Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-02
CONTINUES
IN THE STEEL TRADE
Companies Will Be Given All
the Work They Can Han
die for Some Time
New York. Nov, %.

Although there has boon no material
let-uD in the activities of the Govern
ment in connection with the placing Of
orders for war purposes. and while il
is stated that The steel companies viii
he given all the wor, they can handle
for some time to come, there are many
in The steel trade who see a readjustment
of conditions now going on which they
consider most significant.
The principal reason for this atti-
tude is the fact that recent orders which
have been placed with steel manuiac-
turers, while having protecting clause
also contain an article which will per-
init the cancellation Of the contracts
should it be found TO the interest Of the
Government to do so; and, although no
cancellations have become known. it is
nevertheless true that the contracts re-
ferred to are the first which contained
such clause.
The cancellation Of the $4,000 00O
contract for the Alameda. cal, ship.
Yards OF the Bethlehem Steel Corpora
ton also has come in for considerab bid
discuss on III the steel trade. and tlt
latest informa ton that the Government
is contemplatin ing 4 reduction in the size
and cost of the Neville Island ordnance
plant, which is being constructed by The
United States steel Corporation for tht
War Department, also has created conf
ment.
However ii must not he understood
from this that the Government is chang
ing its policy OF orders for it is known
that the plan i3 To purchase additional
shipS Wita the 500, 5000 that was 10
have been spent at Alameda. so that the
money instead of being put into "A new
ward will be used for increasing tn"
tonnage Of the United States. and this
same situation is expected to develop
along other lines, 20 that the orders
from the Government will continue to be
OF large volume
That the activities Of the Govern
ment are continuing unabated. especially
so far as orders for direct war purposes
are concerned. Is indicated by the fact
that contracts for nearly 5000 tons of
rails We're placed during the past week
for shipment abroad with the leading
manufacturers.
The I.ackawauna Steel Company has
taken contract for approximately
81 GOO tons of steel rails. while another
order was given to the Bethlehem Steel
CORPORATION for about 5000 tons. and
the United states steel Corporation re-
ceived -, 600 tons. All the rails are for
export
In addition to this the recent request
of the war industries board that no
second quality rails be sold without the
Government being notified of the fact
that they are 10 he had. has resulted In
tho withdrawal OF such rails from the
market and uumhor OF CailmalcrE are
now awaiting word from the Government
as e, just what to do they having in
formed the authorities that there are
several Thousand tons Of such rails avail
able at present.
Some big wire orders also We're al
located during the week. one was for
bctWefn $4,000 and O.0OO tons Of
berhed wire for export. This is In ad-
dition to the recent ALLEGATION Of 5000
tons for shipmtnt to the French Govern
ment and there are reports in the trade
that some new barbed wire requirements,
involving perhaps 100000 tons for
France and Gtalt, "iil come On tho
market soon.
IN addition to distributing the above
barbcd wire contracts among the makers
the subcommittee on wire of the Amer
loan Iron ard steel institute has just
allocated orders from betw. en- 10000 dla
M 600 tons of wire rods among the
various makers. The rods also are TO
be exported, and from this IL can be
seen that there has as yet been no de-
oided let up insofar as the Government
Is concerned in its activities with the
steel makers of the country