BRITISH GOAL CRISIS STOPPER ALL-TIME STEEL PRODUCTION RECORD

Evening Star, Issue 26087, 29 April 1947, Page 5

BRITISH GOAL CRISIS STOPPER ALL-TIME STEEL PRODUCTION RECORD

(Rec. 11 a.m.) LONDON, April 28. Sir Archibald Forbes, chairman of the Iron .and Steel Board, which was appointed in September, 1946, . to supervise the industry's modernisation and current operations and advise on price policy, told a Press conference, at which he reviewed progress, that if the fuel crisis had not occurred British steel production in 1947 would have achieved an’all-time record. Production in 1946 was about 12,750,000 ingot tons and would have been higher had full fuel and transport requirements been available. The demand as far as could be assessed was for 15,000,000 tons. It had been hoped to make good the difference by import, mainly from America, but it proved impossible to obtain deliveries from all overseas sources of more than about 400,000 tons. Actual production in 1947 to the end of March was 2,800,000 tons, equivalent to a rate of 11,500,000 tons annually. Sir Archibald Forbes added that though the situation was improving, coal supplies were still below full requirement, and until the level of fuel supplies to be made available to the industry for the rest of the year was known it was impossible to forecast the 1947 steel production