Evening star., 1923-08-17
STEEL MILLS HIT
BY LABOR PROBLEM
Increased Pay Rolls Under
Change From 12-Hour
Schedule Impose Burden.
BY j. G.. RONi.I;.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK. August 1.-THE ques-
tion of labor supply in the steel in
uustry has begun TO engage serious
attention as more plants are placed
on an eight hour shift basis. The i'm
mediate burden of the increased pay
rolls which the abolition of the
twelve-hour day has entailed has
fallen heaviest so far on the sub
salaries of the United States Steel
Corporation. The independent pro-
ducers are improving more gradually
with the change but some of them
are already seeking for men.
IWenty-four thousand men will be
affected by the change in the plants
of the Bethlehem Steel Company
where the new schedule goes into ef-
feet next Monday. Reports from
iohnStown indicate the change will
be gradual, owing to labor shortage.
he National Tube Company is scour-
liS the markets for Labor to make
The eight-hour turn possible. but the
effective date has not been announced.
The time of the change in the Ameri
can Sheet and Tin Plate and Ameri
can Steel and Wire plants also is IN
definite.
MahOninE Valley Situation.
new program into effect is Cleveland
ana the Mahoning Valley found little
dlthcultE in securing enough men. but
TINS was due partly to the fact that
plants are not running at capacity
ard some of them are blown out for
repairs. Some of the possible labor
shortage, however. will be counter
acted by the supply made availa BILE
by the slowing down of the tire fac
tories and the slowing up of building
Gn Ct ' not ig,,
movement in Ohio. however. continues
heavy and shipments will exceed ten
million tons this month
Three to four thousand additional
men VIII be needed in the mills of
the Chicago district by early fall
Many Pennsylvania steel men express
ed the belief today that if there is
an advance in the price of steel it
VIII he due to heavy buying this fall
rather than to the abolition of the
tWelve-hour day. Present buying and
inquiries indicate a large volume of
business later. they said.
Announce Crude Price Cut.
As the first step in the readjust-
ment necessary to restore equilibrium
between production and consumption
in the mid-Continent field. Tulsa.
Okla, oil operators today declared
a cut of 75 cents to 81 barrel in the
crude price would not be unexpected.
Ordinarily. they pointed out "A cut OF
l cent a gallon in the price of gaSo-
line by the Standard Oil of Indiana.
the largest refining factor in the mid
die west, was followed by a reduction
of 25 cents a barrel in the price of
crude oil
They added that while the present
price of crude was below cost of pro-
duCtion by some of the small wells.
the cut would enable the mid-con-
tinent territory at least to re-enter
the world markets even If Competi-
tive conditions were temporarily
drastic.
Many of the Atlantic coast refiners
have been quick to grasp the oppor-
tunity offered by low-cost California
crude and have negotiated contracts
running for one to three years for
California OIL which have supplanted
Il large quantity heretofore purchased
in the mid continent fields. The only
step they can see to meet this situa-
tion, oil producers there said. was a
revision of crude prices.
Lake Coal Shipments Heavy.
While anthracite operators and
miners continued TO squabble and
place as many interpretations on each
others statements a pair of rival
Egyptian astrQlogers. only 35 per cent
of OhioS bituminous mines are in
opera ton: the Illinois mines are
working on curtailed schedules, and
some Pennsylvania bituminous pro-
ducers are working only three days
a week. Coal shipments through the
lake ports from Erie to Toledo to the
head of the lakes for northwestern
distribution are running over 1000. 900
tons week and have maintained that
rate for fourteen consecutive weeks.
Coal is beginning to pile up on the
docks of the upper lake ports, how
ever. and coal cargoes are expected to
drop of in about two weeks.