The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-11-02
LONG WALKOUT
TO STOP WORK
Ninety Per Cent of Detroit
Manufacturers May BE
Forced to Suspend.
IS TOO LATE TO STOCK UP
Parts Makers to Be Forced
to Close Shops Within
Few Weeks.
IS TOO LATE TO STOCK UP

DETROIT, Nov. i.-Detroit auto
NATIVE industries are wholly unpre-
rar,d for "A long steel strike. III the
uaIkout lasts for a period OF more
Mar 30 days fully 80 per cent OF Au-
tJmotiye manufacturers In the De-
troit districts will be brought 10 a
complete standAiill.
canvass OF the situation In this
district reveals not a single company
with sufficient steel on hand to last
over so days, tho greater percentage
~ ,ho concerns having lees than so
days' supply on hand. purchasing
agents declare the industry u facing
the most serious situation In Its MS
,ory There is nothing that can lie
done now to save tho day as far As
tho Detroit manufacturers are CON
verned. but to hope for an early set
uement OF the strike.
II is too late now to stock up.
TRANSPORTATION facilities are so poor
as TO make immediate delivery I'M
possible. There Is no steel In reserve
in Detroit. the. warehouses being
practically barren.
Reserve stock Dcpaetcd.
This reserv, stock has been de-
pleted greatly within the last month
NV the Henry Ford interests. which
klaced large orders with Detroit Job
Yers The steel operators here are
doing their best to fill up their ware
houses again. but are finding this
course difficult
Automobile companies which In
normal timee concentrated their
years steel supply in January. de-
iayed buying this year until May and
june. The reason for this delay wAs
that a price reduction was predicted
when the government fixed q stand-
sard price schedule.
The companies waited several
months TO get the advantage OF this
reduction and the majority Of them
waited several weeks more. hoping
for a further decrease II the railroad
administration, which had protested
against the price as set by tho gov
ernment and steel makers, won out
In Its efforts to bring prices down
still further.
I, has only BEEN within tho last
three months that the stsel situation
steadied down and, until that time,
few companies contracted for . great
amount OF steel in advance.
Greatest Demand.
When the automotive industries
did 60 on the steel market other
steel manufacturing lines followed.
90 that during tho last four months
the demand for steel has been great
er than the supply. Mills have been
unable to produce enough to Keep
stock on hand. What they roll to-
dav they ship tomorrow. and this
has made II impossible for thA auto
motive companies to stock up In a.
vance
The automobile manufactures
might be able TO weather the strike
II Il lasted less than two months. but
the parts maker is wholly unpre-
pared and will be obliged to shut
down. The parts maker has been
buying from hand to mouth all this
year, so TO speak. When his scanty
supply OF steel h exhausted his pro-
ducuon must stop and. with the cur
tailment OF tho supply Of parts, au-
tomobile and truck production win
stop also.
Detroit Manufacturer are oarry-
Ing less steel today than they Usually
carried In ordinary timea II n Gus
tomary for them to have q st ok on
hand that would last from three TO
six months. This year the firm witke'
three monthS' supply In It's ware
house Ia considered fortunate. ~
Hudson, Ford and Dodge Bros. are
the best protected OF any OF the De-
troit firms so far as steel ~ CON
cerned. The General Motors units
have so-day supply on hand. The
majority OF the other companies
would exhaust their present stock
within 30 or so days II unable to re-
pleniAh Il.