Steel : production, processing, distribution, use, Vol. 106, No.2

EDITORIAL STAFF E. L. S h a n e r Editor-in-Chief E. C. K r e u t z b e r g

Editor A . J. H a in 'S Manaeing Editor

E. I-. Ross Engineering Editor

G u y H u b b a r d Machinę Tool Editor

D . S. C a d o t Art Editor ASSOCIATE EDITORS

0. H. Manlove J. D . Knox

W. G. G ude G . W. B i r d s a l l W . J. C a m p b e ll

New YorĄ I. H . S u c h B. K . P ric e

L. E. B r o w n e Pittsburgh Chicago R. L. H a r t f o r d J. F. P o w e l l

Detroit Washington

A. H . Al l e n L . M . La m m

London V in c e n t D e l p o r t ASSISTANT EDITORS A. R. Fin i.ey Jay DeEu l is )• C. S u lliy a n L a V e r n e N o c k

New Yo;7(

John H. C a l d w e l l

BUSINESS STAFF

G . O . H ays Business Manager

C. H . B a ile y Aduertising Service Neu/ Yor!{...E. W . K r e u t z b e r g

B. C . Sn e l l

Pittsburgh ...S. H . Jasper Chicago ...L . C . P e l o t t Cletieland...R . C . Ja e n k e

D. C. K ie f e r J. W . Z u b e r

Circulation Manager MAIN OFFICE Pcnton Building, Clcvcland

BRANCH OFFICES Yorl(...n o East

42

C

J " caS.° ...

520

tttsburgh ...Koppers Building ...

6560

ashington...National Press Building f,ncinna‘<...

200

,00

Oaltfand, Calif., Tel. Glcncourt

7559

london... Caxton Housc

n Wcstminstcr, S .W . 1

cl ...Berlin, N.W.

40

10

• • •

P c n t o n 1iie Penton P u blishing Co., Peston Ck?-"1*’ Cic,vc'ln d ' Ohio. John A.

P r « Ł r? an of E. Ł, S h anf.r.

G - 0 .H a « v J rDM * V " ri J- R - Dawley and Sccrctary ’ Prcsidents; F. G. Steinebacii, '■“ted Bli5^ A , J 3ur' au, oI Circulalions; Asso-

f e : ASSuttaS* " lnc- an<1 N'ational Pub- Unitcd t Z Y 7CMr\ V - ■ Subscription in the year U \\C“b» ; M ciico and Ćanada, one countries, one yeai^Slo’ v roP“ n and foreign issues) 25c s in g le c o p ic s ( c u r r e n t

‘ l C\cvcl V nC»?DJ clat‘ "J3 11" ' at the pottoffice c °Pyright 194n 1 l h c^ ct ot March 3, 1879.

1940 hy the Penton Publishing Co.

E S T A B L I S H E D 1 8 8 2

o m e n U

V o lu m e 106— N o. 2 J a n u a r y 8, 1940

R E A D E R C O M M E N T S ... 4

A S T H E E D IT O R V IE W S T H E N E W S ... 9

N E W S Preferred Buying in 30S Brightens Prospects for Present Decade... 11

Stcelworks Operations for W eek... 13

Steel Ingot Production Reduced in December... ... 13

December Pig Iron Rate Down 2 Per Cent; Stacks Unchanged... 14

Labor ... 15

November Iron, Steel Imports off 14 Per C en t... 16

Men of Industry ... 17

Obituaries ... 18

Aviation ... 21

W hat’s N ew at Pittsburgh... 26

Current Events in Chicago ... 27

Meetings ... • • ... 56

W IN D O W S O F W A S H IN G T O N ... U) M IR R O R S OF M O T O R D O M ... ... 23

E D IT O R IA L — A Job for the Construction Industry... 28

T H E B U SIN E SS T R E N D Industrial Activity Well Sustained at Y ear-End... 29

Charts and Statistics...30-31 T E C H N IC A L Chip Disposal ... 32

Motor Modernization Badly N eeded... 34

Automotive Die C a stin g s... 36

N ew Antislip Materiał May Be Important N ew Outlet for M etals... 41

Antiscaling Compound For High Temperatures... 52

M A T E R IA L S H A N D L IN G Steel Foundry ... 38

JO IN IN G A N D W E L D IN G Power Factor C o s t s ... 42

P R O G R E SS IN S T E E L M A K IN G Flexibility ... 45

M E T A L F IN IS H IN G Galvanizing Steel Sash ... 47

H E L P F U L L IT E R A T U R E ... 49

IN D U S T R IA L E Q U IP M E N T ... 53

M A R K E T R E P O R T S A N D P R IC E S ... 57

The Market Week ...- • ... 58

B E H IN D T H E S C E N E S ... 70

C O N S T R U C T IO N A N D E N T E R P R IS E ... _ IN D E X T O A D Y E R T I S E R S ... 80

PRODUCTI ON • P R O C E S S I N G • D I S T R I B U T I O N • U S E

January 8, 1940

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PRO D UCTIO N • P R O C E S S IN G • D IST RIBU TIO N • U SE

A s t h e E d i t o r Y i e w s

■ S T E E L m ills s ta r t the y e a r (p. 57 ) in a better position than u sual. A s a w hole, the in d u stry can see near-capacity operations du ring the en tire first ąuarter and in some cases th rou gh m ost o f first h a ll.

Steel production la s t w eek (p. 1 3 ) rebounded 1 1 points to 86.5 per cent o f in go t ca p a city , on ly 4 points be- low the pre-holiday ra te. C u rren t conditions m ight be taken to indicate th at w e a re due fo r a re v e rsa l of the trend w hich ch aracterized the decade ju s t ended; it w as the first in h isto ry in w hich A m erican steel production (p. 1 1 ) fa ile d to ga in g re a tly over the preceding ten y e a rs. M uch depends on w h at is done at W ashington th is y e a r.

m obile in d u stry on a la rg e scalę th is y e a r (p. 23) seem s u n lik ely. . . . A new electric sto rag e b a tte ry is said (p. 24) to h ave double u sual life. . . . C hicago scrap is go in g to P ittsb u rg h (p. 28) in riv e r b arg es.

. . . A m erican Iron and Steel in stitu te (p. 56) w ill m eet in N ew Y o rk , M ay 23.

T od ay, rem o val o f 20 or 30 pounds o f m etal per m inutę p er cu ttin g tool is com mon in m ach in in g op­

eratio n s, s a y s G u y H ubbard, St e e i/s m achinę tool ed ito r who (p. 3 2 ) sees w ide possi- b ilities in vacu u m e x h a u st sy ste m s and built-in co n veyo rs fo r chip re- m oval. . . . A lm o st h a lf the m o­

tors in the steel and m e talw o rk in g in d u stries a re not e x a c tly su ited to th eir job s. T h ey (p. 34) run up pow er costs due to Iow efficien cy, poor pow er fa c to r, ex cessiv e re p a ir b ills. . . . Zinc a llo y die ca stin g s (p. 36) a gain find m a n y ap p lication s on 19 4 0 model autom obiles. . . . S e v e ra l novel fea- tu res w ill be included (p. . 26) in a new cold strip m ili fo r A cm e S tee l Co.

