New Britain herald., 1918-05-16
Steel and Pig
Iron Markets
The Iron Age saws:

Inc selection Of Neville Island in
the Pittsburgh district as the site for
the great gun and projectile plant to
De quit by the Government and the
Steel Corporation. as indicated in this
column some weeks ago, means the
early letting loose Of large orders for
structural steel and equipment. Guns
will not be turned out for IS months
but meantime $6O,0O0,00O to $70,-
600, 900 will be expended
This project, with the large force
of WoTkmen that must be organized
for it, just fresh hundreds of
thousands are being withdrawn from
industry for war service points to a
progressive shifting Of men to the
most essential lines. Each week
ma kes it clearer that great changes
are ahead
Some manufacturers already know
that their present stocks of pig iron
or of rolled steel will not be replaced
and they cannot turn quickly enough
into war channels to avoid a shut
down.
While the concentration Of pig iron
and, steel capacity on government
needs can be worked out for a time,
the problems of the dislocations in
consuming industries are not so easy,
in particular the idleness for larger
or shorter periods Of considerable bod
/ les of men.
Ship plate and shell steel programs
/ have been expanded in the past week.
In addition to 100000 tons Of shell
steel at first scheduled for this year,
$50, 900 tons is now figured on to
carry the government and its Allies
up to April l. Ship plate require
f0r at I A
600 tons and those for 1919 at 1850,
600 tons. With plate mills that Will
| be completed in 1918, capacity of all
kinds of plates by the end of the Year
! will exceed 10000 tons.
Steel capacity in all lines exists in
! plenty, but it is the specter of short
/ fuel supply that is behind all the pre-
| dictions of long continued monopoly Of
! steel output by the government. In
! got production in April was at the
! yearly rate of 100000 tons. A year
| at that rate would mean a very con-
| siderable surplus above war needs, di-
! rect and indirect.
! Iron and steel jobbers have just
presented their case at Washington.
Theoretically their prospects of get
ting steel are fair, but priority diff
| cultics are many. Already leading
! jobbers have fallen in line With
| steel makers and are requiring buy
| ers to show war use of material
! called for.
! Material for the 100000 cars the
! government has bought has not been
| placed and moro delays are ahead.
| IT was planned to have steel wheels
I for So, 900 cars, but to save steel cast
iron wheels will be used for many
! of these. Bar-iron makers have
fed for a part of the cars, giving
| thcm some tonnage that would 9TH
| crWiSe be steel.
Bids have been asked on 100000
| axIcG for the new ears. All told
100000 will be needed. No price has
been fixed as yet for aXles but the
| trade believes the railroad adminis-
tration does not expect to pay more
| than 4.25c per pound or about SIS
! per ton below the basis of late sales.
| Signs point to an award on makers
! cost figures with an estimated mar
| gin of profit. as with the car con-
! ira cts, if the bids are not deemed low
| enough.
Prospects arc good for the substi-
tuition Of Bessemer steel for open
hearth in q portion OF the 1918 rail
orders. Next years rollings will in
cludo 10000 tons Of Bessemer rails
which the steel Corporation Will fur
nish the British government for
South African railroad extensions