The Iron Age 1918-10-24: Vol 102 Iss 17

New York, October 24, 1918 Training School for Machine Operators A Special Department Provided at the Timken Plant Gives Better Results Than Breaking In in Regular Departments established by the Timken Roller g Co., Canton, Ohio, this company hav- ng decided that men could be trained better and ticket . department provided for that purpose ha tarting them at work in the regular manu- facturing departments where a lack of skill on the part of new employees would have a tendency to keep production below the desired maximum. The he schoot is to give the new employees ining, make them competent machine A’ RAINING school for machine operators was i T perat the earliest possible moment and elim- te partially trained men from the manufactur- ng departments. ning school occupies a separate building, x 80 ft., and is equipped with eight automatic nes and 15 grinding machines. Instruc- tion is given only in the operation of these two types of machines as the greater part of the work in the company’s plant is done on these machines. The policy of the employment department is to hire men who show indications of having the necessary qualifications to develop into good machine opera tors. Among those who have taken the training course are store clerks, other salesmen and men in other kinds of employment including intelligent men of foreign birth. As a rule, these students are men who have had no experience of any kind in machine shop work. No limit is placed on the ages of the men employed. The school is in charge of three instructors, one on the automatic screw machines and a chief in structor and one assistant on the grinding machines The instructors were selected from the most com Men Learning to Operate Automatic Screw Machines in a Special Training Department 1011 ~ ae = Ole A Re Sy bo eS a gt ont he ra oe wiaiaiee. an” Beng Oi. i. i ee ee ie 1012 THE ih} a MN, m-: 0 . Making Grinding Machine Operators Who Are Thoroughly petent workmen as being apparently best fitted for the work of training others. The number of men taking the training course is from 20 to 25 at a time. The length of the training course is not fixed, the time a man is kept in the school depend- ing on his ability to learn the work. It has been found in the four months that the school has been in operation that it takes three to four weeks for a man to become trained sufficiently in operating a grinding machine to be moved along to the regular production department. The course of training on an automatic screw machine requires about three months. Men on starting at work in the training school are placed on the same hourly rate and premium wage basis as the experienced machine operators. New Government Safety Standards Under the auspices of the U. S. Employers’ Com pensation Commission a survey by the American Mu seum of Safety and other well-known experts in vari- ous parts of the country, which has resulted in the appointment of some 20 safety engineers at various Government arsenals, navy yards and depots. One of the most significant pieces of work undertaken by the safety engineers, according to D. C. Rausch, assistant director American Museum of Safety, in his address before the iron and steel section of the National Safety Council Convention at St. Louis, Sept. 18, has been the creation of a set of Federal safety standards, soon to be published by the U. S. Bureau of Standards. They consist of a compilation from various sources and will tend, he believes, toward a unification of safety stand- ards, a step now greatly neded in this country. A pre- liminary publication of them is being made in monthly installments in the publication of the American Museum of Safety. The result of the Government’s safety plans is shown by the fact that under the present conditions the accident rate is 4.1 for 1000 workers, an average comparable with the results in industry generally. IRON AGE October 4. 1918 Trained When Assigned to Regular W: While a night force is employed in the plant the training school is conducted only in the daytime dur- ing the regular 8-hr. shift. A production quota for each piece and machine for an 8-hr. period is scheduled throughout the plant and operators are paid a premium above the fixed quota whether the are working in the school or production depart- ments. Some of the men in the school develop « speed that enables them to earn a premium above the hourly rate before being transferred to produc- tion departments. While the school has been ip operation but a short time it is stated that the men who are given this intensive course of training are found better equipped for their work than they would be were they trained alongside of the work men in the manufacturing departments. Munitions Patent Board WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.—To co-ordinate th icles of the War Department and the Navy Department " patent matters, the Secretary of War and the Secre tary of the Navy have established the Munitions Pat- ent Board. The membership of this board consists Thomas Ewing, who has been jointly selected by Secretary of War and the Secretary of the av! Max Thelen, the representative of the War Lepar® ment, and Pickens Neagle, representing the Navy partment. The Munitions Patent Board h formed to consider clauses in contracts of th tive departments dealing with patents; ques . to the validity or infringement of patents . a patentability of inventions; questions as to the = of compensation to be paid for patents or fo = of patents, and all other miscellaneous questio: patents which may arise in the two departmer ested. The board is empowered to recomme! ; time to time, to the Secretary of War and the Secret") of the Navy suitable action to be taken or po be adopted in regard to all patent matters w! brought before it for consideration. eo es fests OC? Re ublicans Change Reconstruction Plan Amendment by Senator Watson Provides for Appointment of Six Committees—Adminis- tration Opposed to Action at Present Time WasHiNoTON, Oct. 22.