R a p id C u t t in g

New Powers For F. D. R .?

Business is not certain to w h a t len gth s con gress will go at this session to a m elio rate la w s and fed eral policies that h am per business. I t feels h op eful no fu rth e r seriou s b rak e s w ill be placed on b usin ess— and th a t we w ill s ta y out o f w a r. R em em ber- in g th a t th is is a p re sid e n tial elec- tion y ea r, b usin ess does not take very seriously the p roposals fo r reduced governm ent spending. F o r the sam e reaso n it does not expect immediate m ateriał in creases in fe d e ra l ta x e s. . . . Charles Edison, new n a v y se c re ta ry , w a n ts the P r e s i­

dent empowered (p. 19 ) to com m andeer plan ts, m a ­ terials, resources, determ ine “ re aso n ab le” prices, u n ­ der a national em ergen cy proclam ation .

C h a r g in g T im e C u t

W ith sw in gin g-ro o f, to p-ch arge ele ctric fu rn aces, a C hicago steel fo u n d ry h as cut c h a rg in g tim e (p. 38) fro m 40 to 3 m inutes. . . . C o rrec tin g the pow er f a c ­ to r o ffers a m eans o f cu ttin g w eld ­ in g costs, re tu rn in g up to 50 p er cent a n n u a lly (p. 42) on m oney in- vested. . . . A n in te re stin g sy ste m o f pipin g interconnections p erm its fo u r blow ing en gin es to serv e fo u r b la st fu rn a c e s (p.

45) in a n y com bination. . . . A new a n ti-sca lin g com- pound is a v a ila b le (p. 5 2) fo r ap p licatio n to plain carbon steel p a rts sub.jected to h igh tem p eratu res. . . . C h icag o ’s prohibition a g a in st a ll-steel houses and o ther stru ctu re s ap p ea rs to be headed fo r in v e stig a - tion (p. 27) b y a fe d e ra l g ran d ju ry .

Supreme Court la st w eek (p. 1 5 ) upheld N L R B in three cases. In one, it ruled the fe d e ra l co u rts h ave no right to review b o ard ’s certificatio n o f b a rg a in ­

in g agen ts o r its o rd ers fo r elec­

tions. . . . A new bill in co n gress (p. 20) w ould a p p ly a licen se s y s ­ tem to iron and steel scra p ex p o rts.

f . . . L a k e S u p erio r iron ore prices -or 940 are reaffirm ed (p. 7 1 ) a t sam e level a s fo r

ree Preceding years. . . . R e to o lin g b y the auto- January 8, 1940

Ore Prices

Reaffirmed

You Inland Men Save My Time

" I t ’s refreshing, in a job like mine, to find men who really study my problems

—who contribate so much toward solving them. You Inland men w ork like members o f our own Staff— always on the alert for ways to im prove our quality or reduce our costs. I find that the time I spend with Inland sales representatives, metallurgists and executives is time spent to the advantage o f our business.”

A good many steel buyers feel that w a y —and so w ill a good many more, when they discover the real meaning and value o f Inland Service.

I N L A N D S T E E L C O

38 S. Dearborn St., CHICAGO • District Offices: MILWAUKEE • DETROIT • ST. PAUL • ST. LOUIS • KANSAS CITY • CINCINNATI

S H E E T S S T R I P T IN P L A T E B A R S P L A T E S F L O O R P L A T E S S T R U C T U R A L S P IL IN G R A I L S T R A C K A C C E S S O R I E S R E IN F O R C IS G BAR S

D e f e r r e d B u y i n g i n 3 0 s B r i g h t e n § P r o s p e c t s f o r P r e s e n t D e c a d e

United States Steel Production Fails To Record G ain for First Time in IJistory. Rest of World Moves For- ward To New Peak, Increases O u tp u t by 42 Per Cent

■ THE D E C A D E ju st ended w as the first in which the A m erican steel in ­ dustry failed to record a substantial production gain over the preceding ten years. This w as despite a fa ir ­ ly normal population gain and the extension of steel uses into new products.

Production of ingots and steel fo r castings in the 30s w as slig h tly more than 20 per cent low er than peak 20s output. The record sińce 1890:

G ross Tons 1890-99 ... 59,667,000 1900-09 ... 171,767,000 1910-19 ...334,955,000 1920-29 ... 426,896,000 1930-39 ... 337,926,000 Pose against these figu res United States population gain s:

1890 ... 63,056,000 J900 ... 76,129,000 J S ® ... 92,267,000

“ 20 ...106,543,000 1930 ... 123,091,000 1940 ... 131,300,000

‘ Estimated.

Consider that the continuous roll- mills came into their own in the 30s, making available better steel products at lower costs; that new al- oys enabled new products; that re­

search brought tremendous tech- line cal imProvement a]l along the

Does the decrease in production leiloct a period of economic and po- i ical turmoil and mean that we ave a large pent-up demand as we er the 40s? Or does it indicate 'e are reaching economic m atu rity n ve completed our great ex- pansions?

Some economists have argued fo r anj i ears that A m erica and other l*ave reached. economic ma- nf fit n e s s the official report of im? ted States com m issioner

_ labor, dated 1886:

o . j ! '0 fations of the world have chinol Cd themselves with ma-

f a r ancl manuf acturing plants

duoti of the w ants o f pro-

• This fuli supply of eco- January 8, 1940

nomie tools to meet the w an ts of n early a ll branches of com m erce and in dustry is the m ost im portant fac- tor in the present industrial depres- sion.

“ Though the discovery of new processes of m anufacture w ill un- doubtedly continue, and this w ill act a s an am eliorating influence, it w ill not leave room fo r m arked exten- sion such as has been witnessed during the past 50 years, or afford em ploym ent to the va st am ount of capital which has been created dur­

ing th at period. The day of larg e profits is probably past.”

Since this gloom y prediction w as m ade 54 y ea rs ago, steel and other industries have enjoyed periods ol unparalleled prosperity, interspersed with depression periods.

In contrast to the decline in United States production, th at o f other countries in the w orld collectively in ­ creased 42 per cent in the 30s o ver the 20s. In part, this w a s due to arm am ent program s, esp ecially by totalitarian pow ers and, at the close of the decade, by the w estern de- m ocracies. A la rg e r p art w a s due to the ąu iek er reco very fro m the 1930 depression in p ractically all foreign countries, F ran ce excepted.

