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The M a g a zin e o f M e ta lw o rk in g a n d M eta lp ro d u cin g
VOL. 116 NO. 6 FEBRUARY 5, 1945
--- N E W S ---
Heavy Snows, Low Tem peratures Snarl Traffic, H am pering W ar O utput. . 83
Pittsburghers F ear Spring Flood ... 85
Agricultural M achinery Program for 1945 Low er than 1944 ... 86
58,000 Lend-Lease M achine Tools Sold to England ... 87
F ebruary Steel Price Rise Considered Possible ... 88
Low er Steel Industry Earnings Indicated by F irst Few R e p o r t s ... 89
Nazis Lose Critical M ineral Resources in Silesia ... 90
Scrap Zoning Is Considered by W ar Production B o a r d ... 91
Bright Future for China Envisioned by Donald M. Nelson, Ex-WPB Chief 95 New Five-Point WPB Program Designed To Increase W ar Production . . . 96
W est Coast Cities Piling Postwar W ork ... 105
---T E C H N IC A L ---
High-Production M achine Tools Effect Many E c o n o m ie s ...114Intricate automatics have “built-in skills,” enormous capacity Construction and M aintenance of A rc-Fum ace Linings ... 118
Im proved peiform ance achieved by material-saving techniques M etal M arking E quipm ent Becomes Highly Specialized ... 120
M achines for variety of work range from hand to pantograph units Recent Developments in Forging Practice ... 128
General Electric’s hammers, materials and products are described
FEATURES
As the Editor Views the News . . 79 O bituaries ... . . 104Postwar Previews ... . 91 W ing Tips ... . . 106
W indows of W ashington . . . 92 Industrial Activities ...
. .
n o WPB-OPA ... . 97 The Business Trend ... . . 112Mirrors of Motordom ... . 99 Industrial Equipm ent ... . . 136
Men of Industrv ... . 102 Construction and Enterprise . . .. 210
--- M A R K E T S---
H igher Steel Prices Near; Production Falls Sharply ... 189Market Prices and Composites ... 190
In d e x to a d v e r t i s e r s ... 220
N E X T W E E K
Compressor-Turbine Type of Engine Program Accelerated Prevention of Sludge Deposits in F uel Storage Tanks Continuous Induction H eat Treating of Tubing Progress in Small Tools, Aids for M etal Marking Unit Construction of Emergency Railway Bridges
ENGLISH R E P R E S E N T A T IV E : INTERNATIONAL CONSTRUCTION CO., 56 KINGSWAY, LONDON, W . C . 2, ENGLA
■*
78 / T E I
AS THE EDITOR VIEW S THE NEWS
F e b ru a ry 5, 1945
Strengthening Congress
I t w o u ld b e difficu lt to o v er-estim ate th e im p o rta n c e of th e R o b e rt H e lle r r e p o rt e n title d “S tre n g th e n in g th e C o n g ress,” w h ic h w as rele ase d to th e p u b lic a b o u t th re e w eeks ago. T h e r e p o rt, consisting of 14 co n c re te rec o m m en d a tio n s, w as p r e p a r e d fo r th e B usiness C o m m ittee of th e N a tio n a l P la n n in g A ssociation a n d h as b e e n en d o rse d u n an im o u sly b y th e a g ric u ltu re , bu sin ess a n d la b o r com m ittees of th a t o r
g an iza tio n . I t also h as b e e n s u b m itte d to c o m p e te n t critics th ro u g h o u t th e n atio n a n d has re c e iv e d g e n e ra l a p p ro v a l w h e re v e r its p ro p o sals h a v e b e e n stu d ie d ca refully.
T h e p ro g ra m , w h ic h w as o u tlin e d in th e Ja n . 22 issue of this p u b lic a tio n , em b rac es: 1. R e o rg a n iz in g th e s tru c tu re a n d re d u c in g th e n u m b e r of sta n d in g co m m ittee s in b o th houses o f C ongress, 2. E sta b lish in g a M a jo rity P olicy C o m m ittee a n d a M in o rity P olicy C o m m ittee in e a ch house. 3. P ro v id in g a d e q u a te staff assist
an c e fo r m em b ers o f C o n g ress. 4 . P ro v id in g staff assistance a n d ex p a n d in g legis
la tiv e re fe re n c e serv ice for co m m ittees, 5. E lim in a tin g th e filibuster. 6. ' E x p a n d in g p ro v isio n a l leg islatio n . 7. D isc o n tin u in g rid e rs u n re la te d to th e m a in p u rp o se of bills. 8. D e v e lo p in g a tre n d to w a rd b ro a d a n d aw a y from d e ta ile d ap p ro p ria tio n bills. 9. U sin g th e g e n e ra l a c c o u n tin g office m o re effectively for co n tro l of ex ecu tiv e e x p e n d itu re s. 10. E x p e rim e n tin g w ith q u estio n in g ex ecutive d e p a rtm e n t h ea d s b efo re e a c h o f th e w h o le houses. 11. H o ld in g m o re f re q u e n t fo rm a l an d o rg a n iz e d in q u irie s in to b asic n a tio n a l p ro b lem s. 12. F in d in g a su b stitu te fo r th e seniority ru le in ch oosing c o m m ittee c h a irm an . 13. In c re a sin g salaries of m em b ers o f C o n gress to $ 2 5 ,0 0 0 p e r y ear. 14. P ro v id in g fo r service r e tire m e n t pay.
I t m u st b e obvious to ev e ry b o d y th a t if th e se p ro p o sals, a ll of w h ich c a n b e effec ted b y C ongress itself, w e re a d o p te d as a unified p ro g ra m , th e y w o u ld s tre n g th
en C o n g ress trem en d o u sly . I n tim e , th e resu lts w o u ld b e a p p a re n t n o t only in th&
m o re efficient fu n c tio n in g of th a t b o d y b u t also in th e h ig h c a lib e r of m e n an d w om en e le c te d to its m e m b ersh ip .
S uch im p ro v e m e n t w o u ld b e of in c alc u la b le b en e fit to A m erican in d u stry , p a r tic u la rly in th e d ifficu lt p e rio d a h e a d w h e n p ra c tic a lly every m ajor p ro b le m of in d u stria l o p era tio n s w ill b e affec ted to a g re a te r e x te n t th a n e v e r b efo re b y g o v ern m e n ta l policies a n d actio n s. T h e so o n er th e re c o m m en d a tio n s of th e r e p o rt ca n b e p u t into effect, th e b e t te r w ill C ongress b e ab le to g ra p p le w ith th e difficu lt p r o b lem s of th e tra n sitio n a l a n d p o stw a r perio d s.
to a n ew w artim e lo w of 23 p e r c e n t of ca p ac ity a n d a v e ra g e d only 4 3 p e r c e n t for th e w eek. S teel
w orks o p era tio n s w e re c u rta ile d in C lev elan d , Y oungstow n a n d P itts b u rg h b u t n o t as d rastically as in B uffalo. D e la y in th e ship m en ts of coke has affected th e o p e ra tio n of som e b la st fu rn a ce s an d fo u n d ries.
