The sun., 1919-08-07
STEEL INDUSTRY
CURTAILS PRODUCT
Strikes In Cleyeland and Chi
cago Districts Cause Shut
Down Of Furnaces.
PIG IRON OUTPUT GAINS
Export Trade Picks Up-Po-
land Orders Locomotives
Car Orders Expected.

The principal feature Of the steel in
dustry during the last week has been
the actual curtailment Of production as
n result Of the closing down Of some
blast furnaces, caused by strikes In the
Cleveland and the Chicago districts.
Pig iron production is going on at a
very good rate, the weekly trade re-
views Indicate, the rate OF production
for the first few days of this month be-
ing daily about $4,000 tons ahead Of the
July average. The July production
showed very satisfactory increase
compared with June.
ACTUAL stoppage of pig iron and steel
making by railroad strikes in the
Cleveland and Chicago districts in the
past week." says the Iron: Age, have
given more weight to the possibility OF
curtailment by strikes In the steel IN
dustry itself. Blast furnaces and steel
works operations OF the American
Steel and Wire Company at Cleveland
have been largely suspended. At the
South Chicago works of the Illinois
Steel Company seven out OF twelve blast
furnaces are banked. and at Gary.
fourteen out of forty-four open hearth
furnaces are idle.
''The unionizing Of blast furnace and
steel plant workers in the Pittsburg
and Ohio districts has shown no marked
progress in the week, but the outlook is
more threatening because of the
railroad shipments strike. and a new
uncertainty has entered into the pros
poet for the remainder OF the year.
~. Pig Iron Increases.
''The increase in pig iron In July was
pronounced, as was expected, the total
for the month being 2,42S,541 tons, or
1890 tons a day, against 2,114,73S tons
in June, or 70,495 tons a day The
blowing in of furnaces kept up through
the month, so that 2s9 were IN blast on
August against ZOO one month
previous.
'rPig iron production at the beginning
Of August was at the rate of s5,635 tons
a day compared with 71,700 tons a
day at the beginning of July, the present
operation being at yearly rate of about
$1,000 900 tons, whereas the 1913 out
put was 3s,40O. 900 tons.
export trade picked up toward the
end of July after a quieter fortnight.
The placing of $50 locomotives for Po-
land with the Baldwin Locomotive
Works, which accepts ten year equip
ment notes, came after long negotiations.
orders for 5000 to 10000 cars are ex-
pected to follow, but the arrangements
with car trust may be long drawn out.
Thus far manufacturers have been more
active than bankers on these European
deals, and the need of strong leadership
has been marked.
There is some confusion in news from
Europe, with unconfirmed reports Of
American capital figuring. Americans
are reported to have acquired control of
an Austrian steel plant. Thirty steamships
are expected soon to load Swedish ore
for German blast furnaces.
To Buiid- rwenty-ene, ships.
"shipyard developments have been i'm
portant Standard OIL. fruit company
and trawler orders represent upward of
10000 tons of plates. The Steel Corpora
TONS notable programme, now in proc
ess, calls for eleven ships to be built at
It's Federal yard and ten at its Mobile
yard
July carried forward in an accelerated
way the turn OF iron and steel condi-
lions which came in June and pro-
duction figures for that month impress
lively" says the Iron Trade Revtetp.
Measure the extent OF this further
growth Of business. 1t Is shown by the
statistics OF pig iron production that
the surprisingly large gain of forty
eight blast furnaces was made by the
active list in June: of this increase
thlrty-seven were contributed by the
steel works or non.merchant stacks and
eleven by the merchant producers. The
strong trend toward increased steel
works output is shown by the fact that
not single furnace supplying these
plants was blown out in July.
The heavy gain in the number of
furnaces IN blast brought about an in
crease Of 360,262- tons of pig iron iN
July over June. The July total was
i.474,634 tons, against 2,114,02S tons in
June and 2,107.729 tons In May. The
number Of furnaces in blast at the close
OF July was Eat. compared with 1913 in
June and 1877 In May. New business
IL more than keeping pace with the ex-
pansion OF production. With one or two
exceptions buying continues on a very
liberal scale, and receding deliveries
and growing order books attest the
strong position enjoyed by most prod
ucts. Nevertheless a highly conserva-
tive attitude continues to be maintained
with regard to price advances"