United S tates and F ra n c e h ave shared two sim ilarities in th eir de­

pression records. Both h ave fol­

lowed program s of m anaged econ- omies iń which the govern m ent h as left unchanged the capitalistic struc- ture of business w hile im posin g pro- gressive regulation over its opera­

tions, m eanw hile in cu rrin g huge

Steel In g o t, C a s tin g s P r o d u c tio n 1890-1939

700

600

500

£ 4 0 0

O O

o 300 co

O

100

ALL OTHER COUNTRIES 617

i

" L

427 435

172

■

60

■ 1

m m

1910-19 1920-29 1930-39 1920-29 1930-39

■ W hile the rest of the world was inereasing steel production 42 per cent in the past decade, United States output took its first long-term baekw ard step, fell

20

20

11

deficits to finance subsidies and re ­ lief program s. Both have witnessed a larg e reduction of investm ent of private capital in business enter- prises. In both, has industry been besieged by labor trouble.

A ssu m in g (as m ost businessm en believe) that the poor show ing in the 30s w as due to a decade o f defi­

cits, to inereasing governm ent regu- lation, to governm ent competition with business, to a 150 per cent rise in the national debt, to burdensome and coercive taxes, and to the frigh t caused private capital by all the foregoin g, w h at m ay the m etals in- dustries expect in the 40s?

To Builtl M ore E x p re ss H igh w ays Autom obile production fo r the past ten y ea rs totaled 32,127,569 (United States and C anada), a 13 per cent decrease from the 37,207,- 600 m ade in the 20s. W ith a popula­

tion approxim ately 25,000,000 larg er at the beginning o f the present dec­

ade than in 1920, theipe appears to be no insurm ountable obstacle to a com m ensurate increase in auto­

mobile demand.

N ew express h igh w ays, affording ea sy and rapid in gress and egress to m etropolitan centers, m ay become realities in the next ten years. Build­

ing such h igh w ays would not only affo rd a m arket fo r m illions o f tons of steel, but also would stim ulate autom obile sales.

Construction has been fa r below the 20s. According to F . W. Dodge Corp. reports, the total fo r the past ten y ea rs w as $25,750,757,000, or only 80 per cent o f the total fo r the five y ea rs from 1925 to 1929. A bet­

ter decade to come seem s assured.

M an y steelm en believe steel resi-

dential housing w ill don its long trousers during the n ext ten years.

The groundw ork has been laid ; r e ­ finements in design and the break- ing down o f sales resistan ce rem ain to be accomplished.

One leading steel m an u factu rer has predicted the next ten o r 15 y e a rs w ill see steel houses with mov- able w alls to perm it the housew ife to change the shape or location of room s ju s t as she now m oves the furniture.

R ailroad s have been disappointing custom ers through m ost o f the past decade. Outlook fo r better carload- ings and the need fo r new and im- proved eąuipm ent presage a t least m oderately better b uyin g by the carriers if they a re to continue to operate.

R ailroad ownership has shrunk 600,000 freig h t cars and 14,000 loco- m otives sińce 1929. D eferred main- tenance at the end of 1938 w as esti­

m ated at $283,000,000 b y the inter- state com m erce com mission. A sur- ve y by S t e e l indicated deferred steel purchases am ount to 7,500,000 tons, in addition to norm al annual needs.

The m achinę tool industry, which in the past decade w ent through a decline in business until it alm ost reached the van ish in g point, still produced a g re a te r dollar volum e in the 30s than in the 20s. N ow operating near practical capacity and booked w ell into the current year, the in d u stry’s outlook is bright.

I f w a r continues in E uropę, fo r ­ eign demand should hołd up. I f the w a r ends suddenly and the b elliger­

ents divert tools now m akin g arm a- ments to m an u factu re of peacetim e

products, a stiff trade w a r m ay de- velop. The only w a y dom estic pro- ducers, p ayin g high w age rates, could hope to compete w ith cheap- labor foreign products would be to em ploy m ore modern and efficient m achinę tools.

The nation’s th irst show s no signs of abating, and beer continues to go to m arket in cans. H ousew ives still buy food in tins.

Ships alread y aw arded in Am er­

ican yard s assu re the busiest next th ree or fo u r y ea rs fo r ship steel suppliers sińce the W orld w ar. The destruction o f h eavy tonnages in the w a r at sea prom ises la rg e replace- ment needs by E uropean neutrals and belligerents, in which American steelm akers w ill sh are to some ex- tent.

M iscellaneous U ses Grow T he depression decade has wit­

nessed a rem arkab le grow th in use o f ligh t steels fo r miscellaneous products, especially household appli- ances, furn iture, hospital and other institutional eąuipm ent. Due par- tially to the better steels developed and p a rtia lly to better fabrication methods, “ m iscellaneous” now ranks as a first-flight consum er.

A s research enables better alloys at low er costs, the extension of these and sim ilar uses appears a certain- ty. H ospital eąuipm ent alone offei’s a potential m ark et fo r 17,000 tons of stain less sheets, strip and ligh t plate.

In generał, w hile no tremendous new expansion in steel usage, like the railroad building in the indus- tr y ’s ea rly days on the m ore recent widespread use in construction, now is in sight, the in d ustry should re- fine and extend its m arket during com ing years. R esearch w ill open new m ark ets; present m a jo r con­

su m ers w ill account fo r goodly ton­

nages, provided, of course, generał business conditions a re satisfactory.

G reatest facto rs in the turn of gen erał business now are the war in E uro pę and the course o f goyern- m ental policies relatin g to business.

W ar, it is g en erally agreed, will have a stim u latin g effect while in progress, w ith an added bulge re- su ltin g from the reconstruction pro­

gram s that m ust follow . Ju st as gen erally agreed: A later hang- over.

Dom estic problem s loom larger to most. The past decade b r o u g h t a g re a ter interest in political affairs by business men, and the trend toward industrial statesm anship probably w ill be accentuated during the com­

ing period.

The late 30s showed an unmistak- able sh ift tow ard conservatism , an insistence to re fo rm som e of the re- fo rm s instituted b y the N ew Deal A s o f Sept. 1 , 1939, prospects for a m ore con servative administration in

(P lea se tu rn to P a g e 73) J-TEEL

L a u n c h T h ir d Express L in e r

a S. S. EXCHANGE, third of four fast express liners being built at the Fore River yard of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp., Quincy, Mass., go- ing down the ways dur­

ing recent launching ceremonies. The EX- CHANGE is expected to be delivered to the American Export Lines Inc. early this year.