T h e coal situ atio n , a lre a d y a c u te , is v ie w e d w ith c o n c ern b ec au se th e co n tracts w ith m iners expire o n M ar. 31. S teel p ro d u c e rs h av e su g g e sted th a t the m iners’ un io n s p re se n t th e ir d em an d s in ad v a n c e
(O V E R )
W INTER A ID S HITLER:
H e a v y snow s and su stain e d lo w te m p e ra tu re s , p a rtic u la rly in th e Buffalo, C lev e lan d , Y o u ngstow n a n d P itts b u rg h districts, h a v e h a m p e re d tra n sp o rta tio n , m in in g a n d industrial o p e ra tio n s to th e p o in t w h e re w a r p ro duction is su fferin g sev erely . T h e situ a tio n h as b e e n serious e n o u g h to ju stify te m p o ra ry em b arg o es on railroad f re ig h t traffic, w h ich h a v e e x te n d e d th e adverse effect o f th e w e a th e r in to a la rg e p o rtio n of the n o rth e a ste rn in d u stria l se ctio n of th e co u n try .
At B uffalo ste e l in g o t p ro d u c tio n la st w eek sank
A S T H E E D I T O R V I E W S T H E N E W S
of th e e x p ira tio n d a te to m in im ize th e d a n g e r of a w o rk sto p p a g e.
I n v iew o f th e p re s e n t critic a l situ a tio n , a coal strik e in A pril w o u ld b e d isastro u s. In a sm u c h as th e m iners w ill b e d e a lin g w ith th e g o v e rn m e n t m ore th a n w ith th e o p era to rs, W a sh in g to n m ig h t w ell s ta r t n e g o tia tin g now . — p . 83
o a a
U. S. SUPPLIED 27%:
P u rc h a se b y th e B ritish g o v e rn m e n t o f 5 8 ,0 0 0 A m eric an -m a d e m a ch in e tools th a t orig in ally w ere d eliv e re d u n d e r le n d - lease a rra n g e m e n ts b rin g s to lig h t a n in te re stin g p ic tu re o f B rita in ’s w a rtim e m a c h in e tool situ a tio n .D u rin g th e w a r, th e B ritish h a v e in sta lle d 459,- 0 00 m a c h in e tools in th e ir w a r in d u strie s. O f these, 3 3 5 .0 0 0 w ere b u ilt b y U n ite d K in g d o m m a n u fa c tu rers, 6 6 ,0 0 0 w e re p u rc h a se d for cash in th e U n ite d S tate s a n d th e re m a in in g 5 8 ,0 0 0 w ere p ro v id e d b y th e U n ite d S tate s u n d e r le n d -lease. T h u s 124,000 o r 2 7 p e r c e n t of the* m ach in es in sta lle d b y B ritain fo r w a r p u rp o se s w e re of A m erican origin.
I t is in te re stin g to n o te th a t th e B ritish p a id $31,- 5 0 0 .0 0 0 fo r th e 5 8 ,0 0 0 m a c h in e tools. T h e o riginal c o st to th e U n ite d S tate s, in c lu d in g th e cost of tools lo st in tra n s it a n d o th e r ite m s, w as $ 1 6 6 ,0 0 0 ,0 0 0 . T h e sale p ric e is b a s e d u p o n d e p re c ia tio n d u e to in te n siv e u se u n d e r w a rtim e co n d itio n s a n d rep rese n ts th e e stim a te d v a lu e o f th e m ach in es a fte r th e y are n o lo n g e r re q u ir e d fo r w a r p ro d u c tio n . — p . 87
o o a
C H EC K S A N D B A L A N C E S
; A rea ssu rin g a s p e c t of o u r d e m o c ra tic g o v e rn m e n t is th e m a n n e r in w h ic h th e sy stem of checks a n d b alan c es, c re a te d b y o u r fo re fa th e rs, bo b s u p now a n d th e n to re n e w o u r con fid en ce in justice. J u d g e P h ilip L.
S ulliv an of th e F e d e r a l D is tric t C o u rt a t C hicago—
a n a p p o in te e o f P re s id e n t R o o sev elt— h as re n d e re d a d ecision in th e M o n tg o m ery W a rd case w h ich is b o u n d to m a k e th e fe d e ra l a d m in istra tio n “sto p , look a n d liste n ” b e fo re it u tilize s w a r p o w ers to ride ro u g h -sh o d o v er in d iv id u a l rig h ts u n n ecessarily.
M o n tg o m ery W a rd h as n o t b e e n blam eless in this fe u d , b u t S ew ell A very h as b e e n a n e e d e d c h a m p io n of c e rta in c o n s titu tio n a l rig h ts. W h e th e r or n o t th e h ig h e r co u rts su sta in J u d g e S ulliv an ’s ru lin g , his d e cision serves as a tim ely w a rn in g a g a in st th e a b u se of c o n c e n tra te d fe d e ra l p o w er.
P re s id e n t R o o sev elt h a s a p p o in te d seven o f th e n in e S u p re m e C o u rt ju stice s, b u t a lre a d y th is a u g u s t b o d y h as sp lit in to th e co n v e n tio n a l rig h t, c e n te r a n d le ftish fac tio n s. T h e in d e p e n d e n c e a n d in te g rity of th e ju d ic ia l m in d are h e a rte n in g . — p . 94
M IL IT A R Y R ESEARCH :
D r. V annevar B ush, d ire c to r of th e O ffice o f S cientific Research a n d D e v e lo p m e n t, to u c h e d u p o n a n im p o rta n t subje c t w h e n h e to ld th e H o u se S pecial C o m m ittee on P o stw a r M ilita ry P olicy th a t th is n a tio n m u st per
fe c t a n o rg a n iz a tio n to c a rry o n a contin u o u s pro
g ram o f m ilita ry re se a rc h a fte r th e w ar.
“T o d a y a single com plex u n it o f offense or de
fense, su c h as a ra d a r-c o n tro lle d a n ti-a irc ra ft instal
la tio n ,” h e sa id , “m a y c u t across m a n y of th e tradi
tional b ra n c h e s o f th e m ilita ry services. A com
plex w e a p o n on th e o rd e r of th e G erm a n V-bombs m ig h t in v o lv e th e C h e m ic a l W a rfa re , A ir Forces, S ignal C o rp s, E n g in e e rs a n d O rd n a n c e branches.
. . . N o one b r a n c h sees th e w h o le p ic tu re . No one b ra n c h ca n give o v erall d irec tio n .”
