New Britain herald., 1918-04-13
Steel and Pig
Iron Markets
The Iron Are SAVE,


The most significant DEVELOPMENT
or the week is the definite shaping
Oh government plans for the ilnm edi~
ale building of larger gun works than
the united States has today and for
a corresponding increase in the man
ulactufe OF the largest shells at new
pants The now artillery program
Will include many 16-inch howitzers
mounted on trucks. Their manufac-
ture is likely to be undertaken by a
great interest not now engaged on
guns. and deliveries are not counted
on before late 1919 or early 1890.
Ihls hrst week of the country's
second year in the war Is thus marked
ny the clearest indications yet given
that American steel output will at
length be so far taken up by the
government and its Allies as to leave
little for so-called ordinary uses
either at home or abroad.
The vast enlargement of the ma
tons offensive preparations that has
come in the fortnight has already
stirred the machine tool trade. Great
activity is looked for also from the
doubling Of the output of various
shell plants, by government order,
and the call for large numbers of
motor trucks to be sent at once to
France.
Steel mills have been under pres
sure from Washington in the past
week in an effort to have January
and February shortages made up,
particularly those in plates. The mills
have had the help of a better car
supply, which in the Pittsburgh dis
trict has been especially fortunate in
view Of the large proportion of OUT
put required by the government. The
leading producer there has turned
nearly go per cent OF its recent pro
auction into government and war con-
tract channels, and several plants in
The same district that lately have
given 60 to rs per cent of their pro
duction to such business are now con-
siderably exceeding these figures.
Great Britain's call for 800, 900 tons
Of ship steel is growing more urgent.
and for part of this special consider
alton has been ordered. A large or
der Of shell steel for the Allies is also
awaiting distribution. Meantime an
arrangement has been made under
which the inquiries of Canadian roads
Tor 2S5, 700 tons of rails will be with
drawn from the market Much of
this will be placed in Canada and
mills here will relieve those in Cam
ada of a large quantity of shell steel
Every weeks delay IN the placing
Of the 1000 cars that have long
been scheduled at Washington in
creases the chances of repeating next
winter the disastrous traffic break
down of January and February.
Should these orders be given out to-
m orrow, weeks would be required for
the manufacture of car appliances on
which plants partly idle should now
be at work. Precious time is being
lost without good reason.
Steel ingot production in March Is
estimated at more than 1925, 900 tons |
on the basis of returns from % COM
panies making IS to 80 per cent. of
the total This represents an increase
of 80 per cent. over the average for
January and February, and is parallel |
with the remarkable recovery in pig |
iron production.
The chief item of interest in ship /
plates is the settlement under which |
100000 tons will go to Japan. Half |
of this is to be covered by existing |
CONTRACT with much of the material |
now in storage on the Pacific coast |
ready for immediate shipment, and |
half is to be put through under new |
contra cts.
A meeting of coke interests in |
northern Ohio and western Pennsyl- |
vania will be held at Washington |
to arrange for supplying |
northern Ohio foundries with the Nc |
Kinney Steel Co.'s by-product coke, |
Connellsville foundry coke |
for shipment eastward. Already in |
the case of blast furnace coke. the |
two districts have co-operated to pre- |
vent cross hauhng.
The Connellsville regian had q 100 |
per cent. car supply on the first three |
days of this week. the first situation !
of the sort in many months. Coke |
supply in the east is better and the |
wants of the smaller furnaces in east
ern Pennsylvania that have suffered |
for three months are at last getting
Consumption of labor was assailed |