NEA photo

Steel In g o t P r o d u c tio n

Reduced in D e c e m b e r District Steel Rates P R O D U C T IO N

■ Steel ingot production in Decem ­ ber amounted to 5,164,420 gross tons, representing 85.57 per cent of capacity, compared w ith 5,462,616 tons and 93.26 per cent of capacity in November, according to the American Iron and Steel institute.

It was the third larg est m onthly production in 1939, exceeded only by October and N ovem ber. With these exceptions, it w as the larg est monthly production sińce M ay, 1929.

Production fo r all 1939 totaled 45,768,899 tons at 64.29 per cent of capacity, compared w ith 27,742,225 tons at 39.65 per cent in 1938. In 1937 total production w as 49,502,907 tons at 72.3 per cent.

Weekly output fo r D ecem ber w as 1,168,421 tons, com pared w ith 1,273,- 337 tons in November, and 1,217,567 tons in October. In December, 1938, the weekly rate w as 708,314 tons.

Average weekly rate fo r 1939 w as 877,080 tons; in 1938, 532,072 tons.

Pictures H ow Steel Serves th e F a rm e r

■ How modern steel fa rm imple- ments and eąuipment h ave inereased the farm er’s production, lightened his task and raised his standard of living are portrayed in the A m erican Iron and Steel institute’s new pic- ture booklet, Steel S e w e s th e F a rm -

P e rc e n ta g e o£ In g o t C a p a c ity E n g a g e d in L e a d ln g D is tric ts

W e e k Sam e

ended w eek

J a n . 6 C h a n g e 1939 1938 P itt s b u r g h . . . 89 +19 44 25.5 C h ic ag o ... 90.5 + 9.5 53 24.5 E a s te rn P a . . . 82 -1- 5 34 31

Y o u n g s to w n . 85 + 1 1 ^{50 24}

W h e e lin g . 89 +13 64 26

C le y e la n d . . . . 85 +17 54 26 B u f f a l o ... 67 — 7.5 44 23

B ir m in g h a m . . 94 +19 77 63

N e w E n g la n d . . S3 + 8 ^{70 19}

C in c in n a ti . .. . 91 +16 72

S t. L o u is 78.5 + 1.5 45.5 21

D e tr o it ... 90 + 5 91 33 A v e ra g e . . . . 86.5 + 1 1 ^{51.5 26}

er. Illu strated is the developm ent o f farm tools fro m e a rly E gy p tia n and B abylonian days to today’s effi- cient m achinery.

T yp ical exam ple: G rain w as first h arvested w ith sickles w ith which by hard labor one man could reap h alf an acre a day; today’s modern h arve ster cuts and binds 40 acres a day, or the huge new combines cut and thresh the grain as it travels.

■ Tw enty-third open-hearth confer- ence o f the A m erican In stitute of M ining and M etallurgical E n gin eers is to be held at the W illiam Penn hotel, P ittsb urgh, A p ril 24-26.

S tee l In g o t S ta tis tic s

C a lc u la te d M o n th ly P ro d u c tio n —-Ail C o m p a n ie s W e e kly

— Open H e a r th — ---B essem er--- ----T o t a l---- produc- N u m b e r

P er ce n t Per cent Per cent tio n, a ll o f w eeks

Gross o t Gross o t Gross or co m p anie s, ln

tons c a p a c ity tons c a p a c ity tons c a p a c ity gross tons m o n th 1939 Keported by Companies which in 19:S8 m ade 98.67% o f Open-Hcarth and 99.00% o f Bessemer.

... 3,026,710 54.96 147,642 27.26 3,174,352 52.4S 716,558 4.43 f,eb- v ... 2,792,267 56.15 196,382 40.16 2,988,649 54.72 747,162 4.00

S ... 3,210,481 58.30 194,889 35.99 3,405,370 56.30 768,707 4.43

APr11... 2,768,269 51.91 205,977 39.28 2,974,246 50.78 693,297 4.29 ... 2,752,549 49.98 170,326 31.45 2,922,875 48.32 659,791 4.43 i.W®... 2,937,622 55.08 187,666 35.78 3,125,288 53.35 728,505 4.29 ... 2,932,924 53.38 229,610 42.49 3,162,534 52.40 715,505 4.42 ... 3,516,219 63.85 247,199 45.65 3,763,418 62.22 849,530 4.43

* ePl ... 3,933,885 73.94 297,425 56.84 4,231,310 72.41 988,624 4.28 Vlct... 4,988,416 90.58 405,405 74.86 5,393,821 89.17 1,217,567 4.43 ... 5,057,655 94.83 404,961 77.22 5,462,616 93.26 1,273,337 4.29 tc... 4,848,702 88.24 315,718 58.43 5,164,420 85.57 1,168,421 4.42 r ° ta l... 42,765,699 65.98 3,003,200 47.12 45,768,899 64.29 877,080 52.14 1938 Iteported by Companies which in 1938 m ade 98.67% o f Open-Hearth *nd 99.90% of Bessemer.

r£?... 1,634,224 30.28 99,941 18.27 1,734,165 29.17 391,459 4.43

»r.Dr' v ... 1,572,009 32.26 125,443 25.39 1,697,452 31.63 424,363 4.00 AnrM ... 1,846,517 34.21 157,687 28.82 2,004,204 33.72 452,416 4.43 Ma v ... 1,786,942 34.19 132,100 24.93 1,919,042 33.34 447,329 4.29 T,fn’‘ ... 1,669,455 30.93 131,422 24.02 1,800,877 30.30 406,519 4.43 j y h , ... 1,513,715 28.96 119,128 22.48 1,632,843 2S.36 380,616 4.29

1,846,319 34.29 127,998 23.45 1,974,317 33.29 446,678 4.42

Setf,... 2,340,363 43.36 196,739 35.96 2,537,102 42.6S 572,709 4.43 O c r... 2.440,192 46.80 206,937 39.15 2,647,129 46.09 618,488 4.28 Nov... 2,882,827 53.41 223,15S 40.78 3,105,985 52.25 701,125 4.43

Dec... H I7'167 64-23 ^{201,196 37.97 3,558,363 61.81 ^.29}

C... 2,971.834 55.19 158,912 29.11 3,130,746 52.79 708,314 4.42 T otal... 25,861,564 40.71 1,880,661 29.20 27,742,225 39.65 532,072 52.14 tonsPonr^ 1 tage.i°.f caPacit>' onerated for 1939 are calculated on weekly capacities of 1.243,153 gross on ar.nn?! „ h , 1 .n g o t s a n d 122,248 gross tons bessemer ingots: total, 1,365,401 gross tons: based bessemer w taC1£ies as Dec- 31 • l 938- as follows: ODen-hearth ingots, 64,817,994 gross tons;

* “; 37'1.000 gross tons.

tons of ofvcaPac'ty operated for 193S are calculated on weekly capacities of 1.218.342 gross based on’anm>et ingots and 123.514 gross tons of bessemer ingots: total. 1.341.So6 gross tons;

tons- be*»5SS i caPaclt'es as of De- 31, 1937, as follows: Onen-hearth ingots, 63.o24.3o6 gross nessemer Ingots. 6.440.000 gross tons.