T h e n e e d ' fo r a b e tte r u tiliz a tio n o f technological rese arch to in su re n a tio n a l se c u rity w ill call for ra d ic a l ch a n g es in m ilita ry o rg a n iz a tio n a n d policy as soon as th e p re s e n t w a r ends. — p. 92
0 0 . 0
P RO G R ESS IN M A R K IN G :
F ro m the ea rliest days o f cra ftsm an sh ip in iron, steel an d non- ferro u s m e tals, m e n h a v e ta k e n p rid e in labeling th e p ro d u c ts of th e ir h a n d ic ra ft w ith identifying m arks. P io n e e r g u n sm ith s, to o l a n d d ie m akers and m a ch in e m a n u fa c tu re rs w e re ca re fu l to affix their tra d e m a rk s to e v e ry th in g th a t w e n t o u t from their shops. As in d u stry d ev e lo p e d , th e m a rk in g of products w as e x te n d e d to in c lu d e o p e ra tin g instructions, g ag e a n d size in d ic atio n s a n d n u m e ro u s o th e r items of in fo rm a tio n b e y o n d th e c o n v e n tio n a l labels of co m p an y a n d tra d e m a rk .
In view of th is w id e s p re a d p ra c tic e of marking m e tals, it is cu rio u s th a t th e lite ra tu re of th e m etal
w o rk in g in d u strie s affords su ch a d e a rth of articles on p rin tin g , e n g ra v in g , sta m p in g , em bossing, etch
ing, sc rib in g a n d ste n cillin g m e tals a n d m e ta l prod
u cts. T o d a y , w h e n arm y o rd n a n c e a n d n av y equip
m e n t im pose e x tra o rd in a ry p ro b le m s in m e ta l m ark
ing, it is esp ecially im p o rta n t th a t m a n u fa ctu re rs be in fo rm ed of n o ta b le re c e n t pro g re ss in this field.
T h a t is w h y th e e d ito rs p re s e n t a series of two articles on m e tal m a rk in g , b e g in n in g in this issue.
— p. 120
E D IT O R -IN -C H IE F
80 / T E E
w h e n y o u b u y a llo y s t e e l?
W ith every alloy shipm ent from Ryerson stocks, you receive a Report giving accurate, inform ative data on th e particular heat or heats of steel shipped on your order. In
cluded in this Report is the following informa
tion relating to th e alloy steel and its per
formance:
1. C h e m ic al a n a ly sis a n d g ra in size.
2. C h a rte d re s u lts o f fo u r s e p a r a te J o m in y E n d Q uench H a rd e n a b ility T e sts m a d e on sam p les of y o u r h e a t o f ste el in th e as-q u e n c h e d co n d itio n a n d w h en q u e n c h e d a n d d ra w n a t 1000°, 1100' a n d 1200° F.
3. T h e in te r p re te d p h y sic a l p ro p e rtie s fo r 1, 2, 3, a n d 4 in c h ro u n d s, q u e n c h e d a n d d ra w n a t th e ab o v e te m p e ra tu re s . T h e se in c lu d e th e tensile s tr e n g th , y ield p o in t, p e rc e n t elo n g atio n , p e rc e n t re d u c tio n o f a re a a n d th e B rin e ll h a rd n e ss.
4. A ta b le o f cooling r a te s for J o m in y sa m p le s a n d ro u n d b a rs a n d a ta b le show ing p h y sic al p ro p ertie s in re la tio n to h a rd n e ss. F ro m th e se you m a y in te r p re t, w ith th e aid o f th e Jo m in y t e s t re su lts, th e p h y sic als for ro u n d s in o th e r sizes th a n th o se in d ic a te d in 3.
5. R e co m m e n d e d w o rk in g te m p e ra tu re s for y o u r steel.
The Ryerson Alloy Steel Report containing
this information is keyed to the heat symbol and color marking on th e steel itself, thus affording a positive cross check on your data.
Under the Ryerson Certified Steel Plan you receive in addition th e assurance th at your steel has been carefully selected for high, uni
form quality—backed by the Ryerson com
pany’s reputation of more than 100 years of steel service.
Only Ryerson gives this invaluable help to alloy users. Through this service heat treaters have a guide for securing accurate results without experimenting or costly re-treating.
Production men and designers can call for any reasonable physical requirements, with con
fidence th at they can be secured. Purchasing executives receive a detailed record o f the exact analysis, heat treatm ent response and identity of alloy steels delivered on every order.
If you are n ot already benefiting by this plus service on alloys, we urge you to get in touch w ith your nearby Ryerson plant. There is no obligation. Inquiries as well as orders receive prompt, personal attention.
Joseph T. Ryerson & Son, Inc., Steel-Serv- ice Plants: Chicago, Milwaukee, Detroit, St.
L ouis, C in cinn ati, C leveland, P ittsb u rgh , Philadelphia, Buffalo, N ew York, Boston.
R Y E R S O N
IN S T O C K • A L L O Y ST E E L • T O O L ST E E L • A L L E G H E N Y S T A I N L E S S • E A R S • S H A P E S • P L A T E S • S H E E T S • T U B I N G • ETC.
T U N E I N T H E T E X A C O S T A R T H E A T R E W I T H J A M E S M E L T O N S U N D A Y N I G H T S ★ M E T R O P O L I T A N O P E R A B R O A D C A S T S S A T U R D A Y A F T E R N O O N
82
/ T E E I
t u s t l y
proud o f its fig h tin g officers
J and en listed m en, the N a v y is eq u ally p rou d o f its g ia n t 16-inch rifles that can h u rl a 2200-lb . sh ell 20 m iles w ith d ead ly accuracy. M ost precise o f m any operations in v o lv e d in m a ch in in g these gu ns — cu ttin g the riflin g — is perform ed by an in tri
cate 4 8 -to o l riflin g head that m akes 750 passes th rou gh the bore to com p lete 96 spiral grooves in th e liner.
In m a k in g lo n g-ran ge gu ns — as in mass p rod u ction o f m u n ition s, sm all aircraft en g in e parts and other w ar m ateriel — p la n t operators every-
U. 5. N a y y Photograph
w h ere are assured o f faster m ach in in g , better finish and lo n g er to o l life w h en they use Texaco C u ttin g and
S o lu b le Oils.Texaco C u ttin g O ils lubricate the
tools, carry a w ay h eat and p reven t chip w e ld in g , thus len g th en in g to o l life , assuring greater output.
T h e services o f a Texaco E ngineer sp ecia lizin g in cu ttin g coolants are availa b le to y ou th rou gh m ore than 2300 Texaco d istrib u tin g p oin ts in th e 48 States.
T h e Texas C om pany, 135 East 42n d Street, N e w Y o rk 17, N . Y .
