Evening star., 1959-12-20
Higher Steel Production Abroad
Threat to Strike-Hit u. S. Firms
BY ALICK de MONTMORENCY
ContFibuttng Writer

By ALICK de MONTMORENCY
contributing Writer
The vacuum created by the
strike in the United States steel
industry Is being rapidly filled by
increased metallurgical capacity
in countries usually dependent on
steel imports from the United
States.
American steel production,
amounted to 117,000,000 tons,
worth SIS billion in 1857, the last
good year. 1t is mainly absorbed
by the internal market. We are
only marginally dependent on
purchases abroad: Swedish steel
for ball bearings and surgical
instruments, English steel for
cutlery, Spanish and Damascene
steel in the form Of medieval
armor for art collections and
Hollywood movies, and the like.
But q Sizable part Of the steel
produced in this country goes for
export: About per cent struc-
tural steel or other types Of semi
finished steel or iron products,
and even more in the shape OF
finished steel products such as
machinery, automobiles, railroad
rolling stock and track, pipes.
tools.
The current scarcity Of these
catagories of American products
has caused foreign customer
countries to try to increase their
own production. This is espe-
cially notable in Canada, the big
gest purchaser Of American steel!
Even before the strike Canada,
which last year bought $780,
100000 worth Of steel and iron
products from this country, was
planning to expand its existing
primary steel-producing facilities
in Eastern Ontario and Nova
Scotia. But, with the United
States steel strike on, brand-new
steel producing and steel proc
essing plants are going up, or
are on order. elsewhere through
out the Dominion.
Plants in Montreal
Two such plants are to rise at
Contrecouer, near Montreal. Two
large steel firms have acquired
acreage in the French-speaking
locality and plan to convert there
iron ore from the huge Ungava
deposite farther North into vari-
Gus kinds of steel.
No detailed information is yet
available on the two projects,
but both plants. which will be
the first of their kind in the
Province of Quebec, are under
stood to involve capacity in the
million-ton range.
An even larger project, broached
mainly by giant United States
Steel concerns, involves the corner
Of Ontario province adjacent to
Minnesota.
The great iron ore formations
Of the Mesabi Range have been
found to continue northward
across the border into the rocky,
pine-clad wilderness where the
great evergreen forest literally
clusters the shores of Lake Su-
perior. At present this is excellent
bear and moose hunting country
whose only industry, besides ac-
comodating rugged-type vaca-
tioners, is the shipment Of grain
which rail line brings from the
prairies to Fort William and Port
Arthur. But a high-grade tonnage
OF over one billion tons of iron
ore has already been mapped out
at half-a-dozen sites. and one
giant is planned for the Fort
William-Port Arthur area. 1t will
make pig-iron. mainly for export
to the United States. Other plants
will turn out iron sponge, semi
steels and high-grade special
Steels.
Cheap natural gas from the
adjacent prairie provinces, anc
even cheaper local electric power
are expected to be used in that
areas metallurgy, and ocean.
going ships will carry its product.
cheaply to markets.
The prairieS' natural gas will
also provide the fuel and power
for the steel plants planned or or
order in the Alberta and Sas.
katchewan provinces, where larg,
deposits of low-grade iron orr
have been located. And iron orr
from nearby Montana deposits
will be used at a steel-makins
plant in the Calgary area O
Southern Alberta.
Plont in British Columbia
In British Columbia a primar,
steel-producing plant at Kimber
ley will use the tailings of tn
great baSe-metal smelters locates
at Trail as raw material. 1t vii
employ plentiful electric power TO
fuel in order to produce SOM
100000 tons Of steel a year.
Altogether, some 50 billion
to be spent on boosting CANADIAN
steel-making capacity from it
present rs million tons a year T.
some is million tons 10 year
hence.
Considerable expansion is sched
uled also by the European Goa