—Despite the growing acute- eace crisis, Washington has taken no steps aa af ¢ nec preparedness for peace. Nothing has yet been gone to meet the overwhelming problems of reconstruc- tion, Instead of accelerating a discussion by respon- sible leaders of the great questions which a sudden termination of the war might bring, there. seems to be an emphasis in high circles upon the necessity for silence. ie President himself, of course, has been “oo busy with the delicate subject of his peace con- versations with Berlin. High officials around him, who will have to meet these questions when they arise, have opposed any discussion of them at the present time. Even Secretary McAdoo of the Treasury De- partment, and Chairman Baruch of the War Industries Board, have deprecated any approach to this great problem. They fear that its consideration at the pres- ent time might distract public attention from the great problem of intensifying our war work. Presi- dent Wilson’s discussions with Berlin, they seem to feel, have already had some effect in this way. Because of this manifest disapproval by the Ad- ministration, Congress has made no progress in the consideration of the measures pending before it. The Senate J iary Committee has not even taken up the Overman bill, and Senator Overman has made no effort to press its discussion. The Republican members of the Senate in the mean- time have changed their reconstruction program by fering an amendment to Senator Weeks’ resolution for a joint congressional committee on reconstruction. The amendment was drawn by Senators Watson of India indexter of Washington, and Cummins of ‘owa, Who were appointed by the Republican confer- e t age the party’s reconstruction plans in the f a single committee consisting of six mem- ich house, the new program provides for ‘ees, each one of which is to take care of a eld of reconstruction—demobilization, for- erce, interstate transportation, domestic : bor and natural resources. k f the committees is to be made up of five nd five Representatives to be selected by tive houses in the same manner that stand- ing ‘tees now are made up. Each committee is inve ite the subjects specifically assigned to it to Congress, from time to time, its recom- for legislation. nes of the committees with the subjects to | to each follow: ization of the Army and Navy: (a) The t of discharged soldiers and sailors in civil (b) the allotment of lands to returned sol- sailors and their establishment in homes ublic domain; (¢) all legislation which may fe | in the proper care for those who have ite e dangers of war, and especially those who lisabled and whose ability to earn a liveli- een impaired. Trade and Commerce: (a) Duties on im- the protection and encouragement of home (b) the development of new markets; (c) ns for the purpose of increasing our selling (d) changes in our banking facilities neces- -operate with such trade; (e) the supply and raw materials and encouragement in the of articles that have heretofore been manu- this country; (f) our Merchant Marine, ‘he construction of ships, the continuance of ‘ ownership and operation; and in general ‘ct to the various problems of transportation nigh seas. ‘te Transportation: (a) The permanent ‘hich the Government of the United States should sustain to the common carriers of the country; (b) whether the systems of transportation now in possession of and being operated by the Government should be returned to their former owners and op- erated as heretofore, or whether Government opera- tion should continue with or without Government own- ership, or if private ownership is to continue and pri- vate operation resumed, what system of regulation and control will be best adapted to secure efficiency in service, reasonable rates of transportation and fair- ness to the capital invested; (c) the relation which should be established between inland water transporta- tion and the railways, including the control of the former; (d) all questions relating to communication by wire. Domestic Business: (a) To what extent, if any, should our laws relating to trusts and combinations be modified; (b) what co-operation should be permit- ted in order to increase efficiency, reduce cost and enable this country to successfully meet foreign com- petition; (c) to what extent should the Government undertake to control prices? (d) Government loans to private enterprises; (e) Government supervision of capital issues. Employers and Employees: (a) Conciliation and arbitration in labor disputes; (b) the relation of men and women in similar employment; (c) substitution of female employees for male employees and vice versa; (d) the organization of permanent employ- ment agencies; (e) the distribution of labor, including employment of surplus labor on public works; (f) the sanitary housing of employees and the disposition of houses constructed by the Government during the war; (g) the freedom of labor and of employment in its relation to trade unionism, and wages, hours and con- ditions of employment. Natural Resources: (a) The encouragement of private enterprise in the development of the resources of the public domain; (b) the tendency toward urban population and the best means of checking it, includ- ing the requirements for farm labor and the best means of securing it; (c) Government loans to farmers; (d) the distribution of food products; (e) our timber problems; (f) the adequate production and proper distribution of our mineral resources, includ- ing coal, petroleum and other fuels; (g) the develop- ment and control of water power. Each of these committees, under the proposed amendment, would be empowered “to take up and ex- amine any other subject which, in the course of its investigation, it finds to be inseparably connected with the subjects herein assigned to it, and which ought to be considered in view of the change from the activities of war to the pursuits of peace, and especially the de- mobilization of war commissions, administrations, bu- reaus and other civilian agencies, and the adjustment of the forces employed therein to private industry and commerce under normal peace conditions.” W. L. C. Stockholders of the E. J. Gardner Axle & Machine Co., East North Street, Carlisle, Pa., have voted to dissolve the company, owing to the scarcity of labor and difficulty in securing raw materials. The com- pany, founded in 1883, is one of the oldest local indus- tries. It is expected that the plant will be leased, a provision in the deed for the property making it mandatory to use the site for industrial purposes. The Ferguson Iron & Steel Co., Buffalo, is preparing plans for an electric furnace building which it is to erect for the Norton Co., manufacturer of abrasives, at its Niagara Falls plant, Buffalo Avenue and Twenty- eighth Street. 