The sun., 1918-10-21
STEEL PRODUCTION
FAR BELOW NEEDS
Prospective output for Current
Half Of Year 100000 Tons
Under Estimate.
100000 ARE REQUIRED
Mills Kept at Top Speed Not
withstanding Influence Of
Peace Talk.
$4,000, ARE REQUIRED
Special Despusch to TIE SITS.

Special Despatch to The suS.
PIrrsBuRo, Oct 20.-The main topic
Of conversation in iron and steel circles
during the past few days was the deficit
IN steel for the current half year. The
prospective output for the half year is
little over 19,5O0.00o net tons OF finished
rolled steel IL nothing happens to tho
mills. and is not expected to reach the
20 600. 900 mark The War Industries
Board has gone carefully over its re-
ouirements and has not been able to re-
duce it's estimate that at least 10000
600 tons Is needed. Some scaling was
done in special cases, but on the other
hand there were additional appeals from
Gen, lPershing and his allies which
brought the deficit down to where 1t was
before. II will fall on the war pro-
gramme work more than anywhere else.
Including the operations OF the railroads.
as while no steel required for overseas
will be cut off the transportation IA
cilities will be reduced and thus directly
hamper the war programme. Commercial
steel is still under the ban. and even that
described as commercially essential
has a long way to go before securing an
order on steel. War demands have run
largely TO steel OF special characteristics.
whereby various classes Of particularly
fine steel have been produced, and after
the war the commercial consumer will
have a wider range of steel quality ~
choose from, with smaller premiums for
the extra quality than would otherwise
have been demanded.
A great many consumers OF steel have
grown accustomed to using material that
formerly would have been utterly re-
jected. Here and there cases may exist
OF the consumer finding some other de-
scription of steel being really better
suited to his work than the steel which
he had been accustomed TO demand.
Thus war conditions have operated, frs.
to increase greatly the range of steel
| characteristics that can be produced,
and, second, to increase greatly the range
OF steel qualities the consumer Is will.
ing to accept and use. After the war
| the steel consumer will have wider
| range of steel to select from and the pro-
Queer will have a wider range Of steel
| in meeting the Requirements Of the
| various steel consuming operations
Better supply of Scrap.
| While there is nothing like a free Of
fering Of scrap by dealers or others a
close scrutiny indicates that there is a
somewhat better supply than has been
| the case for several months Some
| theories are advanced to account for tito
| change. One Is based on the fact that
a number OF railroads. finding labor -
scarce, have discontinued sorting and
preparing their scrap, and are Offering
1t much as they gather II. This, %
| course. would not increase the tota
supply in the long run, but would
| shorten the time from the gathering OF
| scrap to its being offered to consumers,
and thus temporarily the market supply
would be swelled. Another theory -
that the railroads are wrecking mora
cars and locomotives than formerly, Oh
| account OF receiving heavier deliveries
OF new rolling stock. Peace talk has re-
| ceived much attention in the scrap trade,
which promptly started to canvass the
| market probabilities in the event %
peace being declared. The consensus Of
opinion among dealers Is that the mar
ket will decline, and rather promptly.
Apart from the feeling that values II
all iron and steel commodities will tend
to decline upon the declaration o.
peace. or shortly thereafter. there is a
knowledge Of the mental attitude to-
ward scrap Of the average consumer,
who has not been pleased at what has
occurred in scrap. and particularly with
the disposition to call nearly all scrap
"hea~y melting unSss it could Ia
called by a still better name. When TIA
pressure for maximum production o.
steel is relaxed consumers are likely 20
take full advantage of the opportunity
60 shun the scrap market.
No Change In Plate AiIotm, nu.
So far as can be ascertc.ued there
is no change in the weekly allotmeu. &
plates for sh!pbuilding. which has been
at $4,000 net tons q week for several
months past. Some Heterogeneous are
being made in the ALLEGATION OF orders,
' hOw fNe to- -...~
or decreasing the amount of steel ths
mill in question will put into other in-
ished products The case OF each MIL
is studied in the light OF what faoii-
ties 1t has for putting steel into other
commodities. II being desired t. H.
crease the output OF some commodities
and decrease the output OF others
| While tobbers' requirements in stand
ard steel pipe for October, made NJ On
the basis OF their September distribution
for approved purposes. have not been
fully made up, indications are that the
October quotas will prove approximate
the same as those of September. Dis
tribution by mills will not be as hea'r
because OF the higher rating. b, 10"
prescribed for oil-country goods distr'o'
uted though Jobbers, this operating 70
curtail by SO much the production OF
standard steel pipe. which gets B-4 rat
button may be still smaller. bat It -
pointed out that the large seasonal re-
Quirements, for repairs, preparation iN
winter, etc, should be fairly I>-il taken
care OF by this time, so that ligNtef
distribution OF standard ste"f pipe 10
jobbers for two or three weeks 10 com"
may not cause much hardship.
No Letup in Production.
The present peace talk is accepted n
the steel industry as suggesting that
peace IS somewhat nearer than was sIi~
posed few weeks ago TO be tho cas-
but It Is not accepted as suggesting even
remotely that peace may be mater NJ
only n few weeks. Steel makers lnis 4
be disposed to indulge that COM
Portable thought II they did not rea.!2'
that II would be highly inefficient 'or
them to do so. as having a possible Ton
dency TO render n maximum ot VA
service. The steel industry is under q
control OF the War Industries Board 'la
will take It's cue from that source "n,].
v not from the newspap ers or any dn"'
matte quarter The production and dis
8 tribution OF steel goes on III total d'ste-
gard OF the diplomatic talk,
The Chamber OF Commerce 81 t'A
United States has called a meeting ~ mo
: national distributors OF iron and S'fe.
I products. structural fabrcators ''n
manufacturers OF hardware, plYWh'nf'
mill and mine supplies, tubular gods
= tools and oil we'll machinery. at the W.
Z lam Penn Hotel in this city, Tor Ort"'''
~ ~ ~