Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1916-06-29
WAR ORDERS HIT HOME
INDUSTRY
Steel Men So Busy With Munitions
That They Have Little Time
For Flows and Such.

ments and machinery are trying
desperately to persuade the steel
fabricatCrs to supply them with
enough material to keep their fac
tories under normal operation. But
the steel people are too busy. They
are so crowded with war business
at prices hitherto inconceivable
that the wants of their old custom
ers seemingly do not much interest
them.
1t is not that the manufacturers
are advancing any moral or legal
reasons why the steel mills should
not fill the foreign orders for mum
tions, if they can do so without
seriously injuring domestic industry
That, however, is just what the
steel producers are doing The in
ordinate profits are the bellieerents
are Offering for quick deliveries of
war supplies has led the steel men
to neglect the American manufac-
turer. The latter believes it is time
that the consideration of exceeding
ly high profits should yield to that
OF domestic welfare.
What is hitting the manufacture
ers of farm operating equipment
hard now. if the behavior of the
steel fabrlcators is not corrected.
will soon be hitting the users of
that equipment, and citizens at
large. The Implement g. Tractor
Trade Journal comes out with in
formation that reveals serious
state of the steel market Accord
ing to this authority, a situation
has arisen because Of the war
abroad that has begun TO work al
most unbearable nardships on the
implement manufacturers who de.
pend upon the steel mills for most
of their material.
1t would be difficult to exaeeerate
the danger lying in the steel prob
lem now confronting the American
farm implement and machinery
manufacturing industry. which
more directly serves the public
than any other class OF manufac-
turers, for it supplies those tools
an machines to farmers with
which they seed, cultivate and
harvest their crops,
If the problem involved only
price, declares the Implement &
Tractor Trade Journal, it would be
considerably SimpIified. but it is
largely matter of getting material
at any price Nearly all the farm
implements and machines are
SeasonaUle that is, they are built
to be sold III time TO meet the re.
quirementS OF the farmer in caring
for particular crops 1t is plain
that the latter must have his tools
promptly. else his efficiency will be
greatly impaired, not to mention
his livelihood
The steel mills are so enerossed
in supplying material lor inordinate-
. ly profitable war munitions that
they display little disposition to
meet even the bareSt needs of the
domestic manufacturer Possibly
it is only human that they should
thus yield to the temptation to
slight their old home customers in
favor of foreign governments will
ing to pay unheaTd.of prices. At
any rate, in their anxiety to get this
business, the steel people have seen
fit, apparently, to abandon their
obligations to the manufacturing
ami agricultural industries in the
United States
The hurt has already been done
for 1915 Many manufacturers
have had to suffer delay after delay
in getting delivery of material-ali
on account Of the war orders. 1t is
not their hope that any corrective