1013 pas ae 1014 IRON ORE MINED Lake Superior District Produced 85 Per Cent of Total Last Year Statistics compiled under the direction of E. F. Burchard of the United States Geological Survey, De- partment of the Interior, show that the iron ore mined in the United States in 1917 reached a total of 75,288,851 gross tons, and exceeded the former record output of 1916 by 121,179 tons. The shipments from the mines in 1917 were 75,573,181 gross tons, valued at $238,260,- 333, a decrease in quantity of 2,297,372 tons, or 2.95 per cent, and an increase in value of $56,358,056, or 30.98 per cent, as compared with shipments in 1916. The average value per ton at the mines for all grades of ore in 1917 was $3.15 as against $2.34 in 1916, an in- crease of nearly 35 per cent. Stocks of iron ore at mines, mainly in Minnesota and Michigan, amounted at the close of 1917 to 10,628,908 gross tons, compared with 10,876,352 gross tons in 1916. Iron ore was mined in 25 States in 1917 and 24 in 1916. California, Montana and Nevada produced iron ore for metallurgic flux only; part of the output of Colorado, New Mexico and Utah was used for smelter flux and part for pig iron and ferroalloys; the remain- ing States produced iron ore mainly for use in blast furnaces, except small quantities used for paint from Michigan, New York, Wisconsin and Georgia. The ore output of Minnesota, Michigan and Alabama, States which have for many years produced the largest quan- tities of iron ore, was close to that of 1916, and more than 1,000,000 tons of ore was produced also by New York and Wisconsin. Iron Ore Mined tn the and 1917, Per Cent of Change State 1916 1917 in 1017 Minnesota 44,585,422 44,595,282 + 0.08 Michigan 18,071,016 17,868,601 1.1 Alabama ‘ 6,747,901 7,037,707 . 4.3 New York 1,342,507 1,304,317 2.8 Wisconsin 1,304,518 1,202,235 7.8 Pennsylvania 559,431 546,700 2.3 Wyoming ; 545,774 543,846 — 0.4 Tennessee 455,834 508,529 + 11.6 New Jersey 493,004 489,943 — 0.6 Virginia 440,492 469,908 + 6.7 New Mexico 157,77 237,221 + 60.4 Georgia 256,949 226,630 — 11.8 North Carolina 64,306 90,997 + 41.6 Utah 45,514 48,058 + 6.6 Missouri 34,914 38,908 + 11.4 Iowa 11,351 22,612 + 99.2 Maryland 4,455 11,83¢ +165.5 Massachusetts (a) 10,000 West Virginia 3,605 4,632 + 38.5 California 3 2,207 26.4 Nevada 9,91¢ 1,010 80.8 Arkansas (a) 40 Ohio 1,800 Other State b) 28,190 27,693 1.8 76,167,672 7 88.851 + 0.16 a Less tl I produ 1916, and permission not granted to pul State tota I ease in 1917 therefore lna ; ‘ States b1916: ¢ rad ; ect and Massachusetts 1917: Colorado, Connecticut and Montana The Lake Superior district mined nearly 85 per cent of the total ore in 1917, and the Birmingham district about 8 per cent. There were small decreases in output from the Lake Superior, Chattanooga and New York- New Jersey districts, and increases in the Birmingham and Adirondack districts, the production from the latter district having again exceeded 1,000,000 tons. Eleven mines in the United States produced more than 1,000,000 tons of iron ore each in 1917, one less than in 1916. First place in 1917 was held by the Hull- Rust mine at Hibbing, Minn., the second place by the Red Mountain group near Bessemer, Ala., the third THE IRON AGE Octob: 24. 1918 place by the Mahoning mine at Hibbing, ™ fourth place by the Fayal mine at Evelet! production of these mines in 1917 wa Iron Ore Mined in the United States, by Mining Distn~ 2 ow Varieties, in 1917, in Gross Tons 3 Brown Magne- = a : District Hematite Ore tite < -. Lk. Sup’rb 63,481,321 ...... ieaa. oa Oe 3210) Birmingham 5,728,862 458,211 ...... t+253 Chattanooga 644,038 277,462 ...... 45 i Lee kw aaed. - savbes 1,100,001 Northern New Jersey and southeastern NOW FOR «oc sssic (c) (c)642,232 .. 642,232 —3 9 Other dist’s d41,011,37231,233,106 812,260 . 3,056,739 +65 70,765,579 1,968,779 2,554,498 .. 75,298,851 +94 a Exclusive of ore containing 5 per cent or more mangs nese b Includes only those mines in Wisconsin actually 'n thy Lake Superior district. oA small quantity of brown ore included ir ad A small quantity of brown ore included in hematit: 6,468,483, 2,955,022, 2,525,145 and 2,022,816 tons. The Hull-Rust mine which produced more than one-tenth of all the ore mined in 1916, decreased more thar 1,000,000 tons in 1917. The output of the Fayal min also decreased slightly, but the other two showed ir. creases. Lake Superior iron ore ranges.—Only two of the ranges in the Lake Superior district mined a larger quantity of iron ore in 1917 than in 1916, the Gogebie and Cuyuna ranges, the increase being 2.26 and 277 per cent, respectively. The output of the Cuyuna range nearly reached 2,000,000 tons. Iron Ore(a) Mined in the Lake Superior Ranges(b) in iit and 1917 1916 1917 Per Cent Gross Gross of Change Range Tons Tons in 1917 Marquette (Michigan) ....... 4,792,987 4,638,374 — 2 Menominee (Michigan and Wis- COMI). kb ac hcewowune ieee 6,649,578 6,366,483 — is Gogebic (Michigan and Wis- CRD cw sdeawatdreuwtads 7,707,101 7,881,282 + 2% Vermilion (Minnesota) ....... 1,704,440 1,481,301 —18.0) Mesabi (Minnesota) .41,325,341 41,127,328 — 04 Cuyuna (Minnesota) 1,555,641 1,986,608 +277 63,735,088 68,481,321 4 a Exclusive of ore containing 5 per cent or more mangs nese bIncludes only such Wisconsin mines actual! the Lake Superior district. Pig Iron Output Valued The quantity of pig iron, exclusive of ferroalo sold or used in 1917, according to reports of produce to the United States Geological Survey, am: unted to 38,612,546 gross tons, valued at $1,053,785,979, com pared with 39,126,324 gross tons, valued at $6 178,118 in 1916, a decrease of 1.32 per cent in quantity and # increase of 59 per cent in value. The average price Pe ton at furnaces in 1917, as reported to the Survey, ¥* $27.29, compared with $16.96 in 1916, an increase 61 per cent. The production of pig iron, inclucin ferroalloys, was 38,647,397 gross tons in 1917, ©o™ pared with 39,434,797 gross tons in 1916, a decrease * 4.5 per cent, according to figures published by ™ American Iron and Steel Institute, March 18, 1915 The Carnegie Steel Co. is rushing the con of 50 houses at Steelton, Pa., to be rented t eign workers. The homes are of concrete construct” five and six rooms, and have all modern impro The original contract calls for fifty houses, number will probably be increased later. ene Some War Problems of the Steel Trade Postponed Demand, Wage Readjustment and Export Trade—A Tax on Sales as a Feature of the New Taxation Program BY WILLIAM B. DICKSON * t of the wide distribution of securities of and it is to them that we must look for an outlet for ompanies in recent years the probable trade our surplus tonnage. 