R E C O N V E R S I O N RUSTPR00F1N 5 P o i n t s t o R e m e m b e r 1. U p o n te rm in atio n o f w a r contract
G o v e r n m e n t - o w n e d p ro d u c tio e q u ip m e n t m u st b e ru stp ro o fe pro m ptly, in acc o rd a n c e with officii instructions.
2. O r d n a n c e Specificatio n P.S. 300- co n ta in s official instructions for th com plete p ro ce ssin g o f such equij ment.
3. These instructio ns require that on ru stp ro o fin g m ate rials meeting Go ernm ent spe cifications be used.
4. T e xa co ru stp roofin g products me' O r d n a n c e specifications for applio tion on G o ve rn m en t-o w n ed equi, menf.
5. For full in fo rm atio n , see yo u r Texai rep re se n ta tive or write to us.
B A T T L I N G W I N T E R
B.RX.X 7 5 8 .9 8 '
Typical of the jammed freight yards in the northeastern states is the Bedford yard of the Pennsylvania railroad near Cleveland. The yard is more than half full when it should
he nearly em pty at this tim e of year. Delays of 24 to 48 hours in breaking up trains are not unusual. Photo by Norbert
Yassamje, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Freight Tie-ups Hamper War Output
Heavy snows, severe temperatures cause traffic snarls. Steel and other war plants feel pinch in coal, fuel oil a nd scrap supplies. Finished products back up in producers' works for lack of cars. Flood feared at Pittsburgh
WAR plants in the northern areas, al
ready under pressure to produce the greatest possible am ount of materiel for ihe battles against Germany and Japan, now are at grips with a third major* an
tagonist—the most severe w inter in years.
Heavy snows and sustained low tem
peratures have created a crisis in trans
portation. Shipments of coal, fuel oil, rerap and other raw materials to w ar plants in affected districts have been slowed to a snail’s pace. Outgoing move
ment of finished products likewise has Ireon hampered.
The double-barrel handicap of being unable to obtain sufficient fuel and raw materials and of having finished prod
ucts overflowing storage room has caused rewie plants to close down and has seri
ously slowed production in others.
To alleviate the situation, week-end rail embargoes have been imposed in the northern states, w ith only w ar freight Permitted to move. This has helped to clear the congestion a t some points, al- thouch apparently creating unnecessary W ships at others.
The outlook for an early improvement in operating and transportation conditions is none’too promising. Coal stocks which j®'e been below normal all w inter have ireen further depleted, and there is little February 5, 1945
hope that these can be built up again in the near future. Mining operations at a num ber of mines w ere interrupted be
cause of a lack of cars to load, and this loss in production will be difficult to overcome. Bituminous coal production for the week ended Jan. 20 was 11,960,- 000 tons, a decrease of 190,000 tons from the preceding week and 690,000 tons under the com parable week a year ago.
During the calendar year to Jan. 20, soft coal production am ounted to 34.- 685,000 tons, a decrease of 4,195,000 tons from the total output in the similar period last year.
Finished goods w hich have been stored on the producer’s premises when cars were unavailable will add to the railroads’ already heavy burden when normal freight movement can be re
sumed. The effects of the present con
gestion probably will be felt until well into the spring.
Another potential blow to w ar produc
tion that is causing concern, particularly in the Pittsburgh district and below, is the possibility of a serious flood w hen the heavy, accum ulated snows melt. This threatens to disrupt not only steel and other w ar production, b u t also to im
pose more difficulties on the raliroads as many terminals are located in low-lying territories.
D ue largely to w eather conditions, w ith manpower shortages contributing, steel operations last week dropped to 91 per cent of capacity, 2 1A points below the previous week, and 9 points below the like week a year ago when mills were operating at 100 per cent.
Areas most seriously affected by the weather conditions were Buffalo, Cleve
land, Pittsburgh and Youngstown, from which comes a large share of the steel and coking coal used in other war pro
duction centers.
At Buffalo, probably the most serious
ly affected area, ingot production last week reached a new wartime low of 23 per cent and averaged only 43 per cent for the week. Bethlehem’s Lackawanna plant was operating as low as ten of its 30 open hearths, Republic shut down all nine of its open hearths, while Wickwire Spencer closed down all four of its fur
naces.
All mills in the district reported coal stocks unusually low. Wickwire Spencer, however, was the only producer attribut
ing its shutdown to lack of fuel. Both Bethlehem and Republic placed their production slashes to lack of freight cars.
Top urgency finished steel was jammed in finishing and rolling departments of the mills.
Donner-Hanna Coke Corp. was main
taining operations by utilizing a high pri
ority to obtain material.
Just as some progress was being m ade in clearing freight yards at Buffalo late last week, a new storm arrived to com
plicate the situation. W inds of gale force ranging up to 65 miles an hour caused
B A T T L I N G W I N T E R
divided into seven divisions and gas al
located only to the most critical. Pro
duction of 155-millimeter shells, drive shafts and transmissions, axles and trans
fer cases, springs and various types of castings have been reduced substantial
ly-
Coal shortage caused Republic Steel to bank three of its five blast furnaces at Cleveland and reduce the wind on a third. Coke ovens also were banked, and some open hearths were shut
Steel and finished goods have backed up on the producer’s premises.
At Youngstown, steel producing and other metalworking companies are hard h it by the transportation tie-up, a situa
tion which was aggravated by the rail embargo w hich cut down the quantities of coal available. Steel producers closed a num ber of open hearths, banked or re
duced w ind on blast furnaces. Steel backed up in mills and warehouses.
A similar situation prevailed at Pitts
burgh. Forty-five open hearths were down, w ind was reduced on most blast furnaces of the leading producer, and finished steel overflowed storage facili
ties. Chief danger point lies in tire coal and coke shortage, largely because of the difficulties of building up stocks during periods of high consumption.
In Detroit, the rail embargo was re
laxed within D etroit switching limits and w hat m ight have been an areawide shut
down of w ar plant operations was avoid
ed. D etroiters believe there was no ac
tual necessity for an embargo in that area, as w eather conditions have not been com parably bad with other Midwest in
dustrial centers. W hat rail congestion existed r e s u l t e d from choking up freight centers to the east, and the three- day embargo had little effect in clear
ing conditions there which stem largely from shortages of materials and manpow
er, plus accum ulated deterioration.
Industrial coal stocks are in good con
dition, although not normal. Ford Motor Co. has about a three weeks’ supply, con
trasted w ith norm al month to six weeks’
supply.
Freedom of interplant movement of ( Please turn to Page 208)
Conventional snowplows are of little utility in freight yards, as they only push th e snow from one track to another. Consequently removal of the snow from th e yard is necessary. A t Buffalo, steel mills offered their assistance tn clearing the yards. Photo shows snow from the yards loaded into freight cars
and being dum ped into the Union slip at the Hanna Furnace Co. docks increased drifting of fallen snow and rail
road officials reported drifts up to five feet along the lines.
