New Britain herald., 1918-02-15

t1ie causes go ueeper than the weather.
 Steel works operations in the Cen tral West are generally at 50 to 70 per cent. of capacity and some steel plants, owing to freight embareoes and the large accumulation of un- shipped product, are today doing lit tie better than 50 per cent
 The industry continues to look to Washington for it's impulse toward better or worse conditions. It's lat est concern is the sharper restriction put upon exports, the War Industries Board having warned producers not to begin rolling such steel until eX- port licenses covering it have been is- sued by the War Trade Board. Blast furnaces, steel works and rolling mill products, the trade is now advised are on the conservation list and all shipments are subject to the new re- striction unless bill of lading had ac- tually issued previous to Feb. II.
 This tightening of export regula- tions following recent efforts to make Government prices apply to certain iron and steel exports even though not intended for war purposes is dis concerting to interests that have thrived on foreign trade.
 Steel manufacturers are still mnch at sea as to the amount of steel the, can supply apart from war uses, a the new business going on their booH is small. It is plain that even I plates asconsiderable amount will available for ordinary commcrcj0l purposes whenever capacity outpua can be reached. Both plate mills tnd fabricating shops have had their Dpcr- ations badly upset by the unreadiness of certain shipyards to take material as scheduled.
 1t will be some time before a new distribution is made of shell steel, deliveries on the 1,500,000 tons now under contract running to June 15. Meanwhile the British mission is in quiring for 120,O00 tons of plates, but modification of some of the un- usual widths and lengths, 46ft- lengths in many cases. will need to be made, in the same way that was necessary with our own governments first orders, to insure early rolling.
 The government has divided among eight car builders the 4,500 cars long under consideration for France, but the new car program for domestic roads dragS unaccounAb1y
 A new ruling of the railroads that special permits for the movement of freight will be granted only on the application of the cOnsgneo, indi- eating need of the material and abil- ity to unload promptly, is expected to help in reducing congestion
 January output of steel lngots, cS- timated on returns from companies producing S8 per cent of the coun- trv's steel ingots in 1916, was B. 5o0.4O0 tons, against 3,106,5O0 tons, inc estimate for December and B., S09.000 tons for October, the month of largest production in 1917. Tho February rate thus far has been well below that of January.
 The inquiry for pig iron for the second half of the year is larger i'll a number of markets, particularly in New York, Cincinnati and Chicago. At Cincinnati more Southern iron was sold than in any week for two months. some of the contracts pro- viding that if the government price after April 1 is unsatisfactory sellers may cancel.
 The marked reduction in plS-Toh output in the past six weeks points to a shortage in the later moh'hs oA the year, and this may be more than is now counted on in standard irons, sIncc irregular operation or furnaces and poor coke have much lhcrcu"cu the percentare of off grades.
 T-ba pip-iros curtailment naturally will loovo blast furnaces with more OTTO o+ the opening of navigation th;n ,yos oxpected. Already some furnace cor,nanics have notified iron ore sel"~ 1ors at Cleveland that they will not rood the full amount of their orig ira1 reservations for 1918.