Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1942-11-05
WHY SCRAP is IMPORTANT
(The Farmer)

(The Farmer)
Possibly you are wondering
vocally or secretly-just what's back
of all this Juror about scrap. Why
all the rush? What's the hurry?
Aren't the scrap yards full now?
Won't it be just as useful next year
as it is now? Anyhow, why does
my scrap have to be handled through
a junk dealer? Why can't just give
it, or sell it, direct to the govern
ment?
These are some of the questions
that puzzled farmers are asking in
the face of the pressure now being
brought to bear on them by local
and county salvage committees in
every section of Uncle SANS do
main. The answers, when you know
them, are simple and logical.
Uncle Sam is forging the largest
and most powerful fighting force he
has ever had. This force must be
equipped with the finest and most
deadly weapons that modern science
can produce and it must be
equipped now . not next year or
the year after but now. To
do this, he must have in great
abundance all of the necessary ma
terials used in the production of
war weapons.
Metal and rubber are two of the
essential materials needed in weap-
ons of war. The source of our sup
ply of rubber has been almost en-
tirely cut off, but most of the needed
metals are still available to us. 1t
is easy to understand why it is
i necessary to salvage old rubber. But
why, in view of the supply of virgin
metals, limited though it may be
in some cases, is it so necessary to
salvage metal scrap? The answer is
very logical.
Steel is made of, roughly, 500
virgin iron ore, and 500 scrap. Ac-
tually, at the present time, between
so and $50 scrap is used. 1t is there
fore evident that every pound of
iron that is mined, must be matched
by pound of scrap iron. The steel
mills are now producing more steel
than ever before, consequently the
demand for scrap iron has skyrock-
eted to previously unheard of pro-
portions. In normal years, farm
scrap was not needed, but today it
is vital necessity.
Winter is approaching. Many sec
months, be covered with snow.
Roads in some cases will be blocked
The steel mills must be kept at
maximum production throughout the
winter months. There must be no
shutting down of blast furnaces for
lack of scrap iron. Therefore, it is
important that farm scrap should be
collected now, and placed in con-
venient stock piles, where it will be
easily available for shipment when
needed, instead of being out on
farms that may be temporarily in
accessible because of blocked roads,
or concealed beneath a blanket of
snow.
Yes, it's going to take heap of
scrap iron to keep those hungry
blast furnaces going this winter. So
don't worry if you see huge piles
of scrap in the junk dealers yards
and jump at the conclusion that
there is plenty and to spare without
yours. That scrap in the junk yard
is just where the government wants
it. Besides, it's moving all the time
flowing in steady stream to
the mills where it is needed. It is
an exception if scrap iron remains
in the junk dealers hands more than
so days. He is constantly making
shipments, and he is operating under
the watchful eyes of government in
spectors, who constantly check his
stock and see that it is kept moving
in the quantities and to the points
where it is needed.
It should be mentioned here that
the junk dealer operates under strict
government supervision. Scrap is |
too vital a war commodity to be left |
open for private exploitation. Con-
sequently the junk business is regu-
lated. No one is going to get rich
buying and selling scrap IN this war.
The junk dealer in most cases, will |
make legitimate profit, which he is
entitled to for the service he per-
forms. But many dealers will be
lucky to break even.
The aversion on the part of many
farmers, whether justified or not, to
having their scrap handled by junk
dealer, should be set aside for the
duration ). for two very good rea-