Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-18
BETHLEHEM STEEL
BACK TO NORMAL
President Grace Forecasts an
Era of General
Prosperity

No changes in labor will be made al
the Steelton plant of the BethleheHi
Steel Company, it was stated to-day
by an official. Because OF the main
plant at Bethlehem going over on
an tighe-hour day basis. many PEI PEI
sons here thought that the same pa !, !,
was to be inaugurated at Steeiat ~ the
fact. il was stated to-day ~ ~ ~
Steelton plant, that the shorlaSe "
men there is being felt. Nuhpper per =
furnace has been closed down sot q
month, It was said, because ss,oc, ot is
lack of men. Number tlrhdo1 10
being blown out for repairs. -
Because of the closing down OF
these furnaces, and also because the
Bethlehem plant will TO-DAY 30 ot,
an eight-hour schedule; ttbIis citv
thought by many persons in t9ls ~ ~
that a real showdown in prouu'Gili,o,tt'
tvouId nccur nt the Steelton PlaIL y
However,, such rumofs SanIlot 90
founded in view of the real shoII"S =
of labor at Steelton ana uuUa uuU,a,,,5o+ ed
the orders that have accutilui''S0
Instructions have been reeeiyea Dy ,S,
the company from the war anu 80 G,,, y
Departments to discontinue ofe' LIN
and Sunday work and. to comply WV,
these Instructions the company Is
putting into effect, with the dE huo,,r hurT
Monday, November Is, an elBht-nou " w.
workday in all of the department ~ C4 %
principally engaged in the
ture of war materials, . ..-,,,
ut is very evident that the GniiGu l
States Government, as well as the - ~
lies, must discontinue their larBf y
penditures for strictly war materiatl5Si :,
as possibie convert the industries OF
the country which have been aiiiosc
wholly engaged in the manuincture
of such materials, back to thelr h0 ore o
NAL fields. This condition Is hot oliI aIi
affecting only our local plant puI an
Industries throughout the country y
But on account OF our extensive op-
erations at Bethlehem on purely Wal
materials, we are bound to seriously
feel the conditions confronting US
during let us say, the so-calle"
transition period.
French Orders Cancelled
I'm addition to the specific instruc-
tions from our own government "
curtail the working time as Wen as
forces. we have received dennite IN
structions from the French High Com
mission to bring to close as rapluly
as possible all contracts for war sup
plies which we had in hand Tor thelIl
and which has represented very
large volume of business since early
in the war. In adjusting the com
pany's operations to meet the new or
der of affairs, it will be the mahaSe
ment's purpose to do so haNlhS I luli
regard for the Importance OF Keep
ing as many men actively engaged
as the work in hand viii permit. IL
will be evident in arranging for our
large force of machine shop empl loyes
to divide the work up over three
shifts, instead of two, that 1t presents
the opportunity of keeping employed
a great many more men than other
wise would be the case.
Grace FOFesecs Prosperity
MIR. Grace further added that he
felt no undue alarm for the future,
but that. with the cooperation which
he was sure all industry was to OBJ
tain from the United States and Al
lied governments, as well as states
and municipalities, to assist in bring
ing into the market construction op-
erations requiring the general line OF
commercial commodities, the country
would soon pass through the trans
ition period, with possibly some hard-
ships to all, to one of prosperity.