S T E E L M A K IN G R E G A IN S M O ST O F H O L ID A Y L O SS

■ S T E E L W O R K S operations last w eek regained n early all the holiday decline, risin g 1 1 points to 86.5 per cent. E leven districts rebounded and one showed a loss because o f repairs.

L a s t y e a r the rate w as 5 1.5 per cent; two y ea rs ago 26 per cent.

C incinnati—Recovered 16 points to 9 1 per cent.

Birm in gh am , A la — Advanced 19 points to 94 per cent, the preholiday level.

St. L o u is—Up 1% points to 78%

per cent as result o f sligh t changes in several plants.

P ittsb u rgh —Rebounded 19 points to 89 per cent. A sligh t fu rth e r rise is expected this week.

W heeling— O perated at 89 per cent, an increase of 1 3 points.

C hicago—Rose 9% points to 90%

per cent, w ith m ost m ills back at preholiday level, two attain in g the highest rate sińce the fa li peak.

Cleyeland—Inereased 1 7 points to 85 per cent.

C entral eastern seaboard— Gained 5 points to 82 per cent, w ith 2 or 3 points additionai indicated fo r this week.

B u ffalo —D rop o f 7% points to 67 per cent w as due to holiday idleness and repairs.

N ew E n glan d — Added o p e n h earths to operate a t 83 per cent, a rise o f 8 points. L ittle change is indicated fo r this w eek.

Youngstow n, O.—Resum ption of production on a fu li w eek b asis ad- vanced the rate 1 1 points, to 85 per cent. T h is w eek a decline o f 2 to 3 points is anticipated, as Carnegie- lllin ois Steel Corp. w ill tak e off two open hearths and Y oungstow n Sheet 6 Tube Co. one, the latter probably adding one fu rn ace late in the w eek.

Detroit— Advanced 5 points to 90 per cent.

C a n a d a ’s S teel O u t p u t S lip s ; P ig Ir o n H ig h e r

■ C an ada’s production of steel in­

gots and castin gs in N ovem ber w as sligh tly under th at o f October but fa r in excess of N ovem ber, 1938.

N ovem ber output of pig iron and ferro allo ys w as la rg e r than in Oc­

tober and in N ovem ber, 1938.

E leven m onths’ output in all three products w a s g re a ter than in the cor- responding period in 1938. Com- parisons:

Steel

ing ots, P ig Ferro- c a s tin g s iro n a llo y s N0V., 1939 ... 147,182 87,822 7,285 O ct., 1939 ... 149,890 85,758 6,357 N o v „ 1938... 90,120 46,216 5,999 E le v e n m o , 1939 1,234,765 661,562 64,740 E le v e n m o., 1938 1,077,381 651,718 50,512

January 8, 1940 13

Decembei* P ig Ir o n R a te D o w n 2 I*er Cent: S ta c k s U nclianged

■ ' F I R S T dip ip the ra te of coke pig iron j.production sińce the upturn begpm' las.t Ju n e -was registered in December* Since the drop am ounted , to only ^pproxirriately 2 p er cent, it seem s' lik ely th at the re versa l can be.-ąttributed m ore to slackened op- erations o ver the C hristm as holiday than to a n y b reak in the demand fo r iron.

A ctive blast fu rn aces Dec. 3 1 re- m ained the sam e a s on Nov. 30 at a total of 19 1. O f three stacks blow- in g out, two w ere reported as being relined; o f three stacks resum ing, one had gone down in N ovem ber fo r relining.

A vei’age daily production of iron

M O N T H L Y I R O N P R O D U C T IO N Gross Tons

1939 193S 1937

J a n ... 2,175,423 1,444,862 3,219,741 F e b ... 2,060,1S3 1,306,333 3,020,006 M a r c h ____ 2,393,255 1,470,211 3,470,470 A p r il ... 2,055,326 1,388,008 3,400,636 M a y ... 1,717,522 1,260,937 3,545,ISO J u n e ... 2,119,422 1,060,747 3,115,302 J u l v ... 2,356,036 1,213,076 3,501,359 A u g ... 2,660,513 1,495,514 3,616,954 S e p t... 2,874,054 1,683,097 3,417,960 O c t... 3,627,384 2,067,499 2,891,026 N o V ... 3,720,100 2,286,661 2,007,031 D e c... 3,767,605 2,212,718 1,503,474 T o t a l. . . 31,526,S23 1S,S89,663 36,709,139

in D ecem ber w a s 12 1,5 3 5 gross tons, as com pared w ith 124,003 tons in N ovem ber. T h is w a s a loss o f 2468 tons per day, or 1.99 per cent. The D ecem ber rate stands as the second highest fo r an y month in 1939, the Ń ovem ber figu rę being the highest, and, incidentally, the best fo r any month sińce M ay, 1929, w ith 125,753 tons. In December, a y e a r ago, pro­

duction averaged only 71,37S tons per day.

T otal output in D ecem ber am ount­

ed to 3,767,605 gro ss tons, against 3,720,100 tons in the preceding month. T h is w a s an inerease of 47,- 505 tons, or 1.2 7 per cent. In view o f the drop in d aily rate, the sm ali gain w as due to the fact th at De­

cem ber w a s a one-day longer month than N ovem ber. The Decem ber pro­

duction w a s the best on record fo r that month and the best fo r an y month sińce Ju ly , 1929, w ith 3,7S2,- 5 1 1 tons. Output in December, 193S, w as 2,212,718 tons.

Iron production fo r 1939 aggre- gated 31,526,S23 gro ss tons, agains*:

1S,8S9,663 tons in 1938. T he gain am ounted to 12,637,160 tons, or 67

A Y E R A G E D A I L Y P R O D U C T IO N Gross Tons

1939 193S 1937 1936

J a n ... 70,175 46.60S 103,863 65,461 F e b ... 73,578 46,655 107,857 63,411 M a r c h . . 77,201 47,426 111,951 66,004 A p r il . . . 68,511 46,267 113,354 80,316 M a y ____ 55,404 40,675 114,360 85,795 J u n e . . . 70,647 35,358 103,843 86,551 J u l y ____ 76,001 39,131 112,947 S3.735 A u g . . . . 85,823 48,242 116,676 87,475 Sept. . . . 95,802 56,103 113,932 90,942 O c t... 117,012 66,694 93,259 96,509 N o v ... 124,003 76,222 66,901 98,331 D ec... 121,535 71.37S 4S.499 100,813 A y e ... 86,375 51,752 100,573 83,832

per cent. The 1939 output w as the highest sińce 19 37 which recorded a total of 36,709,139 tons.

