Immense Demands On America's Steel

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 209, 3 September 1941, Page 3

Immense Demands On America's Steel

EFFECT OF ARMAMENTS PRODUCTION The recent cabled news from New York that concern was being felt in U.S.A. at the increasing scarcity of scrap steel and iron, and that the British purchasing authorities in U.S.A. were being asked to confine their requests as far as possible to finished products rather than to ingots of semifinished steel, emphasises the immense demands now being made on the steel capacity of America, the output of which is easily the largest in the world. How huge the production is and how rapidly the demands for steel have increased may bo gathered from figures issued recently by the American Iron and Steel Institute. In the short space of four to five months, the steel situation in U.S.A. apparently has changed from one of complacency as to tlio ability of America to meet all steel needs, without the necessity of clamping any priority on steel, to oue of concern as 10 meeting the rapidly/mounting orders for yet more steel. The rated capacity of the industry was more than 5i,000,000 tons at the end of 1040, which represented about 11 per cent, of the world 's steel-making capacity. Steel production in U.S.A. 'last year was 67,000,000 tons. The jstimated capacity of all other countries combined was 105,000,000 tons, of ~hich Russia produced 21,800,000 tons, Europe 42,500,000 tons, Great Britain j.5,00u,000, Japan about 7,100,000 tons, Canada 2,000,000 tons and the rest of the world about 4,100,000 tons. According to the A. 1.5.1., by cutting down the time of shutdowns, repairs, etc., the U.S.A. steel production can bo increased to 86,000,000 tons during 1941, and that 90,000,000 tons could be turned out in 1942. That authority estimated that when the U.S.A. defence programme is in full swing, a total of 8,000,000 tons a year may bo used for defence and another 12,000,000 tons for export to Great Britain, Canada, South America and other countries, leaving at least 66,000,000 tons, which could be allocated to America.-s domestic civilian use. Of the steel used in U.S.A. in 1940, IS per cent, went to the automotive industry to build passenger cars, trucks and mechanised military equipment. This percentage will be reduced, as the U.S.A. automobile industry has agreed to reduce production of 1942 models by 1,000,000 units. The construction of bridges, elevated highways, dams, factories, etc., took 13 per cent. Railroads absorbed about 10 per cent., steel drums, cans and containers used another 10 per cent., while 49 per cent, was used tor ship-building, machinery, tools, etc., and in many other industries. Exclusive of guns and armour, it is computed that the U.S.A. naval programme will require only about f,200,000 tons of steel a year for the next four years. A 45,000-ton battleship will require about 20,000 tons of ordinary steel, an aircraft-carrier about 17,000 tons, a cruiser about 5500 tons, and a destroyer about 700 tons. In the building of a heavy bomber or transport plane, at least five tons of high-grade alloy steel is required. At the most, 250,000 tons of high-quality steel would be needed to build 50,000 airplanes of various types.