4 ns in steel products after the war is a sub- ‘ E on : A Tax on Sales ‘ neral interest. The enormous demand for r teel products, due to war conditions, has The question of Federal taxation, both during and F r it a great increase in the facilities for after the war, is highly important. The crying need 4 Probably the best measure of this tre- of American business to-day is a clear, definite, simple itt nsion is the tonnage of ingots, which for Federal tax law. Business men generally appreciate ig intry has been as follows: the enormous amounts which must be raised by taxa- i . ° . . ia Tons tion in order to insure the triumph of American ideals, tle 22,819,784 ns 1h ot e84. 918 and they stand ready to meet this issue squarely, ; ol,e soe - . . . ie 41.401.917 only asking that the burden be distributed fairly, and 42,800,000 that the law be clearly expressed so that they will ; ‘ ye able » calculate with reasonable certainty e if lusion of the war it would seem to be be able to calculate = certainty th . . amount of tax which they will be required to pay. : at some readjustment will be necessary, mT teeter of 1 a gee pay ; 1s . rincipal source of Federal revenue, < eas * closing down of the higher-cost plants. po og ee ee ee — * oS ae i uring e war, must, of course, come om inc it S ntingency has probably been foreseen by . = Coe Cae ie — ts srofits, tariff < internal revenue taxes k s ny f most of these plants. In any event, oe tariff - intern ae man taxe I think some . 1 . . . consideration, owever, snou > given to a tax on business will not be relatively greater . : : ease ype : which tees obseseel iu thes of gross sales. The fundamental requirements of an v¥ 4 « . . peace : 7 ast fifteen years, and with our Federal ideal _ — i ing system as a bulwark the general Fairness. 4 munity need have no fear of a serious Universality of incidence. a . Ease of collection. ! f the fact that so large a proportion of pacity during the war is being devoted to needs, it would seem reasonable to sup- mestic needs are being held in reserve. required for the rehabilitation of railroads, ing stock, will in itself be an immense eadying the situation, and there must be deferred domestic requirements which in will provide a large tonnage to tide idjustment period. These three requirements are met by a tax on gross sales, providing, however, that all products and services : the prices of which are regulated by law, such as those sold by public-utility corporations, are exempted from " : the operation of the law. Such a tax is automatically passed along, from the producer of the raw material, and through each intermediate stage, until the whole accumulated tax is paid by the ultimate consumer For instance, the herdsman or farmer on a West- 4 The Labor Readjustment ern ranch sells a steer, and, knowing that he must pay ' f : hi od a tax on the sale price, he adds it to the price which the most serious fs s t us factor in this perio he receives. The butcher or packer sells the hide to s ent will be the restoration of labor rates approximating those in force prior to the omplish this task with a minimum of the tanner, and charges a price which will absorb not only the tax which the herdsman had added, but that which the seller, in turn; must pay on the price obtained for the hide. This sequence continues from tanner to wholesale leather merchant, shoe manufacturer, wholesale shoe arnest, patriotic and unselfish efforts on employers and wage earners. nt to which Europe will be a purchaser- ¢ ee ; dealer, retail shoe dealer, until finally the ultimate ‘ Oe ae pede a ebnneeptgtoged consumer, whether he be a banker or a laborer, pays iS * ‘ oe ee : : the whole cumulative tax in the price of a pair of i< Tes éakant 4 abt chao ane shoes, and that without realizing that he is doing so ; = This in itself, taking human psychology into account, e Continent have been destroyed by the com- is no inconsiderable advantage. also be a factor, but one which it is diffi- time to measure. Every Consumer Becomes a Taxpayer ne hand the -huge burden of taxation which by the nations of Europe would seem to This formula applies to all other commodities, so a considerable period any great outlay that the entire social fabric becomes an automatic tax- bare necessities of existence. My own im- collecting agency. This tax is therefore fair, in that that America should not count upon Europe it falls on every consumer in the exact proportion to rtant market for steel products for several the amount he spends. It is universal in its application, the close of the war. because all persons are of necessity consumers to some other hand, the neutral nations which have degree. It is easy of collection, because every dealer devastated by the war, and are free from in services or commodities keeps a record of receipts, of war taxation, should afford an increasing even if no other accounts are kept. ; the marketing of American steel products, The exception noted above, of public-utility corpo- ? : rations, the prices of whose services or commodities : ient and treasurer Midvale Steel & Ordnance are fixed by law, is, of course, necessary, because they 1015 re 1016 THE are unable to pass the burden to the ultimate con- sumer. While the above would seem to demonstrate that a gross-sales tax is fair, of universality of incidence, and easy to collect, it does not necessarily follow that such a tax in itself forms a complete scheme of taxa- tion. This is evident when it is considered that in many