The sun., 1919-09-25

continuous heavy consumption and an
early handicapping OF consumer manu-
featuring operations II the strike Is not
soon settled.
Late cables report an increase In
prices Of products from Lorraine. but
all French steel deliveries are greatly In
arrears. Lorraine basic iron has sold
c. I. T. Glasgow at an equivalent OF
s32.25. Business in American skelp and
bar iron is pending In England and
American soft billets have resold at S64
delivered at consumers works. Locomo-
tive sales for export include thirteen to
Brazil.
The Iron Trade Reuieto says: The
most un-American strike in the history
Of the country has been frustrated by
the loyalty of the American workmen oil
the iron and steel industry. The nation
wide walkout, made possible by -
stampedlng Of the foreign workmen,
which, II was threatened by the radical
agitators, would paralyze the industry,
has failed at the vital points and the
lookout Is that II has passed the crest.
1t is estimated that 95 per cent. OF the
strikers have been recruited from the
ranks Of foreign. common labor. The
American employees as n rule not only
refused to join in the strike but mani
tested willingness to return to work the
moment the opportunity presents ITSELF
while many plants have been forced
to close. this has been due In numerous
cases to the gripping of certain essen
tial departments and to the involuntary
or coerced absence of non striking work.
men rather than to the strength OF the
strikers themselves. The actual number
of bona fde strikers has been placed at
| 20 per cent. of the total force now idle.
Manufncturers Are Calm
"steel manufacturers have taken a
calm view of the situation, awaiting the
opportunity to properly appraise the ex-
tent of the offensive movement against
them. 1t is manifest that there is no
disposition to adopt aggressive measures
to reopen plants now Idle.
THE Pittsburg district. with its pre-
dominating productive capacity, has
been the least AFFECTED Of the leading
steel. centres Conditions there have
shown progressive Improvement since
Monday, and some OF the foreign work
men who went out at..the first call since
have reported for wprk. In the Biz
mingham district the walkout has failed
signally, while in the A1ast operations in
general have been itterfered with but
slightly. The great4st points of dis
affection have been IL the Youngstown,
Chicago. Cleveland anf Buffalo districts.
where production is virtually at stand
still. In some lines a continuation OF
present conditions will bring about
sharp curtailment of finished steel pro-
duction with its attendant sitting effect
on diversified industry In others the
results promise to be slight.
"Of those products for which the re-
| cent demand has been heaviest. sheet
and tin plate output is being we'll main
tanned in the steel corporation and the
independent mills. In many of the lat
ter annual union agreements negotiated
some months ago ARE effective. Produc-
ton of tubular goods has been cut con-
slderably. though the two largest plants
| in the country are running virtually full.
Apart from Cleveland. capacity in wire
| products is well engaged. The most pro-
nounced effect of the strike on the line
it now has developed probably will be
in the heavier products, including bars,
structural shapes, plates and rails. The
| market on most of these materials re-
Gently has been the most contracted Of
| all the mill list