W hen snow piles up in the freight yards, the cars jam in the yards. Other cars en route are shifted onto sidings.
W hen the w eather is extremely cold, as it has been for several weeks, the coal freezes as solid as ice in the cars and from two to five days are required to thaw it. All sorts of subsidiary troubles arise to plague the carriers. Lots of m anpower is required to clear the tracks.
O rdinary snow plows are of little use, as the snow is only moved from one track to another. It becomes necessary to load the excess snow into freight cars and haul it out of the yards, a slow and tedious process.
Buffalo doesn’t expect to dig out of its traffic jam entirely for weeks. As one transportation executive said: “W ar plants will feel effects of the tie-up for months.”
At Cleveland, the bogging down of rail and truck deliveries of coal, scrap, and shipments of finished products, com
bined with a shortage of natural gas sup
ply, has disrupted operations in many plants.
Delays of 24 to 48 hours in breaking up and classifying freight coming into the Cleveland district have been the rule rather than the exception. The Bedford, O., yard of the Pennsylvania railroad, which has a capacity for about 2100 cars, recently was more than 80 per cent full of freight. T he New York Central has been hard pressed to break u p a conges
tion of 1500 cars at Ashtabula. Truck transportation facilities, strained for months, have suffered severely, with many roads blocked and breakdowns in
creased.
To m eet the natural gas shortage, gov
ernment procurem ent agencies instituted a rationing system. W ar contractors were
L in e engine waits in the Bedford, O., yard of th e Pennsylvania railroad while track workers spike a switch in reverse so it can enter the yard. Photo by
Yassenye, Cleveland Plain Dealer
84 / T E E l
F L O O D T H R E A T
Pittsburghers Fear Spring Flood
Heavy, accum ulated snows m ay cause disaster if thaw is rapid. Thirty p er cent of steelmaking a nd finishing capacity would be affected. Snow fall ranges from 30 to 110 inches
STEEL and other war industries lo
cated in the Ohio, Monongahela and Al
legheny watersheds are apprehensive they will receive another body blow to pro
duction when the spring thaw arrives.
Heavy snows which have accum ulated since November threaten the highly in
dustrialized area around and below Pitts
burgh with the worst flood since 1936, when steel mill operations dropped from 90 per cent to 50 per cent and tire mills and other metalworking plants suffered extensive damage to electrical equip
ment, stocks and other property.
The flood threat also is worrying trans
portation officials as many of the freight yards and temrinals are on low ground.
Despite construction of additional dams, flood walls and similar works since the 1936 flood, the potential danger is the greatest in history because of the unprecedented blanket of snow covering the territory and am ount of ice jamming the rivers. Snowfall has been heavy throughout the w atersheds and has ranged from 30 to 110 inches, the latter depth being recorded at Corry, Pa.
Reports from practically all districts are to the effect that the entire accumulation of snow is still on the ground with drifts using in many places as high as 15 to 20 feet. The amount of w ater w hich will rush to the rivers depends upon w hether ,ere a SI°W thaw or a prolonged p e
riod of warm w eather accompanied by ram. If the latter conditions develop, authorities agree that the resulting flood
"ill be the most disastrous ever experi
enced.
Officers of the Army' Engineers Corps are quoted as estimating that flood con-
« dams now operating, either on streams originating in w estern Pennsyl- 'ama or flowing into the danger zone, '■ould cut five feet from a 46-foot flood lqofi Un£ fr e d i t i o n s similar to those of An They would take four feet from i , stage, and three feet from a 35- ,,,° stage at Pittsburgh w here the aanger stages” begin at 28 feet. Crest ,]• 1'®, oa *n Pittsburgh in 1936 reached shghtly above 46 feet.
stf.ol°rer -han 30 per cent of t,le natron’s is In!?*? j 1? an<^ Stee^ finishing capacity l. a, e, danger zone, extending C c l0™stown> Pa-, on the north to ent nm°U? ’ on south. At pres- 250 nnn °nS’ this am ounts to about 2,-
“°0’000 fons of ingots a month.
^crap Stocks Continue Downward Trend
of î.nÎS iron an<^ steef scrap at plants on N0,SUQnerS’ suPPliers and producers uv- JU approximated 5,624,000 gross
tons, a decline of about 200,000 tons from the preceding m onth’s inventory total, the Bureau of Mines states.
A further decline in stocks of pur
chased scrap held by consumers, 163,- 000 tons, was again the im portant fac
tor in the latest scrap inventory decline;
in addition, stocks of hom e scrap were reduced 96,000 tons. D ealers’ stocks rose 51,000 tons. From Aug. 31 to Nov.
30 last, stocks of purchased scrap held by consumers have decreased a total of over 450,000 tons. Since then a further decline is believed to have occurred.
The average daily consumption of
purchased and home scrap during No
vember recorded little change from the O ctober rate.
Freight Rate Adjustm ent H e a rin g Se t for Feb. 6 -7
Public hearings on proposed adjust
m ent of freight rates and carload minima on certain commodities will be held in Chicago a t the Palmer House Feb. 6 and 7. Seeking to encourage maximum use of railroad freight cars by heavier load
ing the eastern railroads are considering establishing rates 10 per cent lower than present rates on domestic shipments of higher specific carload minimum weights of certain commodities moving within official classification territory.
On articles m anufactured of iron and steel a minimum of 100,000 pounds is proposed, hearing on which is scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 7.
Present, Past and Pending
■ U. S. ENGINEERS RECONSTRUCTING FRENCH RAILROADS
New York— United States Army engineers have restored 5000 miles of double track and 2000 miles of single track and have reconstructed 172 major rail bridges in France and Belgium.
■ RHEEM AWARDED NEW CONTRACT BY ARMY
Ho u s t o n, Te x.—Rheem Mfg. Co. was awarded Army contract to machine 4.2 inch
steel m ortar shells for chemical w arfare use. Rheem’s present Houston plant is pro
ducing antitank and personnel mines and steel shipping containers.
m
INDIANAPOLIS UTILITY AWARDS COKE OVEN CONTRACT
New York—W ilputte Coke Oven Corp. has been awarded a contract by Citizens Gas & Coke Utility, Indianapolis, for construction of a battery of 47 coke ovens and auxiliary equipment.
■ WPB RESTRICTS ORDERS FOR STAINLESS STEEL
Wa s h i n g t o n—W ar Production Board has prohibited temporarily filling of orders
for stainless steel subject to deferred allotments and the filling of orders to build up warehouse inventories of steel.
a INDUSTRIAL DIAMOND ANTITRUST SUIT FILED
Ne w Y ork— A civil suit, charging nine foreign corporations and seven of their Amer
ican stockholders with conspiring to restrain and monopolize foreign trade in gem and industrial diamonds, was filed last week in U. S. district court in New York.
