The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-12-16
GrdY-Iron Industry Given
No U. S. Help. As Big Steel
Receives Billions In Aid


CON(1nLS0 llNQUln1
Washington, d. G. 0LNS
entrenchment of monopoly inter
pass resolutions. Committees
talk to Congressman and to gov
the spread of monopoly and hell
Occasionally the talk is tral
committees make recommended
appropriations for investigation
other natural resources. That is
Of basic economic problems.
Neither labor nor daily newspapers
pay enough attention to these develop
mentS chiefly because so few Of their
readers are sufficiently interested.
Readers who are interested can get
some mighty interesting reading by
requesting ii from their representa-
iiveS in Congress or from one of the
special investigating committees.
Gray-IrOn Inquiry Asked
AFL and CIO sometimes find ii diff
ficult to be specific about developments
which help small business" because
of the personal interest of the many
-workers employed by monopolistic
enterprises. Yet labor leaders are not
overlooking the proposal made in Con
gress by Representative Frank w.
ROykin of Alabama for Il thorough in
qury into the gray-iron industry and
the reasons why this giant small bust
ness" industry has been "Overlooked'
while billions of dollars of aid has
been given the big steel interests of
the country which control the output
of pig iron used by the gray-iron in
'lustry.
The gray-irOn industry numbers
nearly 1900 small enterprises, i'm every
state, produces over 8 million tons an
nually. yet 1000 of them employ an
average of only 2S persons. Gray-IrOn
is piStonS, shafts, motor blocks,
Diesels, machine frames, caustic pots,
cooking utensils, glass molds, dies,
housings furnaces, brake mechaniSnS,
marine hardware, manhOle covers,
valve bodies, bearings, paving blocks.
But in ii the forces of monopoly have
made no significant headway.
Bureaus Seen Indifferent
1T is hardly conceivable that an in
dustry so important to war and peace
time progress could have been SO over
looked in this crisis said Representa-
recently.
This industry is frowned upon in
the bureaus. When relief from half
baked regulations is requested, IT is
not uncommon to hear its plpadingS
dismissed with the inc0nsiderate bu-
reau observation that IT'S low-profit
industry, anyway You see Mr..
Speaker, they are small, but they are
honestly competitive"
Somehow" continued Mr.. Boykin,
these small-businesS people have not
maintained lavish headquarters from
which To high-prcssure Washington
bureau executives. The result is evi-
IDENTIFY II loss to the nations war pro-
duction.
Though we are admittedly short
Of critical steel these fOlmdries have
been permitted to deteriorate into Il
condition that is depriying us of
millions Of tons of iron castings :.
The Output is expected to decline
from the 1912 total of l4.5OO. 900 tons
of castings to l2.O00, 900 tons or less
this year. And this is not the result,
now. Of IA shortage of ORDERS
Part of the difficulty is the man
power situation, says Mr.. Boykin. It is
a wage freeze that favored steel
foundrieS. 1t is II price structure fixed
at the industry'S low competitive price
base. 1t is II manpower policy of taking
away ablc-bodied men from these
small plants and the suggestion from
WING, upon protest, TO see If YOU can
get along without these strong backs"
Prompt Action Urged
The House Steel Shortage InveSti-
eating Committee, therefore, urges
thorough immediate study to deter
mine the full extent to which gray
iron and other materials may be sub
stituted for vital steel and thus relieve
steel capacity
II urges prompt, intelligent, result
full action on the nianpOwer and price
problems of the iron castings industry
so that these essential small business
units of highly serViceable fO,lndries
may he kent tiyhtiuy for :, IeriSiya