Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-08-08
Steelt0n Neus Items
PLANT BENEFITS
BY HEAT RELIEF
Many Workmen Report For
Duty Today; Expect to
Operate Normal Soon

Operation of the local steel plant
Will likely be normal in the next
twenty-four hours If the present
weather prevails, 1t was announced
at the offices of the Bethlehem
Steel Company. The intense heat of
the last two days crippled operation
of the plant to great extent and
yesterday many of the departments
were practically idle.
More men reported for work this
morning and in all likelihood the re-
mainder of the employees will be on
the job tomorrow, officials said. The
men were instructed to work under
conditions where they are not likely
to be victims of til intense heat.
Two departments of the local
plant remained closed this morning
while others were crippled by the
shortage of employees. No. 14-inch
mill was cl ,sed this morning when a
furnace broke d Nwn and the squad
OF employees in this department was
so small that repairs could not be
made. No. 20-inch mill which was
closed down on Tuesday when the
men were unable to report for duty
on account of the heat, remained
idle to-day.
There is much interest among en-
ployes of the local plant in regard to
the outcome of the controversy be-
tween machinists of the Bethlehem
plant and officials The war labor
board handed down a decision in
favor of the machinists which is en-
couraging to local machinists. Of
fcials of the plant here this morning
said at the present time the ruling
did not effect employees here and
were unable to say if it would at
any time in the near future.
The Iron Age in to-day's issue in
commenting on the award says:
The award of the war labor board
to the machinists of the Bethlehem
Steel Company, involving an eight
hour day, collective bargaining and'
the revision or discontinuance of the
bonus system, is the most important
event of the week to the steel trade.
1t brings up the whole question of
the use of war eXigencies to union
ize open shops and of the extent to
which the carrying out of the plans
of militant unionism is to be put be-
fore united effort to hasten the end
ing of the war. That grave conse-
luCHCGS are lIlNOlNeu lIlt lldhullilt
of the labor question as related to the
steel industry is now more evident
than eVe~."
Talking of other topics of interest
to steer trade the Iron Age says fur
ther:
I'm respect to steel supply and de-
mand, the outcome of the week has
been, first, a decision by the war in
dustries board aVerse to creating the
additional reservoir of ship steel
asked for by Director General
Schwab; second, the gathering of
data showing that the $4,000, 900 tons
been taken as the present annual
capacity of the country, is consider
ably too low. In one stretch of five
weeks, chiefly in May, it is shown
that the rate was close to 3S,000,00
tons of finished products per year.
TT apears that the ship steel in
process or in stock at shipyards and
fabricating plants amounts to about
100000 tons. While the war indus
tries board did not consent to in
crease the present shipments of 50,-
600 tons week of ship plates by 20,-
600 tons a week through the next
quarter, or even by the 10000 tons a
week later asked for, its members are
confident there will be no break in
the shipbuilding program for lack of
steel.
August humidity may bring
down production, and probably will.
but an increased rate would other
wise result from the blowing in of
additional furnaces. The active list
shows a net gain of eight in July.
The number in blast August 1, was
364, with an estimated daily capac-
ify. nf . k00
July l with daily capacity of ILL.,
40 TONS ~