Evening star., 1942-05-21
u. :. Steel Industry
On Full War Basis,
Tower Reports
One Months Output
Equals Jap Volume
For Entire Year
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May 21.-The Amer
ican steel industry Is now fully on
a war basis with every immediate
concern devoted to producing the
critical materials that will win the
war for our side, Walter S. Tower,
president of the American Iron and
Steel Institute, said today.
Addressing the Nations steel and
iron leaders assembled for their first
annual meeting since our entry into
the war, Tower said the United
States alone has been producing
each moth about as much steel as
Japan probably is able to produce
in year, that output every six days
Is as much as Italy can turn out in
six months and that America is
producing at nearly three times the
probable rate of all the European
industry under German control or
available to Germany.
ITO put it another way" said
Tower, "the United States alone
has double the critical material
strength measured in tons of steel
that is now possessed by all the en-
emy countries"
Points TO Expansion.
Recalling that a steady expansion
OF steel-making facilities has been
the normal development of Amer
ican industrial growth, Tower said
an accelerated program of expan-
sion, embracing both blast furnaces
and steel making, can lift our rate
OF output, II metallics are available,
about 10 per cent before the end of
next year.
AT the same time" he said, 1T
seems probable that the steelmaking
abilities of the enemy countries have
been shrinking rather than expand
ing, because of deterioration of
equipment, difi1culty of obtaining
essential materials, ineficiencies of
transportation and progressive vast
ing Of man power"
Describing the Governments ship
building program as colossal" Tow
er said steel plate production was
keeping fully abreast with the pro-
gram. Shipments of plates to Gov
eminent departments and agencies
alone exceeded $1,000 tons in March.
he said. April and May figures were
much higher and the June output
was likely to be 1000, 900 tons
1T will not be steel deliveries or
the lack of plates which is reSpons-
ible for any failure to complete this
year shipbuilding program far ex-
ceeding anything ever attempted be-
fore" Tower said.
Tower said prohibitions, restric-
tions and ALLEGATIONS had resulted in
wide dislocations of steel industry
relations with consumers, but that
was 10 be expected from the great
war effort. The industry had quick.
ly co-operated in severing old rela-
tionships lin order that all mate
rials useful for war effort may 60
into military goods"
Miles Of Forms Filled.
Discussing records of production
and other achievements within the
past year Tower said members of the
industry had filled out more square
miles of Government forms and re-
ports than in any like period since
the invention of ink began the
bondage of men to written records" 4"
Members of the institute dis
pensed with all the social frills and
ceremony usually attendant upon
their meetings, including the annual
dinner.
Eugene G. Grace, president of
Bethlehem Steel Co., was awarded
the Bessemer Medal of the Iron and
Steel Institute of Great Britain by
Ian F. Elliot, member of the coun-
Gil of the British Institute in recog-
milton especially of his outstanding