B ACUTE LABOR SHORTAGE AREAS CUT BY ONE
Wa s h i n g t o n— Effective Feb. 1, 71 districts are classified by W ar M anpower Com
mission in group I, areas in which acute labor shortages exist, a decrease of one.
Labor supply is easier in Adrian, Mich., and Portland, Me.; tighter in Atlantic City.
N. J., and Talladega, Ala.
0
REROLLING MILLS TO RELIEVE "HOT MILL” SCHEDULES
Wa s h i n g t o n—Orders for steel products that can be m ade on rerolling mills will be
shifted from “hot mills” whenever possible to relieve the latter’s crowded schedules, W ar Production Board said last week. Directives for producing reinforcing bars on leading primary steel producers have been cut about 50 per cent.
H QMC PLACES BULK OF CONTRACTS WITH SMALL BUSINESS
Wa s h i n g t o n— Army Quartermaster Corps i n 1944 placed 60,652 prime contracts,
valued at $1,510,660,000, with smaller business organizations, or 65 per cent of its total prime contracts and 46 per cent of the dollar value of all QMC depot contracts.
B ALUMINUM INVENTORY RESTRICTIONS TIGHTENED
Wa s h i n g t o n— Users of 10,000 pounds or more aluminum sheet, strip and plate are
now limited to inventories equal to 30 days’ supply.
February7 5, 1945 85
F A R M I M P L E M E N T S
B re akd o w n of Steel M ill Product Shipm ents to Farm Equi
(N e t T o n s) P ro d u c ts
S em ifinished (in g o ts, b lo o m s, b ille ts , slab s, tu b e ro u n d s, sh e e t a n d tin b a rs) S tru c tu ra l shapes a n d sh e e t p i l i n g ...
P la te s (u n iv e rs a l a n d s h e a re d ) ...
R ails— 6 0 lbs. a n d ov er ...
AH o th e r rails ...
T o ta l ra ils ...
T ie p la te s a n d tra c k accesso ries (in c h tra c k sp ik es) ...
H o t-ro lle d b a rs (c a rb o n , in c l, h o o p s a n d b a n d s) ...
C o n crete re in fo rc in g b a rs ...
A llo y b a rs ...
C o ld finished (c a rb o n arid a llo y ) . . T o ta l b a rs ...
P ip e a n d tu b e s ...
W ire ro d s ... ...
W ire a n d w ire p ro d u c ts (in c h fen ce p o sts) B la ck p la te ...
T in a n d to m e p la te ( h o t a n d c o ld r e d u c e d ) ...
S h eets a n d strip :
H o t-ro lle d ...
C o ld re d u c e d ...
G a lv a n iz e d ...
A ll o th e r ...
T o tal, T o o l s te e l b ars
W h eels a n d axles ... ...
F o rg in g s ...
Steel c astin g s . . ...
Sk elp ... . ...
A ll o th e r s te e l p ro d u c ts ...
G ra n d T o ta l ... p
1 9 4 4 “ 1 9 4 3
1 9 ,5 0 0 2 4 ,4 7 3 3 4 ,6 0 0 2 2 ,6 0 9 5 4 ,1 0 0 4 3 ,9 7 2 55 55 0
19 4 2 1941 19 4 0 19 3 9 1938
2 9 ,3 3 8 2 3 ,6 1 4 4 1 ,1 2 7 99
7 9 ,6 5 3 5 0 ,3 0 6 5 2 ,4 9 0
6 0 ,5 2 6 5 4 ,3 8 4 3 9 ,2 7 8
2 3 ,6 8 5 1 8 ,8 7 4
22,392 26,096 7
10 8 16 4 5 0 ,0 0 0 2 9 2 ,9 1 4
3 8 ,1 0 0 6 7 .3 0 0 5 5 5 ,4 0 0
2 7 .0 0 0
11.000
4 1 .3 0 0 90 0
2 1 ,4 7 3 3 8 ,6 7 4 3 5 3 ,0 6 1 1 1 ,7 1 8 3 ,3 3 9 3 7 ,6 4 1 2 ,6 9 4
2 0 8 ,1 5 8 5 6 8 1 3 ,3 4 2 2 2 ,7 6 5 2 4 4 ,8 3 3 1 1 ,1 9 7 1,8 3 8 2 5 ,6 2 7 4 3 1
4 2 4 ,9 5 3 3 3 ,6 5 8 6 1 ,7 4 2 5 2 0 ,3 5 3 2 4 ,8 0 5 5 ,3 8 8 6 5 ,7 7 7 15 0
4 0 7 ,9 8 1 63 6 5 1 ,6 4 6
3 8 62
4 6 0 ,2 6 3 3 0 ,1 3 8 6 ,5 3 3 3 6 ,6 6 1 7 0
2 0 6 ,4 0 7 3 2 ,6 0 9
168,340 5,901 1 3 2 ,6 7 2
182
101,830
3 ,3 0 0 2 ,4 6 0 6 1 6 18 6 41
2 4 6 ,4 0 0 2 1 ,5 0 0 8 0 ,1 0 0 sh eets a n d “ s t r i p . 3 4 8 ,0 0 0 3 5
1 3 8 ,0 5 3 9 ,5 8 9 4 0 ,8 0 5 9 7 5 1 8 9 ,4 2 2 3 6 3 741
1 3 4 ,4 7 1 1 1 ,7 2 2 3 2 ,6 9 4 4 ,3 1 1 1 8 3 ,1 9 8 2 3 4
2 3 3 ,1 1 3 1 7 ,7 6 3 7 7 ,4 3 0 5 ,1 3 3 3 3 3 ,4 3 9 5 9 7
1 6 6 ,8 3 5 1 2 ,7 8 9 4 5 ,2 3 9 3 ,6 0 9 2 2 8 ,4 7 2 1 ,8 6 4
4 4 ,8 1 4 1 8 7 ,4 8 6
42,642 123,560
2 ,8 8 3
3 7 3 ,1 5 5
2 7 5 0 0
0 9 5 ,6 3 5 2 0 ,6 2 5 7 1 2 ,8 5 1
4 ,9 5 1 5 7 0 ,0 4 6 1,15:
1 7 ,3 0 0 1 5 3 ,6 2 6
1 ,2 7 2
9 1 9 ,5 0 2 2 8 ,2 2 9 6 3 0 ,1 4 7
16,384 464,694
“ E stim a te d , f R ep rese n ts h o o p s, b a n d s a n d c o tto n ties. B la n k sp aces in d ic a te figures n o t a v a ila b le .