R e la tin g production to capacity, operations in Decem ber averaged 88.5 p er cent. This com pares w ith 90.3 in N ovem ber, 85.2 in October, and 51.4 p er cent in D ecem ber, a y e a r ago.

D uring December, three b last fu r ­ naces resum ed and three w ere blown out—all of the nonm erchant or steel- w o rk s classification. T h e total in blast a t the end o f the month, 19 1, w as the sam e as on N ov. 30, and com pared w ith 188 on Oct. 3 1, and 1 1 5 on Dec. 3 1, 1938. T h e figu rę of 19 1 stacks has not been eąualed sińce A ugust, 1937, and is one less than the 19 2 total fo r Ju ly o f the sam e year. Sin ce A pril, the low point of 1939 w ith 10 2 furn aces ae- tive, 89 have resum ed operation.

Furn aces resu m in g operation in

DECE.MT5ER IR O N P R O O U C T IO N No. in b la s t T o ta l to n n a g e la s t d a y o f Mer- Nonmer-

Dec. N ov. c h a n t c h a n t A la b a m a . . . . IS IS 106,762* 163,174

Illin o is . 14 14 S5.0S6 237,114

N e w Y o rk . . 1 1 1 1 ^{42.25S 196,446}

O h io ... 43 44 92,254 771,796 65 65 119,591* 1.080,226' C o lo rad o . . . . 3 31

I n d ia n a . . . . . 17 16 l 3,457* 625,S13 M a r y la n d . . . 6 6 ^f

Y ir g in ia . . .. . 1 1 J K e n tu c k y '

M ass. .. . M ic h ig a n M in n e s o ta M isso uri T enn. . ..

U ta h ____

W e st V a.

T o ta l ... 191 191 470,516* 3,297,0S9*

* In c lu d e s fe rro m a n g a n e s e a n d spiegel- eisen.

D ecem ber w e re: In In dian a: Made- line No. 1 , Inland Steel Co. In Penn- sy lv a n ia : E liz a No. 5, Jo n es &

L au gh lin Steel Corp. In Utah:

Provo, Colum bia Steel Co.

Stack s blown out w ere: In Ohio:

L o rain No. 2, N ational Tube Co., fo r relining. In P en n sylvan ia: Cam- b ria J , Bethlehem Steel Co. In W est V irg in ia: R iversid e, Wheel­

ing Steel Corp., fo r relining.

P ort H enry blast furn ace No. 2 o f W itherbee Sherm an Corp., Port H enry, N. Y., and the Standish fur­

nace of C hateau gay Ore & Iron Co., Standish, N. Y., are being scrapped by Republic Steel Corp. which dur­

in g the past y e a r leased the ore min- in g and concentrating properties of the two com panies. W ith removal o f these two stacks, total potential fu rn aces in the United States is re­

duced from 235 to 233.

B u ilt in 1922-23 and last operated in 1934, P o rt H en ry No. 2 furnace had an annual capacity o f 180,000 gro ss tons of basie, foundry, mal-

R A T E O F F U R N A C E O P E R A T IO N (R e la tio n o f P ro d u c tio n to Capacity) 1939' 1938= 1937s 1936*- J a n ... 51.0 33.6 76.6 48.2 F e b ... 53.5 33.6 79.5 46.4 M a r c h ____ 56.1 34.2 82.5 4S.5 A p r il ... 49.8 33.4 83.7 59.1 M a y ... 40.2 29.4 S4.3 63.1 J u n e ... 51.4 25.5 76.6 63.6 J u l y ... 55.0 28.2 82.9 61.5 A u g ... 62.4 . 34.8 85.7 64.3 S e p t... 69.7 40.5 83.7 66.9 O c t... 85.2 4S.0 68.4 71.0 N o v ... 90.3 55.0 49.3 72.3 Dec ... 88.5 51.4 35.6 74.2

■Based on c a p a c ity o f 50,19S,920 gross- tons, Dec. 31, 193S; =capacity o f 50,606,400 gross tons, Dec. 31, 1937: “flrst h a if on c a p a c ity o f 49,512,737 tons, Dec. 31,^936

— second h a l f on c a p a c ity o f 49,727,737 tons, J u n e 30, 1937; ‘c a p a c ity o f 49^,777^,-

893 tons, Dec. 31, 1935. Capacities by A m e ric a n Ir o n a n d Steel in stitu te .

leable and low-phosphorus pig ir°n- P o rt H en ry No. 1 furnace, built in 1872-73 and last rebuilt in 1921, was p a rtia lly dism antled in 1937 ana su bseąu en tly abandoned and re"

moved fro m the list in June, 1939- It had an annual capacity of 108,000 gro ss tons. The Standish furnace' w as built in 1886, last rebuilt in 1921, and last operated in March, 1939. • had an an nu al capacity of 100,00 gross tons o f low-phosphorus P*S iron.

S w e d is h B o a ts C arrying O re to B a ltim o r e S u n k

9 Tw o Sw edish freig h te rs carryinS iron ore to B altim o re w ere sunk la w eek. T w o other Sw edish ore boai destined fo r B altim o re have be sunk w ithin p ast ten weeks.

i i

5 5

2 2

0 0 (• 21.10S 222,520

0 0 |

1 0 |

2 ^{3 J}

14 .fTEEL

LA B O R

111,000 A D D E D TO S T E E L INDUSTRY P A Y R O L L S IN Y E A R

■ S T E E L companies added 111,0 0 0 employes to p ayrolls fro m Novem- ber, 1938, to Novem ber, 1939, an in­

crease of alm ost 25 per cent, accord- ing to the Am erican Iron and Steel institute. N ovem ber em ploym ent, 561.000, was 16,000 m ore than in Oc­

tober.

November payrolls totaled $ 86,- 682.000, compared w ith $83,421,000 in October and $61,054,000 in Novem- ber, 1938. W age-earning em ployes averaged 84.7 cents an hour in No- vember, 84.6 cents in October, 83.5 cents in Novembex-, 1938. A verage work week was 39.5 hours in Novem- ber, 38 hours in October, 34.2 hours in November, 1938.

SUPREME COURT U P H O L D S NLKB IN T H R E E CA SES

United States Supi’eme C ourt in three decisions last week ruled the national labor relations board is su- preme in that the fed eral courts have no right to review the board’s certification of b argaining agents or its orders for elections.

In a case involving the F a lk Corp., Milwaukee, the court held a federal district court had no pow er to modi- fy a board order directing an em-

ploye election to select a bargainin g agency, and disestablishm ent o f a com pany union. T he district court had granted enforcem ent of the or­

der but had amended it so th at the local union could be placed on the ballot. B oard argu ed in its high court appeal that am endm ent o f the order changed its intent and pur- pose.

