Evening star., 1938-11-30
Machinery Purchases
Delayed Until Start
Of New Year
Chief Support for Trode
Comes From Motors
And Arms Needs
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK. Nov. 30.-Though
the November election results have
given the Woodworking industry a
mental lift, machinery users have
not loosened their tight equipment
buying policies, according to Burn
ham Finney in today's issue of
American Machinist.
I'm fact, many machine-tool
builders say that November's busi-
ness was below that of October
Little if any improvement is looked
for until after the first of the year,
partly because of seasonal factors.
Chief support of Woodworking &C
tivities has come from the auto
mobile industry and from the Gov
ernment's national defense program.
Motor car assemblies are near
the years peak, with fourth quarter
output estimated at nearly l,000,-
900 units. Federal Government
awards to metal working companies
amounted to s2,384,50l in the week
ended November 10. The steel rate is
likely to resist seasonal influences
and stay near 60 per cent the re-
mainder of the year.
There has been dab of railroad
buying the past week, but in the
main it has been disappointing. The
shipbuilding industry is straining to
rehabilitate and enlarge its facili-
ties as the Navy signals full speed
ahead for its program"
Battleship Ordered.
In New England, machinery and
shop equipment purchases will be
made in coming months by Bethle-
hens Fore River plant, which has
been awarded United States bat
tleship at cost of $49,815 900. The
Springfield arsenal. Newport torpedo
station and Portsmouth Navy Yard
are buying machine tools. Everett
shops of Boston Elevated continue
to place machinery orders. Equip
ment sales to private industries are
poor and inquiries have dropped
off. Textile manufacture is up. I'M
portant loom shipments to England
are beginning.
In New York. aided by Govern
ment awards, the metal trades have
maintained operations at a good
pace Equipment orders in Novem-
ber. however, were less than in Oc-
tober, but inquiries are promising.
At Pittsburgh, though the sea-
sonal peak has passed, steel mills
expect output to remain close to the
so per cent level the remainder of
the quarter. bolstered partly by au-
tomotive tonnage. L. g. N. has
bought 1890 tons of rails and Illi-
nois Central has ordered 1000 box
cars. The N. g. W. is in the market
for $500 hopper cars and 600 box
cars, but railroad buying in general
has been pitifully small. Steel for
construction work is in fairly good
demand. Machinery orders have
been light.
Auto Buying Cited.
Al bcITOlI, duIOINODlle makers are
buying cutting tools in larger VOL
ume. Current orders indicate that
large stocks accumulated year ago
are about exhausted, so that tool
sales should continue to grow. The
supply business is still poor. Though
Toledo factories connected with the
motor industry are busy, equipment
buying is slack.
At Chicago, automotive and farm
equipment tonnage should keep
steel production around $3.50 per
cent this quarter. Usual year-end
tapering in machine tool orders is
reported, but the volume and char
acter of inquiries are indicative of
active buying early next year. Fan
steel has raised pay of foremen,
engineers and Office workers 10 per
cent. Four Wheel Drive is going
strong. Settlement of the Harnisch-
feger strike affecting LOO men is
good news for Milwaukee, where
some companies report incoming
business larger in November than
in October.