered in a larger
plant at Vandergrift. The sheet COM
pany is now about two months behind on
ats order. the Capitalization of its scat
tered plants win take time.
For the American Steel & Wire COM
pany, the United States corporation is
expected to carry out the plan of the
wire company to centralize all opera
tiOnS possible at Neville island, where
SO, 0OO. 600 works are being built This
has already led to the abandonment of
plans at Worcester. Mass. and is ex-
pected to be followed with works at
Cincinnati, the Portage works at New
burg, \. Y, and the works at Everett
Wash. OF the American Tin Plate com
pany works at Agnew and Johnstown-
Pa and Canal Dover, o.. are expected
to be among those to be centered at
New Kensington along with the Pitts
burg works mentioned
The Carnegie Steel and the Federal
Steel companies works are expected to
remain much as they are OF the Ma
t1Onal Tube company plants, among
those considered for abandonment. the
Pennsylvania Tube works which al
though one of the most important Of the
company is not economical in operation