Evening star., 1933-11-15
DECLINE IN STEEL
ACTIVITY CHECKED
Public Work Awards Heavier.
Auto and Export Sales
Also Improve.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, November 15.3Steel
production apparently has struck al
least temporary resistance level. Pub
lie works awards are hea~ ler, automo-
tive steel requirements have improved
moderately and export business has
picked up. especially in tin plate, but
the combined gains have not been suf-
flciently large to foreshadow a ma
terial increase in mill operations, says
the Iron Age.
While the scheduled rate of ingot
output at the beginning of this week
was 271 per cent of capacity, as com
pared with 252 per cent week pre-
Vous. reports of current operations as
sembled by the Iron Age reflect nc
perceptible change in production, pres
ent engagement at 26 per cent of ca
pacity being identical with this pub
hcstion's estimate for last week. In
the valleys the i11nt tate has risen
5 points TO 80 per cent and at Buff
falo 1t has advanced 3 points to "a
per cent, but there have been declines
of ? points to 81 per cent at Chicago
point to II per cent in Eastern Penn
sylvania and points to 25 per cent
in the South. The Pittsburgh, Wheeling
and Cleveland rates remain unchanged
at II, 38 and 40 per cent, respectively
Chevrolet Orders Help.
Releases of Unfinished sheets for
Chevrolet bodies have helped sustain
operations at Lake Erie mills and in
the valleys However, the automobile
industry viii not get into volume pro-
auction on new models until late in
December and is not expected to buy
additional steel in quantity before jan
uary or February, Similarly, inDend-
ing orders from the railroads for rails
and rolling stock are not likely to af-
feet steel output materially during the
remaining weeks of this year.
Public works awards have taken a
real squirt Structural steel lettings, at
35,4oo tons, are the largest since the
ilrst week in May and the third largest
Tor this year. Among outstanding
awards are 5000 tons for approac6
spans for the Golden Gate Bridge at
San Francisco, 5000 tons for the West
Side Elevated Highway, New York, and
1000 tons for q dam al CANYON. Mo.
While most of the tonnage placed dur
ing the week was for public projects,
notable exception was 5000 tons
awarded for mill building of
the Iennessee-E Eastman Corporation at
AAA6oEOAti ACilil
Pennsy Bids Asked.
mo action has yet been taken on
iarge-scale railroad purchases except by
the Pennsylvania, which has asked for
bids on $4,000 tons of steel on Novem-
Der %. Included are 100000 tons OF
1l2 to l52 pound rails, 1900 tons of
tie plates, $500 tons of spikes, $500
tons of joint bars, 600 tons of steel
wheels and 4,500 tons of plates shapes,
bars and sheets. Deliveries are wanted
throughout the entire year 1884. The
steel code bars deliveries beyond a given
calendar quarter and while 1t is prob
able that this provision will be amended
SO far as rails and track supplies are
concerned, there is serious question as
to whether such change will be made
with reference to other materials. The
Fennsylvania's inquiry for plates, shapes,
bars and sheets is evidently intended
as test of the code.
Advances in pig. iron prices for first
quarter are regarded as a possibility in
view OF increased costs. No changes
in steel prices are looked for except on
tin plate.
The Iron Age scrap composite is un-
altered at $40 a gross ton The pig iron
and finished steel composites are also
unchanged at S16.61 ton and 2.015
cents pound, respectively