Browning chief., 1951-04-06
H0TllE III 1:!'
TOun @:

IN WASHINGTON
53iSdad?I3sH

MoRR1sVILLE, Pa.-Here in the
"a cradle of American liberty,
only stones throw south of the
site of Gen. George Washington S
historic crossing of the Delaware
river, new and exciting chapter in
the romance of American industry
was written recently when ground
was broken for the construction of
the Fairless works of the United
States Steel corporation.
There have been new plants of
United States Steel built in this
country in the fifty-year history of
USS, but never before, even under
pressure of two world wars, has a
steel plant of this size been built
all at one time, which, by the end of
next year, will be producing l,800,-
900 ingot tons of steel.
The day, the weather, the site
and the plans made to promote the
occasion were all of a piece to
stimulate the imagination: cold,
snow-spitting day; 5000 acres in a
bend of the Delaware river just
south of this small village.
It could have been such a day
when the Continental army in
small boats assayed the cross
ing of the ice-choked Delaware
to engage the British in the bat
tie of Trenton. But there was no
such luxury and trimmings and
gas heat, no filet mignons for
the ragged, battle-weary, cold
and bedraggled troops of Gen.
eral Washington as greeted the
guests of United States Steel.
Today the work is going forward
to build $5OO,0O0,00 plant to pro-
duce more steel to stiffen the ribs
of the nation and to pour more
wealth into its economic veins. 1t
does not require much of the inn
agination to picture this spot with
in few short months-10,000 en-
ployeeS who must have houses, who
must have schools and shopping
facilities and churches where there
are none today. 1t requires little of
the imagination to picture the huge
dredging boats which will rout out
a channel in the Deleware from
Philadelphia up to the Trenton
bridge, 40 feet deep, and dock facili-
ties accommodating large size ocean
going vessels.
And in the mind of this reporter,
who was present on this occasion,
the Fairless works of United States
Steel is the smaller end of this prof.
ect which has required several
years of planning and promotion, of
vision and pioneering effort. For
at the other terminal of these huge
ocean going vessels is veritable
mountain of iron ore which must
be scooped up and transported from
the jungles OF Venezuela to the
hungry maws of the ore-eating fur
naces of the Fairless works on the
banks of the Delaware.
And here again the pioneering
spirit and the imagination of the
men who run United States Steel is
projected into the future. For in the
revolution-troubled country of South
America, engineers of USS must
dredge through the troublesome
delta of the Orinoco, up-river into
the jungles past Ciudad Bolivar, up
stream on a tributary to Bolivar
mountain, said to be higher grade
ore than in the famous Mesabi
range in northern Minnesota. But
more, two towns must be built for
employees of this fast undertaking,
more schools and stores and houS-
ing and spraying against jungle ills,
before ocean going ore boats form
a moving link between the South
American republic and the vast new
plant in Pennsylvania. More than
billion dollars is involved in this
gigantic undertaking by United
States Steel on two continents.
As Benjamin Fairless, presi-
dent of United States Steel,
said: "This constant interchange
Of wealth between two conti-
nents will create new jobs,
new homes, new opportunities
and new prosperity for the PET
pie of both countries, and will
surely strengthen the historic
bonds which have long united
the Americas economically,
politically and fraternally."
This reporter sees in this vast
new undertaking of private enter
prise another evidence of the part
nership so often spoken ahout-a
partnership between labor, industry
and government. 1t took govern
ment certificates of necessity for
permission to build this plant; it
took government ALLEGATIONS of the
steel to fabricate the plant and it
takes the government, through army
engineers, to provide the channel
in the Delaware so that ships may
60 through. All of which makes
rather ridiculous the oft-heard
charges from private enterprise it.
self. that the government is going
socialistic and that private enter
prise is doomed. 1t would appear
that United States Steel has at least
a billion dollars worth of faith that
private enterprise is here to stay.