cases the personal expenditures of a man with a very large income and doing a large business may not differ materially from those of one of his clerks or workmen, and yet the proceeds from such a tax must come largely from such personal expenditures. As an instance, if the tales of the economies in personal expenditures of a former prominent New York financier, now de- ceased, are true, he would have paid less taxes than the average laboring man. The plan of taxation here suggested is based on the theory that all expenditures which every individual DATA ON ELECTRIC DRIVES Equipment, Power Consumption, Tonnage and Capacities of Mills of the Bethlehem Steel Co. HE layout, equipment, power consumption, ton- = nages, and capacities of eleven electrically driven rolling mills at the Lehigh plant of the Bethle- hem Steel Co., were discussed by J. T. Sturtevant, in a paper from which the following is taken, presented before the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers at its annual meeting in Baltimore, Sept. 11. The company’s 10-in. merchant-bar mill was started up in July, 1915, and to April 30, 1918, had rolled 5077.8 tons of light file special size and shape stock at an average of 85.5 kw. hr. per ton. The drive on the mill has given practically no trouble except that crowding the mill at times has cut the brass thrust plates to such an extent that new plates had to be re- placed and new oil placed in the bearing, this being the only case since installation that a change of oil was made. The monthly record of the mill is 1516.12 tons. The 12-in. merchant-bar mill was started shortly after the 10-in. and has a monthly record of 3045.56 tons with a power consumption of 38.4 kw.hr. per ton. To this must be added 24.5 kw.hr. for the 16-in. roughing mill, which is a part of the 12-in. equipment, so that the 3045.56 tons of finished product was rolled from 5% x 5'%-in. stock at the rate of 62.9 kw.-hr. per ton. The roughing mill has a flywheel of 65840 Ib. The 8-in. merchant-bar mill up to six months ago gave some rotor trouble. Repeated breakdowns oc- curring between phases and to ground caused him to take oscillograms, which showed the cause and sug- gested the remedy. High peaks of the rotor voltage, which occurred when the primary circuit was opened and closed, were lessened when the control was ar- ranged so that the secondary was closed before the primary and the primary was opened before the sec- ondary. This was accomplished by closing the first contactor on the secondary panel, actuated by the speed switch, before closing the direction switch on the two-speed motors. The single-speed motors gave no trouble as the secondary was always closed. It was also found necessary to mount two contactors on all double-speed motors to short circuit the idle winding as high voltages in the idle winding were found to exist when starting or stopping. For its 22-in. bar mill the maximum section bloom is 9 x 10 in. The record monthly tonnage is 15570.02 tons at the rate of 22.91 kw.hr. per ton. On this mill, he holds, is demonstrated the value of a balanced fly- wheel which takes the high power peaks on breaking down. Its 18-in. Morgan continuous mill driven by a 3000-hp. General Electric induction motor was started Jan., 1916, but up to the present time has not run to capacity due to shortage of steel. Its average power consumption is 28.5 kw.hr. per ton of steel. IRON AGE October 21, 1938 must make in order to maintain himself as — natyr,) person are a proper subject of taxation. Consideration of the percentage rate of mme. diately takes us out of the realm of economi to that of politics. As pointed out above, however, uld be manifestly impracticable and unjust to mpt to make the sales tax a principal item in t} ‘ lera! tax scheme. The inequalities between men en you consider them as other than natural person: must be equalized by the operation of the other taxcs mep. tioned above. It would seem, therefore, that this tax meets the above mentioned fundamental requirements wher it is considered as a supplemental form of taxation, and that especially in great crises like the present the nation must depend on other forms of taxation. such as income, profits, tariff and internal revenue ‘axes for the principal part of its resources. He finds that motor houses over equipment of this kind aid in the upkeep of the motors and that, where it is possible to bring in fresh air from the outside through washing apparatus, a higher atmospheric pres- sure exists in the room which keeps most of the mill dirt out and so lessens the oxide covering which col- lects in the cracks and crevices around the winding. Experience has taught him that new installations should have more attention in respect to flywheels. In this connection he referred to the 16-in. roughing mill which has an 800-hp. motor running at 100 rpm, the moment of inertia of the rotor being 210,000 lb. ft. To this was added 2,500,000 Ib. ft. by the use of a fly- wheel, making a total of 2,710,000 lb. ft. Now work performed and service required have shown that on this layout a smaller motor would have done the work with power to spare and he feels safe in saying the 12-in. bar mill would have been more practical with a 500-hp. motor on the rougher whose flywheel moment of inertia would be about 2,700,000 Ib. ft., and a 12-in. finishing-mill motor of 1000 hp. running at 214 to 167 r.p.m. with about 215,000 Ib. ft. in the rotor. He ad- vocates plenty of power for the finishing mil! because of the heavy tonnages on flats and squares which, he says, are possible if the roll stands are kept fairly full. New Manchurian Steel Works Consul A. A. Williamson, at Dairen, Manchuria, has sent a report to the Department of Commerce of the progress on the new Japanese Anshan Stee! Works, now being built by the South Manchuria Railway. These are two blast furnaces, which are scheduled for an annual output of 150,000 tons of pig iron. These furnaces are to be blown in next fall, but there wil! be delay in the steel plant. The location is midway tween Chienshan and Lishan. Lishan is but a shor distance from the Anshanchan iron field, which 1s ' supply the necessary ore. The water supply is 0 tained in part from the Chienshan River but