Another decision certified valid ity o f the board’3 action in designating a CIO union as exclusive b argainin g agen cy fo r a ll longshorem en on the Pacific coast. H igh court appeal w as b y tw o A F L longshorem en’s unions.

Third decision upheld the board in a case invołving the proper type ballot to be used in an em ploye elec­

tion fo r the Consum ers P o w er Co.

of M ichigan.

R E D U C E S A C C ID E N T S W H IL E A D D IN G 2700 TO F O R C E

A m erican R ollin g M ili Co. in 1939 established the best s a fe ty record of its history, according to C. H. Mur- ray, director of personal relations.

“ The severity of accidents w as g re a tly reduced, while the num ber of accidents declined to one of the low- est levels the com pany has ever ex- perienced,” he said. “ D uring the year, m ore A rm co men w ere injured in autom obile accidents and in ac­

cidents at home than w ere injured at w o rk .”

The Middletown, O., plant with

C u ts W e ig h t of S n o w P lo w 43 Per C e n t

U N E M P L O Y M E N T A D V A N C E S 5 P E R CE N T I N N O V E M B E R

United States unem ploym ent rosę 391,000 in Novem ber, the first in­

crease sińce Ju ly , and reached a to­

tal of 8,511,000, or about 1,000,000 less than in N ovem ber, 1938, esti- m ates the N ational In d u strial Con- ference board, N ew York.

R ise in num ber of job less w as due alm ost entirely to a seasonal decline in em ploym ent o f 625,000 agricul- tu ral w orkers. M an u factu rin g em ­ ploym ent continued to increase w ith a contraseasonal gain o f 56,000 new w orkers.

C o u r t U p h o ld s G r o u p Tax F o r U . S. S teel A ffilia te s

■ M innesota’s suprem e court last week upheld the rig h t of United States Steel Corp. to file a sin gle Consolidated incom e ta x return fo r all subsidiaries in which it owns or Controls 90 per cent of the vot- ing stock. Decision reversed a dis­

trict court ruling.

In a companion decision, the state’s high court ruled M innesota railroads a re exem pt fro m the cor- porate income ta x under constitu- tional provisions w hich provide fo r a gro ss earn in gs ta x a gain st ra il­

roads in lieu of all other taxes. R u l­

ing w as a victo ry fo r the D uluth, M issabe & N orthern ra ilw a y and several affiliated roads in the iron ore m ining section. T he case direct- ly involved a $569,000 corporate in ­ come ta x lev y again st the first road fo r 1933, and indirectly involved m ore than $3,000,000 fo r su bseąuent years.

last fa li w ent 66 days con- a lost-tim e acci- dent. ® > m e -2$ j | > em ployes w ere added to*^Hje, fo rce > in the vario u s plants of .company d u ó ^ a the past year.

W E IR T O N S T E E L E M P l& Y E S V V E L E C T --- --- AA.

U nusually the seventh ployes’

Steel Co., Weii'ton,

Of 10,074 em ployes efigiblc, 9&ffiv>r 94.6 per cent voted. To be eligiM^

em ployes had to h ave been on pay->

ro lls 60 days before n o m in a tio n srt^

S u p erviso rs and executives w ere ineligible under the ru les ot the plan.

T hirty-three o f the 45 representa- tives elected had served in 1939. S ix w ere elected fo r the seventh con- secutive year.

N orm an K . Moore, who has been a representative sińce inception of the system , w as elected gen erał chairm an. C. D. B eagle w a s re- elected gen erał secretary.

■ By usmg No. 12 gage U S S Man- high tensile steel in the mold- h r f • 3/16 'inch U SS Man-Ten Win"1?. of the w inS. the Roto

„ „ J . Mound> Minn., reported it 000 Pounds in dead w eight np\v?Ut sacnficing strength in this unit ? ry snow Plow widener. The

"eigh s less than 1300 pounds as

a gain st a fo rm er 2300 pounds when m ade fro m stru etu ral ąu ality plates.

P ro p eller type rotor picks up the snow a s it m oves along the blade, accelerates and d i s c h a r g e s it through the rotor over fu li 360 de- grees. T h is perm its sloping of banks beyond the ditch line1 rath er than leavin g a vertical bank.

January 8, 1940 15

N o v e m b e r Ir o n , Steel Im p o r t s O ff 14 Per C e n t

■ Im ports of iron and steel prod­

ucts, excluding scrap, totaled 14,379 gross tons valued at $1,005,774 in N oyem ber, com pared w ith 16,884 tons valued at $1,147,656 in October

U. S. F O R E IG N T R A D E I N I R O N A N D S T E E L , IN C L U D IN G S C R A P

Gross Tons

---1930--- ---1938--- E x p o rts Im p o rts E x p o rts Im p o rts

J a n . 362,672 27,664 586,294 29,631

Feb. 359,690 19,149 460,640 19,589

M a rc h 474,360 25,369 526,883 11,827

A p ril 394,008 44,083 489,202 21,237

M a y 532,641 28,142 540,639 20,814

J u n e 588,856 32,587 312,021 15,887

J u ly 513,664 30,851 28,328

263,699 14,728

A u g . 477,078 242,139 20,041

Sept. 575,613 29,874 346,068 27,958

Oct. 591,856 19,189 425,431 26,445

N ov. 469,596 27,627

Dec. 490,095 28,767

T o ta l 5,152,707 264,551

and w ith 22,878 tons valued at $1,- 402,221 in N oyem ber, 1938, accord- ing to the m etals and m inerals divi- sion, departm ent of commerce. This is a decrease from October of 14.8

U N IT E D STATES IM P O R T S F O R C O N SU M P ­ T IO N O F IR O N A N D S T E E L PRO D U CT S

Gross Tons

Jan.