Agricultural M achinery Program For 1945 Slightly Lower Than 1944
SCH ED U LED farm machinery pro
duction for the year ending June 30, 1945, is not expected to be sufficient to meet dem and, even though manpower arid m aterials supply permits these schedules to be m et, which now seems unlikely.
The 1945 program provides for a slight decline from that m anufactured during 1944. However production of repair parts has been increased by $20 million.
The program of $697 million for the current year is divided as follows: $455 million for new machines; $204 million for repair parts and $38 million for attach
ments. This compares with previous year’s showing of $705.6 million, when $469.9 million in new machines, $199.8 million in repair parts and $35.9 million in a t
tachments w ere produced.
The quantities of equipm ent authorized for production this year vary considerably by individual items, with the chief em
phasis on labor-saving types. Production of certain harvesting and tilling machines has been increased to as high as 150 p er cent over 1940 and 1941 levels. More emphasis has also been placed on plant
ing and fertilizing equipment.
The possibility of obtaining in 1945 greater quantities of farm equipm ent than now authorized for production is de
pendent on the progress of the European war. H owever, the lead time necessary
for production of many types of farm equipm ent will probably prevent any significant increase in the quantity of farm implements produced before late this year, even if the European war should term inate soon. No action has been taken on the supplementary farm m a
chinery production program as submitted
by the W ar Food Administration to meet the needs that have developed since tlx present production schedules were set because of the present all-out emphasis on military production.
Current problems of farm machineiy m anufacture are indicated by the fact Bisi quarter 1945 production year output of new machinery, exclusive of wheel trac
tors, repair parts and attachments, "'as about 25 p er cent behind schedule. This production lag was caused by the man
pow er shortages and difficulty in obtain
ing components, chiefly malleable
Farm Equipm ent Builders' Steel Purchases Sh o w Recent Gain
h-
ÜJ
Z 20,000
10.000-,
9.000W,
8,000
7.000 XN
6.000
5.000- 4000- 3.000-
1226 1927 1926 1929 I960 1931 1932 1943 1924 1935 ¡956 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 I #
F A R M I M P L E M E N T S
a]
onufacturers b y Product Classification from 1 9 2 6 T hrough 1 9 4 4
(N e t T o n s)
1936 1935 19 3 4 19 3 3 1 9 3 2 1931
¡¿30 61759
31,781 47,394
4 ,4 7 8 1 2 ,7 2 7
5 ,0 7 4 1 3 ,8 9 4
4 ,1 0 8 1 1 ,0 1 0
9 ,2 3 3 2 3 ,0 0 5
148 240 22 3 *200 14 7
IS 58 4 0 58 3 6 2 7 6
¿938 1,764 7 ,5 7 9
1 8 .3 6 4 ) 5 ,6 0 0
4 2 ,8 3 0 ) 5 6 0
7 1 ,0 5 1 ) 11
9,953 M44
443,988 9,952
1 3 6 ,1 2 3 3 ,7 2 2
1 2 5 ,2 5 5 3 ,7 1 8
1 0 0 ,9 2 1 2 2 8 9
2 2 2 .5 3 7 2 ,7 1 6
>300 717
247,828 815
1 3 0 ,6 9 4 8 1 9
2 2 9 ,3 0 4 1 2 4 J 5 1 6 0
3 4 9 ,3 6 8 48
',076 46,613 2 3 Í5 8 3 1 4 ,3 5 6 1 4 ,4 2 4 3 3 ,3 3 7
321,181 1 3 5 ,2 7 1 7 6 ,8 5 2 2 6 ,4 9 5 8 3 ,4 9 8
19 3 0 19 2 9 . 19 2 8 1 9 2 7 1 9 2 6
1 2 ,0 6 7 1 5 ,6 7 9 3 2 ,1 8 3 1 1 ,2 6 8 13 ,1 1 4
4 3 ,3 5 1 4 8 ,4 2 0 1 2 0 ,1 2 3 4 8 ,8 8 4 4 9 ,4 5 9
81 2 1,0 5 3 671 5 5 0
3 0 8 11 6 5 9 ,0 6 8 13
5 8 0 1 ,1 2 0 1 ,1 6 9 5 9 ,7 3 9 5 6 3
5 6 9 1,341 167 1 5 0 123
6 6 ,2 5 4 t 1 1 1 ,0 1 4 ) 1 0 8 ,2 5 0 ) 2 9 ,4 3 2 ) 2 8 ,7 9 5 )
1 ,3 4 7 7 ,8 4 0
6 7 7 .3 8 2 1 ,1 7 6 ,5 7 8 998,*182 6 4 0 ,8 8 0 2 2 8 ,4 0 1
4,9 9 1 2 4 ,0 3 7 8 ,2 7 5 3 ,5 1 2 1 2 ,5 0 7
4 0 4 ,0 5 8 5 2 8 ,0 0 8 6 0 3 ,4 2 9 496*664 4 5 3 ,4 7 2
3 5 0
4 7 ,7 9 9 148*090
112 ,3 5 1 3 2 4 ,3 7 7
5 8 ,2 2 1 1 5 9 Í6 0 6
3 6 ,7 3 0
1 0 3 Í8 4 2 1 2 5 ,9 6 1
M 3,4 6 5
i® 1,106,702 5 ,3 8 7
4 2 9 ,4 8 3 8 ,3 4 3 4 6 2 ,6 9 8
5 ,4 6 7 2 8 8 ,6 1 8
3 ,5 9 7 6 9 4 ,3 6 6
1 2 ,4 6 0 1 ,3 0 3 ,5 4 8
11,974.
2 ,1 3 1 ,5 3 4
1 8 ,7 2 5 1 ,9 4 1 ,8 5 9
2 4 ,3 1 5 1 ,3 8 9 ,6 0 6
12,571 8 9 6 ,1 7 2 ffl for 1926-39 co m p iled b y S t e e i . ; fo r 1 9 4 0 -4 3 b y A m e ric a n Iro n a n d S teel In s titu te .
gray iron castings. Tightening in the tel supply situation over recent weeks threatens to further delay farm • equip
ment production schedules,
farm equipment builders, in common join other private users of steels, have ten unable to^ place orders to cover
dr allotments due to the increased nuutary requirements.
The production of farm machinery re
placement parts was at a high level dur-
■j1? 1944, and is expected to remain at
«« Pace through most of this year. Dur- jnS 1944 output of replacem ent parts was
?ra two to three times that of 1940 or ,'Ur Prewar years. O btaining some j(ms, such as replacem ent parts for en- tes and electrical equipm ent, has been
.cult. Production of these components conflicted with military production.