chiefly from a subterranean stream at the foot of Shousha! Hill. Iron ore is to be supplied by the Chenhsing Mining Co. under Chino-Japanese joint management. !t 's be mined from the eight mining districts of Past ane West Anshan, Hsiaolingtzu, Takushan, Kuannmenshat, Yingtaoyuan, and Wangchiaputzu. The ores consist magnetite and hematite, both of excellent qual't) In particular in Yingtaoyuan, East and West Anshan, a%¢ Takushan, outcrops of ore are common. The hi''s there may be called masses of iron ore. Conseque! min ing can be carried on with great euse. t 1s tu The H. Koppers Co., Pittsburgh, will erect a” &* plosive plant for the Ordnance Department 21th Northlake Avenue, Seattle. The plant will « t ot several buildings including a brick structure, © *°” ft.; 15 large steel tanks on proper supports, necess@"Y piping and pumping machinery and certain other eq!’ ment required in the manufacture of toluol. T° °° pleted plant will cost approximately $120,000. 1918 THE IRON AGE 1017 Han Machine Parts with a Magnet When it is necessary to weigh a casting, a crane ali scale is fastened to the hook on the crane and the nnati Planer Co. has recently put into the overhead traveling crane in the stock ikley plant a 36-in. lifting magnet made Controller & Mfg. Co. This magnet castings weighing 20,000 lb., and it time a number of smaller castings such housings, ete. ated that the saving in labor is approxi- cent, as one principal feature in the use is the elimination of swinging chains the castings or fastening hooks under- lift and transport them where wanted. this yard labor a somewhat vexing ques solved, inasmuch as it is very difficult to work in a castings storage yard, where it for them to be exposed to all kinds of tions, and also subjected to physical strain istings. As the crane cage is fully in- magnet is then supported from the scale. The net weight of the casting is thus easily ascertained by two readings of the scale, one for the total weight and the other for the weight of the magnet only, which, of course, is deducted from the first. Iron and Steel Imports of the Philippines WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.—Imports of iron and steel by the Philippine Islands for the year ending June 30, 1918, more than doubled the figures for 1917, according to the detailed reports just issued by the Bureau of In sular Affairs of the War Department. Almost 90 per cent of these came from the United States The foreign commerce of the islands in the year end ing June 30, 1918, broke all records and exceeded the figures of the previous year by more than 60 per cent Lifting Magnet for Handling Parts in a Machine-Tool Builder’s Stockyard Eliminates the Use of Chains and Hooks and the Accident Hazard to the Casting Itself as Well as the Workmen crane operator can perform all the work, tofore was done by a crane operator and a rround men. very important feature is the increased acity of the castings yard secured by the magnet, since it is found that the castings ed in larger piles and closer together. It necessary to have any aisles through the e the castings from the yard into the shop, gnet and the crane transfer them over the tings can also be placed closer together for that it is not necessary to leave sufficient man to fasten the chain or hook around the handled. the magnet is not being used for handling is employed for loading or storing borings gs. This class of scrap is transported from n cars running on an industrial track and it the magnet, either from the car or from the nere the scrap has been dumped and loaded ‘o a railroad car or transported to storage method of handling turnings has proved satisfactory because of the difficulty in load- ass of material in the usual way. in both imports and exports. The total imports of the islands for that year were $83,763,290 against $51,- 983,278 in the preceding year. The exports were $116,614,611 against $71,715,375 in the preceding year Of the imports the share of the United States in 1918 was $49,799,229 against $27,516,556 in 1917. Simi larly, the bulk of the exports went to this country $77,010,233 against $43,125,398 in 1917. Under the heading of iron and steel! imports, the ma chinery totals were $3,233,450 for the year ending June 30, 1918, against $1,453,447 in 1917. Of this the im ports from the United States were $3,039,769 and $1,217,560 respectively. The other iron and steel im- ports were $6,071,093 in 1918 against $2,687,667 in 1917 Here the share of the United States was $5,265,800 and $2,102,027 respectively. Besides this, the Philippines imported in 1918 a total of 1646 automobiles valued at $1,278,675 against 1048 in 1917 valued at $750,063. All of these came from the United States The United States Housing Corporation will build at least 100 dwellings for the Government in Cora- opolis, Pa., to house employees of the Neville Island gun and projectile plant now being built. * @? 1018 EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN Observations on the Experience in Four Metal Working Plants Four factory and machine shop managers in as many different States—Ohio, New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts—recently recounted their experi- ences in the employment of women. Concerning the ready compliance of women with discipline, their apti- tude for technical instruction within certain special limits, and of their devotion and care there was marked agreement in the testimony. In some cases the work was most capably conducted, even if of such a uniform repeating type as to seem monotonous to a repellent degree, or making such exacting demands upon atten- tion and effort that the will power could not be ex- pected to be sidetracked to millinery or dress. There was general agreement in the statement that for women, in addition to the obvious and often quite expensive plant changes as to lavatories, rest rooms, etc., the instructors should be more patient and the instruction more thorough in application, accurately getting the woman’s point of view and always assum- ing that she was much less completely informed than a man in regard to industrial apparatus and its uses for production. The Cleveland manufacturer related an experience that was startling to him. At a