Evening star., 1951-09-13
Dilemma in Steel

Defense Mobilizer Wilson has posed some
thing of dilemma to the steel industry IN
demanding that they produce more than their
estimated capacity for such production in the
first quarter of next year.
Steel, of course, is basic requirement in an
effort such as our present one to rearm ourselves
and most of the free world. From the very
beginning of this effort, steel production, even
though ours is far the mightiest in the world,
has been recognized not only as the key but as
the major bottleneck And the bottlenecks with
In this bottleneck are, FIRST the plant facilities
available Immediately or soon for increasing end
production and, second, the supply of scrap
essential to producing new STEEL That any or
all of these interrelated factors should at some
point impose squeeze on expanding steel out
put should not be particularly surprising, most
of all to Mr.. Wilson.
This is not to say that Mr.. Wilson is un-
justified in the urgency of his exhortations to
the Scrap-metal experts or even unreasonable
in his demand that they and the end producers
devise ways and means of continuing the upward
spiral of production. 1t is true that the security
of America is at stake and that the greatest
hope of security lies in increasing our strength.
1t was only some 10 days ago, however, that
defense production authorities were forced to
cut back on allocations of structural steel, some
y
expansion. Likewise there seem no grounds to
question industry reports that thus far efforts
to build vital inventories of scrap steel have fallen
short of hoped-for goals.
The question remaining is what to do about
the problem
Probably the first answer is that the industry
in all its components should take most seriously
Mr.. Wilson's demand that production be pushed
beyond present estimates. If this means as it
undoubtedly does, strain upon present facilities,
upon management and upon labor, then 1t must
be accepted as requirement of the times.
American industry, including that of steel, has
responded in this manner in other periods of
crisis and can do so again.
The second answer probably is to intensity
efforts at conservation and collection of scrap.
The broadening of such efforts to enlist greater
public participation may be one way to accom-
plish this purpose. 1t has been demonstrated
before that highly publicized campaigns for
salvage of important materials can lead to i'm
portant contributions when applied on country
wide basis.
The third answer would seem to be a review
and recasting of present allowances for use Of
steel in more normal peacetime civilian channels
1t has not been wholly illogical that in the earlier
months of the mobilization effort serious at
tempt has been made to minimize the dslocation
of the civilian economy. Today. however, those
who are vested with the information and respon-
sibility for evaluating the world situation feel
that we are close to the critical hour They feel
and The Star agrees, that this is the time for
the big push In our preparations for defense
If this means revision of our present formula
of part-peace part-war production, then the
time for revision is now. If this the sacri-
fee of some of our less urgent civilian require
nents, then the sacrifice should be directed
If the leaders of our mobilization effort
chart this course they are unlikely to have any
occasion for shocked surprise at the response by
American industry or by the American people.