New-York tribune., 1917-12-30
Huge Tonnage
Of Shell Steel Is
Ordered for 1918
Builders of Railroad Equip
ment Expected to In
crease Output

Smell steel Requirements ga t"'
United States and its allies will be
enormous during 1918. For projectlles
this government will probably require
about. for the first six months, 1,5OO,-
900 tons. Orders for she'll stee!
amounting to 100000 tons have just
been distributed. The Allies will, it Is
estimated, want at least 1,250,O0O tons
in the same period. Great Britain is
in the market for 100000 tons Of shell
bars and forgings, Frances require
ments are estimated at 10000 tons,
and Isaly's AZ 250,000 tons.
The magnitude of war orders is in
dicated by the announcement OF the
specifying Of i0,000,O00 bolts for the
Jacksonville arsenal, Jeffersonyille,
Ind, 1000 tons Of rivets for the Amer
lean International Shipbuilding Cor
poration. and 10000 tons Of sheets for
various war contractors. The Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation has placed
orders for 420 boilers for merchant
vessels.
Supply OF Plates Inadequate
HtdFI sDeNlHCdllOHS LUZ plobto anu
shapes for shipbuilding continue 70
pour out from Washington. The plate
situation illustrates how difficult II
will be for consumers not having gov
ernment priority certificates to obtain
supplies in 1918, or at least during the
first half of the year. Rear Admiral
Bowles testified before the Senate in
vestigating committee that the Emer-
gency Fleet Corporation estimated the
plate production in the United States
during 1918 at 2,6s4,000 tons, OF which
not more than 100000 tons will be
available for shipbuilding, including
both naval and merchant vessels. Out
of the remainder must come the steel
that will be required for building boil
ers. locomotives and cars, and such
requirements are expected TO be larger
in 1918 than they were this year, ow-
ing to the heavier buying OF equipment
for the railroads under government
control.
None Of the steel mills has any steel
to sell in the shape of billets or sheet
bars. but on the contrary all are run
ming short OF steel on account of the
scarcity Of pig iron and heavy melting
of steel scrap. Supplies Of plates are
going to the shipyards IN such large
quantities that builders of steel cars
complain they are not getting more
than 80 per cent Of the plates they re-
quire. The government demand for
sheets is getting heavier, and it is eX-
pected that at any time the authorities
in Washington will decide to stop ship
ments of sheets to consumers who are
not making products essential for the
war Demand for open-hearth steel for
war purposes is so heavy that the Bes-
semer steel-making capacity of the
country is being forced to supply most
of the steel for non-war work.
Added TO the scarcity of pig iron
there is now a scarcity Of heavy melt
ing steel scrap. and steel mills are anX-
.ous to buy. The price would go very
much higher If not restricted to $50
per ton by agreement between the
American Iron and Steel Institute and
the War Industries Board.
Operating conditions continue seri-
Gus, though milder weather has had
some effect in getting cars of coal and
coke through. There is practically no
pig iron beng offered Tor the first hall
Of 1918. Some contracts are being
Ulduc lDF the INlId quarter.
An announcement is expected from
President Wilson shortly affirming
present fixed prices on iron and steel
until March 81, 1918. That not all steel
producers are satisfied with the fixed
prices is evidenced by the refusal of "A
Pennsylvania plate manufacturer 20
accept more government business at
81 cents per pound, which it is claimed
is too low to permit Of producing with
out loss.
1917 Equipment Output
Notwithstanding the great need Of
locomotives and cars by the railroads
the 1917 production has not been up to
the country's capacity. During 1917
domestic railroads ordered only $4,000
cars. At the beginning Of the year
there were orders untitled amounting
10 $4,000 cars. and the total of 100000
IL less than the number ordered in the
three best years of freight car build
ing. Exclusive of Russian orders. which
probably will not be filled there were
foreign orders for 10000 cars, and the
United States government placed or
ders for $4,000 for its own railroad
operations in France. Even this total
of 10000 booked during the year. how
ever, is below the average of recent
years. There are about 100000
freight cars in service in this country,
and the 1917 production represents
less than the normal requirements for
replacement, figuring the average life
of a car at twenty-five years.
Locomotive construction has shown
a better record, nearly 5000 having
been ordered during the last year, Of
which 1000 were narrow gauge gaso-
lene engines for France Domestic
railroads ordered only 1000 locomo-
tives; foreign orders, excluding Rus
sian, totalled LOO. and the United
States government bought $50 for its
own use in France. Il is estimated
that q much larger number of locomo-
tiyes can be built without straimng
greatly the present facilities. The
Baldwin Locomotive Works alone is
now attaining a production Of about
seventy locomotives a week.
E0-ka--a D,t1. - L. <l..o