time when the Gov- ernment officials were hot upon his trail for greater and yet greater output, his shop force of women com- menced to wane. This decrease in a very few days took some 200 women out of his plant. Inquiries were begun forthwith. At first nothing was obtainable by way of satisfactory information to clear up the mystery. There was a singular and sur- prising reluctance about furnishing facts. Excuses were far more common than explanations; nobody seemed willing to go beyond an assertion of ignorance as to causes. At last came out. persistence was rewarded and the truth A rumor had gone through the plant like an epidemic, starting without apparent cause, and wip- ing off the payroll the most valuable of the workers. It was merely this—that the company was soon to stop war work and would then discharge all female employees. This advice, given with great secrecy, spread with remarkable rapidity to everybody but the management. When the manager took a hand himself in unearth- ing the particulars, he was exasperated and indignant that the trouble had gone on to such an extent as seriously to cut down output. That his most efficient workers had found it easier to make a change in em- ployers than to ask a question that would have cleared up the whole situation was mortifying. He was con- vinced that the whole affair, whether or not it was so designed, was of a piece with pro-German propaganda. The Brooklyn manager had had a far different case. Expert tool and die makers were becoming rare, and he decided it might be practicable to get a supply if women were properly trained to the work. Women have a natural deftness in hand work, so why was it not a perfectly feasible idea? A half dozen bright young women, one a technical graduate of very prom- ising type, were selected, and the enterprise was put under way. Six months elapsed before the employer confessed himself beaten. Perhaps the trouble was that women are not trained in their school days as are men, nor do they as a rule take kindly to close meas- urements. Cupfuls and spoonfuls are rough modes of measuring, yet they are employed faithfully and with excellent results in kitchen labors, where micrometer methods would not serve nearly so well 3e that as it may, the manager aforesaid is still hunting for tool- makers. A Hartford seeking toolmakers, but he has never had the courage to train women in that direction. It developed at his plant during the in- fluenza period that women did not succumb to the malady as readily as men. He was in doubt whether the men gave up a little too easily after a stretch friend is also THE IRON AGE October 24, 19}: of strenuous shop operations or whether ales ha; an actual predisposition to this enervatiny ailmen: but the presumption is that if a man want vac badly he would take one under more cheerful pices. A Worcester, Mass., manager decided that othe things being equal, maturity should be given eyery chance to count in choosing women for employmen positive disadvantage has developed, and that is th disposition to lose time. Perhaps home ca engrossing. But the fact is that out of a group » some 50 women only two had failed in the precediy 30 days to be absent for periods extending al! the up to a hundred hours. This manager has much for the work done by women, but his latest ex has naturally given him less enthusiasm for the em. ployment of older women of the home gove: Larger Employment of Women in the Trades WASHINGTON, Oct. 22.—Employment of women ir large numbers in the metal trades is regarded as en- tirely practicable by the National Industria! Confer. ence Board. In a report on war-time employ women in the metal trades the board asserts that em- ployers generally commend women workers as more thorough and accurate than men. What they lose ir quantity production, it was stated, is frequently made up by a higher quality of work. The report summarizes information obtained fron 131 establishments employing 335,015 men and 49,82 women. The investigation demonstrated that no ex- tensive substitution of women for men has as yet taker place in the metal trades. Out of 96 establishments re- ported on substitution, only 10,801 women were em- ployed on work formerly done exclusively by men, and of this number approximately one-half were in 10 muni- tion plants. While the work done by women in the metal trades embraces a wide variety of occupation, they are found chiefly in the lighter forms of operatio The report emphasizes strongly that work of a repeti- tive character is specially suited to women. In 66 out of 99 establishments where women an¢ men were working at the same processes the averag' output of the women was as large as that of th and in many instances greater. In 15 establishment the production of women was lower than that of mer while in the remaining 18 it varied, depending upo! different processes. One automobile company which employed women 1 23 departments assembling and inspecting materials and on many types of machine work asserted that for job the women invariably outdistanced men. manufacturing plant where women do sand grinding, drilling, and broaching stated that the pr duction figures for women workers ran from per cent above those of the men. Women operat a munition plant manufacturing fuses were from to 50 per cent faster than men on drill presses milling machines. Women are credited with being more careful! in te use of tools and with producing less spoiled work “Whether technical training would make wo h equal of men in work of higher character,” the report observes, “cannot be determined from available sources At present their lack of training automatically excludes them from highly skilled work.” In comparing wage scales in 106 establishn was found that the same rate for both prevail in 29, piece rates were equal but women’s time rat lower. But in 24 establishments employers forcing a lower pay for women in piece and time Wor alike. In 84 of 115 establishments the attend women was equal or better than that of men. ance of married women was as good as that of unmar ried girls. Manufacturers in the metal trades have found lack of women applicants for positions. Most of the ment 4 x} 1918 awn from other industries, or from de- _ offices, restaurants, laundries, or do- Whether they would continue to come yment after the war and under less ons was a question on which employers e divided in opinion, although it was ey would remain in the lighter grades Book Reviews xporters .cyclopaedia for 1918-19. Pages xvi + 1331, 7% in. Published by the Exporters En- : Company, 80 Broad Street, New York. Price, 550, including monthly corrections and Ex- porters’ view. The f nth edition of this export shippers guide tains t ime’ wealth of information as the previous edition, with changeable data brought as nearly as pos- ite. The index of subjects contained is so » make its reprint here prohibitive. The a 4, DO} n, commerce and products of each coun- ry are given, as well as such information as points through which bills of lading are issued, shipping tolls, consular charges and regulations, rsion tables, location of consulates, banks foreign trade, collection of drafts, dis- packing, forwarding, freight rates, etc. nues to be highly indorsed by transpor- <port houses, forwarders and manufac- ters’ Review. with correction sheets, mailed to purchasers of the book, is of special value t t shippers in that it keeps them in touch with all matters relating to the export trade. The Arbitral Determination of Railway Wages. By J. N tt, Jr. Pages xxv + 198, 5 x 7% in. Houghton, Mifflin Co., 4 Park Street, Price, $1.50. ithor’s purpose in this book to establish tal principles which may govern the de- wages, not only in railroad arbitration settlement of disputes including em- er industries. In the introduction the Bul hat the possibilities of arbitration have t d on account of the use of the principle arriving at wage awards. In the ndardization, the living wage, increased eos nd increased: production efficiency is pre- a y of these four general principles of wage ¢ and of wage increase advanced by em- } ployers in the course of railroad arbitra- : From this study, in the final chapter, tr educes definite “Principles of Arbitration” : inced in the belief that their application fair and enduring decisions. 4 s of value not only to students of this anct omics but to anyone desirous of obtaining erstanding of the principles involved in 'y in Boiler Rooms. By A. R. Maujer and |. Bromley. Pages xiii + 308, 5% x 8 in.; llustrations, charts and tables. Published lcGraw-Hill Book Co., 239 West Thirty- et, New York, and for sale by The Iron lepartment. Price, $2.50. was originally published under the title y and CO, Recorders,” but in this second ‘ope has been broadened and the title né more truly indicative of the contents. vided into two parts. Part I, “Fuel Econ- Recorders” covers combustion, coal gas analysis, calculations involved in de- “S ler efficiency, feedwater treatment, etc. iel Economy in Boiler Rooms” includes ethods, combustion of coal from the prac- nt, fuel oil burning, stoker operation, es, burning low grade fuels and waste means of checking boiler efficiency, etc. THE IRON AGE 1019 The subjects are well presented, easily understand- able, and aim to give the practical man a sound under- standing of the principles involved. The book is in- tended primarily for the student but the fireman and power plant operator will find it useful. A booklet on “Women In Industry” has been pre pared and published by the Alexander Hamilton Insti- tute, New York. The booklet is the result of a study of conditions in England and France as well as in the United States and is a comprehensive and practical analysis of the labor problem in America from the standpoint of its absorption of women. It discusses what work women are capable of and are already suc- cessfully doing and covers the matter of their training, the hours they should work and the method used for keeping them happy, healthy and efficient. The booklet is of particular value at this time. “Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in Dusty Trades” by Frederick L. Hoffman, is the title of Bulletin 231 issued by the United States Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics. Occupations are considered in detail in which the worker is exposed to continuous and considerable in- hallations of metallic and mineral or other inorganic fiber dust and in which the evidence is at least fairly conclusive that the resulting disease liability and mor- tality from tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases is above the average for occupied males generally. Un- der each occupation is given a description of the process relative to health hazards, diseases associated there- with, mortality status, and preventable measures. The purpose of the publication is to overcome the present apathy and indifference to the urgency of necessary changes and reforms and to arouse the early conviction that regulations of these industries is a National and State labor problem of the first order in practical im- portance. The principal hazards of the freight elevator and how they may be removed is the theme in a pamphlet “Freight Elevators” issued by the National Safety Council. Shaftway enclosures, landing doors and gates, pits, penthouses, cars, cables and counterweights, ma- chine control and safety devices, inspection, and sug- gested rules for elevator operators include the headings of the various sections. A clear understanding of the subject is made possible with the aid of numerous illus- trations. Copies can be obtained at 10 cents apiece by addressing the National Safety Council, 208 South La Salle Street, Chicago. Fabricated Steel Business in September The amount of fabricated stee] business done in September involved about 108,000 tons, or 5500 tons more than in. August. This is indicated by the recerds of the Bridge Builders and Structural Society, collected by George E. Gifford, its secretary, which are, that in September 60 per cent of the entire capacity of bridge and structural shops of the country was put under contract. The total so far this year is 1,024,000 tons, which compares with 831,500 tons for the first nine months of 1917. The last three months of 1917 saw a large amount of contracting on account of the fabricated ship program, and the total of 1917 was about 1,286,000 tons, so that the rate of contracting for the remainder of this year to equal t