■ out 10 per cent of th e new farm
; ac lines built this year will be exported, Pw cent in commercial exports and 3
cent through lend-lease.
uring 1944 the agricultural implement machinery manufacturers received an T>095,635 net tons of steel mill h? 71*0 o- ^ lis compares favorably with he1 anc^ ^70,046 net tons shipped
during 1943 and 1942, respectively, hi Jj excePtion of 1941, the steel
■Pped to farm equipm ent companies i ',ea.r was the largest tonnage re- o t U SinCC Peak in steel shipments
«US group occurred in 1929, totaling
>«1,534 tons.
, pressed in percentage of total mill .mots, the estimated farm equipm ent
snare represents 1.8 per cent.
British Buy 58,000 Am erican-m ade Tools Shipped Them by Lend-Lease
N EGOTIATIONS have been con
cluded for sale to the British of some 58,000 American-made machine tools that originally w ere delivered on lend-lease, according to Leo T. Crowley, adm inistra
tor of the Foreign Economic Administra
tion.
In exchange for full title to these tools, attachm ents and spare parts, the United Kingdom government has paid the United States $31,500,000. As a result of this transaction and other purchases of m a
chine tools by the United Kingdom, there will be no machine tools of American origin in the possession of the United Kingdom government that have not been purchased.
Lend-lease has provided only a rela
tively small portion of total United King
dom machine tool needs. During the war the British have installed 459,000 m a
chine tools in their shipyards, aircraft fac
tories, munitions plants and other war in
dustries. Of these, 73 per cent w ere pro
vided by United Kingdom manufacturers;
14.5 Tier cent were purchased for cash m the U nited States and the remaining 12.5 per cent were provided by the United States under lend-lease.
Original cost to the United States of the lend-lease tools was $166 million, in
cluding cost of those shipments lost by
enemy action while enroute to England or thereafter, and tools which will be of relatively small value to the British f<v postwar use. Amount paid by the British is based on depreciation due to the inten
sive use of the tools under wartime con
ditions and represents an agreed esti
mate of the value they will have after they are no longer required for the war effort.
Current U. S. requirem ents were can
vassed to determ ine th at no need for these tools exists in the United States at the moment, Mr. Crowley said.
T he transaction resulted from the recog
nition by both governments of the special problems associated with machine tools, w hich they felt should be solved in ad
vance of the end of hostilities. In the ab
sence of agreements made under the Lend-Lease act the United States retains ownership of all lend-lease material made available to our allies. Consequently, British m anufacturers were unable to esti
mate their future tooling needs as long as part of their present equipm ent was held only on this uncertain basis. It was agreed in this case, therefore, in the in
terest of both governments, that a special arrangem ent b e undertaken prior to the end of hostilities, which would transfer title to the tools to the British.
r«brua¡ry 5, 1945 87
S T E E L P R I C E S
February Steel Price Rise Possible
O P A to discuss industry costs with advisory committee with
in two weeks. W arehouse p o sition being analyzed as is that of other buying groups
WARREN M. H U F F , steel price executive, Office of Price Administration, told St e e l last week that he plans to dis
cuss with the General Steel Products Ad
visory Committee within the next two weeks th e results of the latest OPA survey of steelmaking costs.
On th at occasion the committee will have an opportunity to make application for increases in steel prices over and above the recently effected interim increases of
$2 to $5 per ton on a num ber of products.
W hile Mr. Huff did not go into detail, he adm itted th at steelmaking costs have risen and that price increases are w ar
ranted on a large num ber of carbon steel products.
“Some of the new prices that the OPA will allow,” he said, should become ef
fective before the end of February,
“W hen the OPA announced the in
terim increases in January,” said Mr.
Huff, “it had no information as to the earnings and profits position of steel warehouses. U nder the price stabilization law it was prohibited from allowing the increases in steel prices to be passed along by the warehouses unless it had ascer
tained the warehouses needed relief.
“To prevent the increases from being passed on to customers of the warehouses in the absence of such information, the OPA used the device of increasing de
livered prices.
“T he OPA,” Mr. Fluff continued, “now is conducting a study to enable it to de
termine w hat relief, if any, the steel warehouses will need.
“It is the present OPA plan to apply such increases as may be granted directly to mill base prices, in which event the warehouses automatically would apply
the OPA warehouse mark-up to the higher steel prices. These mark-ups will be reviewed.
“The OPA is working along the same line w ith the advisory committees repre
senting the bolt and nut, screw, and steel drum manufacturers, the nonintegrated tubular products producers, the wire products producers, the cold-drawn bar producers, the cold-rolled sheet mills, the fabricated reinforcing bar industry, the fabricated structural steel industry, the secondary warehouse distributors, the m erchant and oil country pipe distributors,
and other groups.
“T he OPA, by studying the earnings and profits data of all these industries, will determine w hether the contemplated steel mill price increases will work hard
ships on them w hich will have to be alleviated."
W M C To Divert M an pow er from Less Essential Industries to N ew ark's Critical W ar Plants
W IT H their campaign for 20,000 ad
ditional workers in critical w ar indus
tries in the Newark, N. J., area falling far behind ac
tual needs, W ar M anpower Commission officials have announced they will im
pose sanctions on employ
ers if the final phase of the drive is unproductive.
To date approximately 2000 or 20 p e r cent of the required num ber have been added to w ar plant payrolls since Jan. 1, when die campaign started.
In a final effort to avoid the application of stringent measures, W M C has In
voked a “selective m an- ceiling” for 5000 less essential industries, by w hich m anpow er officials plan to shift about 10 p er cent of the 200,000
T O TH E RESCU E: W ith 10 per cent of C h ic a g o 's surface line cars out of service because of the m anpow er situation, city police an d firemen have taken part-time jobs on street cars. Patrolm an G e o rg e Krull is shown here acting as motor-
man. N E A photo
workers in those plants to war plants.
Employers in these less essential in
dustries have been requested to list em
ployes and their skills for the early in
formation of manpower officials. From this list W M C will designate those need
ed to fill the serious gaps in war produc
tion.
Should the plan fail, the commission will request the Federal Power Commis
sion, the Office of Defense Transporta
tion and the Office of Price Administra
tion to apply sanctions within their scope, such as depriving plants of light and power, gasoline for their trucks, or the use of railroad cars for shipments.
W L B Rules on Uncertain Points in W a g e Decision
The National W ar Labor Board last week issued nine rulings interpreting cer
tain provisions of the basic steel wage decision of Nov. 25 requested in a joint petition of the United Steel Workers and subsidiary companies of the United States Steel Corp.
The rulings follow: An employe as
signed to th e day shift who completes his regular eight-hour turn and continues to work into the second shift or after
noon shift does not receive the premium rate of 4 cents p e r hour for overtime worked in the afternoon shift. Similarly, an employe on the afternoon shift work
ing into the second turn of eight hours into die night shift does not receive the premium rate of 6 cents per hour for overtime. T he board made no deter
mination on this rule in the case of an employe w ho continues to work an en- / T E e l
