New-York tribune., 1922-06-04
Believed That Brier Hill Win
Join North American ard
Pittsburgh Steel Will En-.
ctr the Schwab Combine
Output Is at 30 Per Cent
Labor Shortage Being Felt;
so Far II Is Confined 10
Lower Priced Operatives
srlrl1i Dnraf11 70 TIs Tribr's

newly formed combine bfthlfAfil-
Iackavanna interests ard the steel
Corporation. 10 is still believed that
Bricr Hil. Steel Company will 20 into
the rev consolidation known a. The
North American Steel Corporation, bgt
that Youngstown Sheet & Tube Com.
pany viii remain outside.
Although official denial is made b.
Willis +. McCook, president .of tho
Pittsburgh Steel Company, and Judge
Howard ". Douglass, member Of Tho
board 81 directors of the Mckeesp3rt
Tin Plate Company, that Bethlehem
Steel Corporation has acquired control
Of the above named companicf, it Is
stated from acceptable authority trey
viii be- taken into the schwab COM
blnc
Pittsburgh steel interests bold the
opinion that fOmo OF the steel com.
panies originally involved IN the seven
company merger. viii eventually be
brought under the wing Of Mr. SchVaD
and his Bethlehem Steel. The con.
templatcd deal would give Nr schwao
control over combine that would
nearly rival the United States Stee.
Corporation.
Steel plants are maintaining rT0due-
tIon 90 an 80 per cert average. out
put has not beer az a higher rate in
eighteen months. Coal supplies ire
reported 90 De ample. aficr Two months
n tle union miners STRIKE. Industrial
coal consumers boz tGs territory report
that West Virginia c7a. is parefasa0.e
ln quantities 40 >3 per ton.
Third Quarter Prices Withheld
Third quarter prices or steel prod.
ucfs are sfil withheld and b. is likely
that quotations wl4l De named wn.cn
VIII mako allowances f0r continued
high coal costs. Coal movement t0 'ho
N0rthwc.f Dis scheduled % get under
way n volume tlif month. which Viii
divert certain supplies from The steel
Industry
Full fn shed sheets are probably in
irmest dem,.d a. ttIs TIME. Repre-
scnfa'iYcs NJ automobile and body com.
rarles have come nero lately 90
vance shipping dates. " possible. %
rr.ne'pa. independent ha' a "N',rf
ahlo backlog and is enfcrf0 ffIf4.
quarter business az prices fo prosaI
lt flcf time One producer rfn. Ll
that was recently offered a rIe jim
OF SO pep ton above Sfl5c base .I.G
for no. 22 gage auto body stock,
warehouse interest that wanted 800
tons. However. the offer wa rejected
lrasmuch as makers are anxious -
avoid p runaway mrkot nl iis unsst.
ting influence
Labor supply .s becoming more .m.
porian' factor in steel m.l operations
d. tho weather becomes Warmer SfClt.
age thus f1r has been confined i,rge.y
90 tho lower price operatives. such IS
ouoners and matchors While rfodle-
ZION has as yct suffered iittlo frtr.c.
tion on this account it has proicafcs
some projected expansion. Employment
agents from other districts have come
% Pittsburgh in an ondcayos 20 obtain
skilled labor.
Labor will be- % a premium wi'ha
tho next thlrty days. declared a pr1n-
inent stool manufacturer" j also Do.
ievo that skilled labor VIII command
higher wage rate. This = peiaf
brought about by representatives, a.
steel firms that have invaded thiS dis
district trying 20 get men, 4hey A'e
Offering higher wages
Labor Shortage Felt
Il was found necessary % clrta.l
production in oar of the big plants of
fho ghenang0 Valley because skilled
vorkers could not BE- obtained 20
operato certain lepadtments. The snort
age of men is due 20 the fact that
thousands who we've working Do tne
mills returned % the farms wnon the
business depression came ard iney WI.
not come back t0 vofS UNTIL TOE Faif
OF wages is on higher plane
HfHHfH B. a
oecunied this week on the following
basis-fourtcen Of tWenty-eignt isI'
naces arc r0uring; go Of SO open heartn
furnocos arc charged; two ~ three
Ressouer departments are active lVO
~ ma sheet mills are rolling; al ti1-
niato mills are active; l. of II pipe
Furnaces are fred. while other finish
inc units are around 75 90 20 per cent
Tbc Younpstrwn Sheet & Tube com.
nany Is averaging rs per cent hepuo-
lie Iron & steel, ID per cent femD.'l
steel. 90 per cent; brier hil, ID per
cent and Sharon Steel HOOP ~ per
cent ..t
its Bowwood mine IN the Ionnel.sFllls
district. one Of Us ave coat workings'
This ia one OF the fret mining proper
ties controlled by Valley independents
% resume. ......,
sheet and tinplate manuiacturers ana
representatives OF employees, 70 renew
the sliding scale wage agreemnt' got
under way Monday AZ Atlantic Oity;
EMPLOYERS believe that the scale VIII
be renewed virtually on the same BASIS
as the agreeuent which was IN enee,
the past year. The only ehange as~ct
by sheet mill operatives Is tnat Whth
the practices Of % oose roiiing PFC.
y.ls az per cent above the scale pfice
shall be paid. This practice Is the Toii'
ing Of sheets eparately insteaa o' ~
packs. -. .,...,,
and the heaters helper receive a . pr
cent advance above the base, that -
gauge price shall be paid when y Is
necessary 20 work 33 gauge or neayleF
In ten or more sheets % the pack ana
that all plates weighing over ~
pounds, including primes ana "asteis
figured together, be paid Tor as over.
weight gains. The limit IN tne eprreN
agreement is 1856 pounds.
Upon conclusion of this conference,
the Western Bar Iron Association WIZ
meet representatives OF tho AmaleA
mated Association Of Iron, Steel and
Tin Workers 70 consider the a-reenN>">
in this branch Of the industry.
Operations in the iron and steel IN
dustry in the Wheeling district shows
an increase during the week. The
taurhlin plant Of the American sheet
& Tinplate Co. placed in operation
,wen,y-one OF is twenty-three mills,
bringing production up 20 9i per cent
of capacity. other mills. both Cor
poration and independents, show In
creased production.
Ata meeting Of the directors Of the