New-York tribune., 1922-05-21
l2-Hour Day i
Chief Topic in
Steel Indust,.v
Manufacturers All 49,
That Long Hours shen1,ss mia
Be A oIished.
Sole Question Is, Hos - ; /
5O% of Men Affee,e.a
Production Now 8OT P,,
iher Moderate Ad,a... -
in Quotations sa ',
speeiat Dispatch to IN. rr.,

1o5 fIH, May 20.--The a.,
Of absorbing interest in sts.s soris
here is the conference betwsa cIces
manufacturers and the pre,;dlste p;h steel
l'the White House this wool s'asht At
subject Of abolishing the two,s oh the
day In the industry. II il ;se-aeur an;.ur
agreed among all local steei iTr.sslssily
the long day should be ahol;.sssaa sa .hs.
sole question is: How? Il !, sl:.s Inc
out that the twelve-h hour dav !. po'hssd
vival Of the beginning Of the ;,s sas.
and is due to the continuous nra..y nrssfy
incidental to manufacturer Of fs'sses NJ s
end rolling Of steel. No ste.s y's ron
facturers here have ever favnr.s 'aaha-
long day. The difficulty has bs.n ra I'M tns
the employees, who, paid larosf.1 "'sa
tonnage basis, have declined h ] ~ :
any shortening Of their hours 100 800
would result in reduction Of thar sa'cn
Ings, such as the three-shift dan rn-
doubtedly would bring about 10Y un'
incidentally it may be noted ,h..
number OF men subject to the r. tw.,sa sas !
hour day in any steel plant i M. .e,'e- .'' I
per cent Of the whole payroIJ = ~, ~.
many, according to leading st.., = shst
sacturers here. However fhs.s 1Asnu-
are largely Of the highest MA y ,nsn
and have incomes running =, l,.a Sisas
$4,000 and S15 900 year wbs, sn ~ a.
dustry ls operating at normal cauaestv
lhey re IN no sense laborers and IN
no sense engaged in hard labor, br.
are skilled men working long bour,
but not at continuous labor. II the
three-shift day is introduced 70, Them
1t Will mean third crew and thew em
pose dividing thei rearnings a. .h;,
basis. The steel industry viii r.,.s
with interest no wthe adjustment sss
De made without increasing co,ss ~
steel production and prices to n. .,s.
sumner and at the same time witko@.
reducing the annual earnings Il
these highly paid workers.
Production SO Per Cent
Steel production Is fully 50 ne, .sp,
Makers are generally withholding ana.
tations on third quarter tonnage ;a5s.
perdents evidently awaiting The sn.F
nouncements by the leading interests.
PRODUCERS generally agree however
that moderate advances will be aut
INTO effect, warranted by higher costs
imposed on account Of the coal STRIFE
Shortage of Bessemer iron il slow
ing down production in tubular depart-
ments, one interest having temporarily
suspended production Of buttweld sizes
OF pipe for this reason.
Steel interests look for continuance
Of the present good business through
out the summer and heavier demand
for steel products in the fall. Sheets.
are especially firm, and automobile
builders are buying freely. Full an
lahed producers are unable to keep up
With requirements for body stock.
Makers indicate their belief that the
coal situation is improving According
iy the Youngstown Sheet & Tube COM
pany has started its fourth blast fur
mace at East Youngstown, while the
Struthers Furnace Company has or
dered its merchant stack at Struthers
IN blast next month. Accession of ths
Sheet & Tube stack brings the total
number of active furnaces in the Ma
nonIng Valley up to fourteen out of
tWenty-six. Furnace operations are be-
ing carried forward as follows: Sheet
& Tube Company, four; Carnegie Steel
Company, five; at the Ohio Works, Re-
public Iron & Steel and Brier Hill Steel
companies, two each, and the Trumbul!-
Resumption of one or more mer-
chant blast furnaces in the Shenange
Valley within the next thirty days
seems probable because of the adyssu
IN the price of pig iron and rapid de-
pietlon OF stocks. The merchant sur.
naces, with the exception of two owned
by the Shenango Furnace Company at
Sharpsville, have been idle for four
teen or more months. The Shenlngo
Furnace Company is planning to renew
the No. 8 stack. which will increase the
daily output from $50 to 500 tons. The
Sharpsville Furnace Company is also
preparing to increase the size of It's
furnace stack. which win increase It's
daily output about i75 TONS. The out
look for the pig IRON business at tue
present time is brighter than st any
time within the last two years.
General impression here is that some
kind of steel merger will be eftecte0,
with Mahoning Valley independent a.
the nucleus. There is a strong sentt-
ment in Youngstown financial and m
dustrial circles against any consoiiaa-
tion, which will remove executive au'
thority from Youngstown to New fofk.
E. D. Ford. A. E. Adams and kopeN
Bentley are looked to as leaders IN sns
of this kind.
Conservative interests are endeasol-
ing to prevent undue price advances ~
steel products on next quarter tonnaes
The Carnegie Steel Company Ials
week started its Farrell works at AZ
rs per cent OF capaeiss.
Eleven open hearth furnaces out %.
fifteen, two of the three blast furnaces
and the bar and blooming mills are -
operation. This plant had been iu's
for fourteen months.
The product will be largely sheet anu y,
tin bars and part of the producv w.
be used in the tin and sheet MUS s,.A -
Farrell. The American Steel ana "u az
Company will also use part Of 'n'
output of the plant. u, u.,,a-
According to officials Of the hoMs7
stead Steel Works the plant IS opslss
ing 100 per cent, which is the pest iss7
ord for years. IL.
The Duouesne plant has increased ~
steel production over che previous wssn sa1
and all mills are in operation reAt
as the blast furnaces. ..,,v
With trainloads of coal arriving oai's
from the South and being stocked IN IN
Clarion the prolonged coal stiiAe VS. w
not affect the output of the big pianu
for months to come. a.. .,;.A
Basic pig iron is firm at so, w'sa "a
foundry quotable from $2a to $zs.os
and Bessemer at SIS. All grades ~
scarce. A recent transaction OF ~. III
portance was closed between ~
Y Youngstown interests, the deal sssols ~
ing 5000 tons of basic, sold at 40. u
While some black sheets have mosse
At 3.5Oc. most of the curren oasinsss
il being done on the basis Of IIon
S.16c to $500, with the usual diifeien- n
tial for galvanized. The comparstavss.
" low average Of 2.80c on shipmenss
during March and April by mld,wss,sss ,.s