Now Oct. Nov.thru

1939 1939 1939

Pi fi iron ... 2,774 5,077 37,274 Sponge i r o n ... 172 256 1,703 Ferromanganese ... 2,165 3,115 32,130 Spiegeleisen ... 3,233 2,364 32,795

Ferrochrome ... 129

Ferrosilicon ... 96 289 1.494 Other ferroalloys ... 3 66 281

Steel ingots, blooms, etc. 1 12

Billets, solid or hollow. . 154 166 58S

Concrete reinforc, bars . 15 2,365

Hollow bar and drill steel 71 107 1,256 Bars, solid or h ollow ... 582 711 16,557 Iron bars ... 92 82 752 Wire rods ... 917 1,152 9,634 Boiler and other plate

(including skelpi... 3 1 27

Sheets, skelp, saw plate 18 S 1,404

Die blocks or blanks, etc. 6 2 88

Tin plate, taggers’ lin

and terneplate ... 15 14 80 Structural shapes ... 530 420 38,398

Sashes and frames ... 5

Sheet piling ... 462

Rails and track materiał 1.4S0 1,484 7,769 Cast-iron pipę, flttin gs.. 101 1,582

Mail. iron pipę flttings. . 29 144

Welded pipę ... 82 4,462 Other pipę ... 320 383 25,741 Cotton ties ... 7.126 Other hoops and b a n d s .. 363 185 16.2S0 Barbed wire ... .174 100 ^14,924

Round iron and steel wire 166 2S6 2,241

Teleg. and telephone wire 7

Fiat wire and steel strips 226 273 2,818 Wire rope and strand. . . 121 ⁵⁴ 1,558 Other wire ... 45 IS 1,473 Nails, tacks, and staples 162 73 7,139

Bolts, nuts, and rivets. . 9 10 ¹⁰⁵

Horse and mule shoes. .. 324

Castings and forgings. . 63 76 1.100

Total ... 14,379 16.SS4 272,227 Iron and steel scrap.. . . 837 2,305 2S.225 GRAND TOTAL... 25,216 19.1S9 300,452 (1) Manganese content; (21 chrome con- tent; (3) Silicon content; (4) alloy content.

O R IG IN O F N O Y E M B E R IM P O R T S Gross Tons

Man- Ferro-

Iron Pig ganese m an­

ore iron ore ganese

Sweden . . . . .. 74,930 161 Canada . . . 8.8S5 1,272 54 Mexico ... 89

Cuba ... . . 21,500 6,109 Chile ... . .176,400

West Africa . . 5,020

Newfoundland 7,000

Brazil ... . . 9,800 50 2,175

British India. 1,290 2,277

Denmark . . . . 1

5

Soviet Russia. 4,790

Gold Coast . . 11,401

Norway ... 2,226

Nelherlands . . 239

Total ... .303,624 2,774 26,811 2,465

Sheets, Struc­ Hoops

skelp and tural Steel and

sawplate steel bars bands

United Kingdom 3 23

Canada ... o 4 9

Sweden ... 13 284 o

Belgium ... 525 256 356

France ... 1 10 ⁵

Total ... 18 530 582 363

per cent in ąu an tity and 12 .3 per cent in yalue.

F o r 1 1 months in 1939 total im ­ ports w ere 272,227 tons valued at

$16,265,584 again st 217,851 tons val- ued at $13,594,779 in the correspond- ing period, 1938.

Canada w ith 6215 tons w as the larg est supplier in N oyem ber, prin- cipal item s being 3226 tons o f spieg- eleisen, 1462 tons rails and track m ateria] and 1272 tons pig iron.

Sw eden’s total, 2485 tons, included:

W ire rods, 890 tons; bars, 284 tons;

pipę, 2 7 1 tons and steel strip, 225 tons. N orw ay contributed 2226 tons o f ferrom anganese and 3 tons of other ferroalloys.

In tonnage spiegeleisen w as the most im portant im port in N oyem ­ ber, 3233 tons, y irtu a lly a ll from Canada. P ig iron im ported totaled 2774 tons, B ritish India sending 1290 tons and Canada 1272 tons.

N oyem ber scrap im ports fell to 837 tons yalued at $4817, from 2305 tons yalued at $32,182 in October.

In Noyem ber, 1938, scrap im ports of 4749 tons w ere yalued at $50,789.

Im ports fo r 1 1 months, 1939, totaled 28,225 tons yalued at $286,040, com­

pared with 17,932 tons yalued at

$204,591 in the 1938 period.

F a r m E ą u ip m e n t E xports O ff 11 Per C e n t in 1939

0 Valued at $4,070,133, United States exports of farm im plem cnts and m achinery in N oyem ber w ere sligh tly below those in Noyem ber, 1938, which totaled $4,165,283, the m achinery division, departm ent of com m erce reports.

Shipm ents during the first 1 1 months of the y ea r totaled $63,724,- 600, a reduction of 1 1 per cent com­

pared with the January-N ovem ber 1938 shipm ents which amounted to

$71,712,519 . Most types o f farm eąuipm ent h ave shared in the de­

cline.

N oyem ber exports o f haryesting m achinery w ere yalued at $143,319 com pared with $153,950 fo r Noyem­

ber, 1938.

D espite a 54 per cent gain in the N oyem ber exports of wheel tractors, the trade in all types of tractors and parts during the month was sligh tly low er than a y ea r ago, $3,- 049,230 com pared with $3,182,586.

Wheel tractor shipm ents totaled $1,- 538,896 again st $998,218 fo r Noyem­

ber, 1938. E xp orts of tractor parts and accessories declined 24 per cent from the corresponding month last year.

In d u s t r ia l M a c h in e r y F o re ig n Sales L arg e r

■ United States exports o f indus­

trial m achinery in N oyem ber totaled

$21,830,008, an increase of 1 1 per cent over $19,629,659 in Noyember, 1938. According to the machinery diyision, departm ent o f commerce, la rg e r shipm ents w ere made in most types of eąuipm ent, except petro- leum well and refining.

Power-driven m etalw orking eąuip­

ment gained 7 per cent, from $8,044,- 476 in Noyem ber, 1938, to $8,604,263.

P ow er generating eąuipm ent, except autom otiye and electric, rose to $1 ,- 24 5,141 in N oyem ber, compared with

$1,089,348 in Noyem ber, 1938. This w as due m ainly to la rg e r exports of

internal combustion engines.

Construction and conyeying eąuip­

ment increased 5 per cent, from $1,- 396,215 to $1,464,916. Miscellaneous industrial m achinery in Noyember totaled $4,483,537, com pared with

$3,354,907 in the corresponding month, 1938.

C o n tin u e d A dvance in A p p lia n c e Sales Seen

B Household appliance sales will m continue to increase through 1940, manufacturers predict. Joseph R.

Bohnen, secretary-treasurer, Amer­

ican W asher and Iro n er Manufactur­

ers’ association, Chicago, expects a 10 to 15 per cent increase in washers and ironers and that 1940 will be one of the in d ustry’s best years.

“ I think it is a conservative esti- mate that 1,540,000 w ashers and 175,- 000 ironers w ill be sold in 1940.”

N ext y e a r w ill be the yacuum cleaner in d u stry’s sixth more-than-a- million-unit y e a r in succession, ac­

cording to C. G. Frantz, executive secretary, Vacuum Cleaner Manu­

factu rers’ association, and president, A p ex E lectrical M fg. Co., Cleveland.

“ Our m an u factu rers produced and sold 1,400,000 cleaners in 1939, com­

pared w ith 1,300,000 in 1938. This adyance w ill continue.”

16 ■fTEEl.