The Iron Age 1920-12-23: Vol 106 Iss 26

THE IRON AGE New York, December 23, 1920 ESTABLISHED 1855 VOL. 106: No. 26 Housing Problem Successfully Solved ‘ ‘ > cy . ea "2 Cleveland Chamber of Commerce Founder of Civie Or- ganization -with $1,000,000 Capitalization That Is Providing Better Homes for Workmen at Close to Cost BY F. L. opportunity to purchase attractive and well built homes at reasonable prices as a’result of a build- ing program that was inaugurated several months ago by the Cleveland Chamber of Commerce. The story of the practical activities and broad scope of the organ- ization that is erecting these houses adds an important chapter to what has already been written on methods of solving the industrial housing problem. Early in the year the Cleveland Chamber of Com- merce, because of the acute shortage of moderate priced houses in the city, founded the Cleveland Hous- ing Co. This company, which is incorporated with a capital stock of $1,000,000, has no official connection with the Chamber of Commerce, but Paul L. Feiss, who was president of the chamber at the time, is president of the housing company, and Munson Havens, secretary of the chamber, is its secretary and treasurer. The company was organized for the purpose of erect- ing, or financing the erection, of moderate priced homes to be sold to home buyers at cost after insuring the capital employed an interest return on its invest- ment. The motive, while in no sense philanthropic, was civic rather than money making. Pr ceporsant employees in Cleveland now have an Many men prominent in the city’s industrial PROPS 8 De 2 ae die Ee * —L digg steentinloneniennnnedlaentitab nite aibomashs Same PRENTISS activities became interested in the housing company as stockholders, and its board of directors include Samuel Mather, of Pickands, Mather & Co.; A. W. Henn, president National Acme Co., who is also vice-president of the housing company; Alexander C. Brown, presi- dent, Brown Hoisting Machinery Co.; J. D. Cox, Jr., president, Cleveland Twist Drill Co.; James H. Foster, president, Hydraulic Steel Co.; L. C. dent, American Multigraph Co.; Francis F. Prentiss, vice-president, Cleveland Twist Drill Co.; F. W. Ram- sey, president, Cleveland Metal Products Co.; C. E Thompson, president, Steel Products Co.; E. L. Whitte- more, chairman of the board, National Malleable Cast ings Co.; Sheldon Cary, president, Browning Co., and H. A. Rock, vice-president, Van Dorn Iron Works Co. The active work of handling the affairs of the com- pany was placed in the hands of a manager, bridge Cowell, occupying that position. Osborne, presi- Bain Financial Plan of Housing Company Under the financing plans adopted, the company adds to the actual cost of a house 5 per cent for over head, or administration, and 10 per cent for profit. Dividends from the profits are limited to 7 per cent on the stock, leaving 3 per cent for a surplus or re- xyes ay, UP Ea kk) ~~ th ent te Floor Exteriors Are vided 1662 THE IRON AGE serve to protect the company against losses. The pur- chaser makes a 15 per cent down payment and pays 1 per cent of the balance monthly, the company agree- ing, in a land contract, to give the buyer a clear title when payments are completed. Interest at the rate of 6 per cent is charged on the unpaid balance, this com- ing out of the monthly payments. This plan of pay- ment does not differ materially from that quite often employed in selling on an installment plan, but the buyer is saved the selling commission usually included in the selling price, special charges are avoided, and the purchaser has the advantage of dealing with a company established for civic benefit rather than profit, and is able to purchase his home without paying an excessive profit and at a price based on as low a building cost as possible. In case some monthly payment plan is not followed and a man of small means purchases a home outright, he often finds a great obstacle in financing his pur- chase. If he can make a small payment down he can probably secure a first mortgage loan from a bank at the normal rate of interest, but a second mortgage loan, covering most of the remainder of the purchase price, usually will bear a high interest rate and in addition his loan will be discounted so that the interest charges on his deferred payments run high and may be more than he is able to pay. The housing company under its plan protects the home buyer from this expensive form of financing and expects to be able to enable many men to own homes who otherwise would feel that their resources would not permit them to finance a home building project. Taking a concrete example, the housing company builds a house costing $5,600 on a lot costing $1,200. To $6,800, the actual cost of the house and lot, the company adds 15 per cent for profit and overhead, some incidental charges for surveying, etc., making the selling price approximately $8,000. The company places a $4,000 bank loan on the house and the buyer makes a minimum down payment of $1,200, leaving $1,600 of its own funds tied up to be paid back in monthly installments. As the $1,200 is the minimum down payment, and some buyers will pay a larger amount, the company estimates that its own funds tied up after a sale is effected will be less than $1,600, probably ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. How this amount will be released quickly so that the money can be used for further operations is a feature of the company’s plan of financing that has not yet been completed, but the company may decide to place a sec- ond mortgage on the house and add enough to the selling cost to take care of the increased cost of the mortgage, due to the discount and higher interest rate on the second mortgage loan. The buyer of the $8,000 house makes a minimum down payment of $1,200 and monthly payments of $68. One-half of this, or $34, pays the interest, and a like amount is credited toward the payment of the prin- cipal. At the end of six months the debt is reduced by the sum of all payments made during that period, less the amount required for interest. Consequently, every six months the charge for interest is reduced and the proportion of the amount of monthly payments credited to the principal is correspondingly increased. It is claimed that under the financial plan there is a saving of $1,500 on an $8,000 house over the entire term of payments. Building Not Limited to One Section The housing company is not limiting its building activities to any one section but selects locations where houses for factory workers seem to be most needed. This year it is building 60 houses, a large part of which are completed, and quite a few have been sold and are already occupied. The greater part of these are located December 23, 1920 in the Collinwood section of the city, which has de- veloped faster recently as a manufacturing district than other sections of the city, and where, conse- quently, the shortage of houses has been the most acute. It was estimated that when manufacturing plants were operating at full capacity, 70 per cent of the men employed in the plants in this district came from other sections of the city, necessitating, in many cases, long car rides. Thirty-five of the houses are located on 174th, 176th and 177th Streets, near Water- loo Road, and easily accessible to the factory district in that section of the city. These were new streets in a newly developed residence section, and most of the lots on the streets were vacant when the company purchased the building sites. On other streets in the same neighborhood it has built several scattered single houses, and on one street 12 two-family houses. The building lots vary in size, but many are 60 x 150 ft., giving ample ground space and providing room for a wide veranda on the side of the house. The selling prices of the houses range from $7,700 to $9,000. This year the houses were built from two floor plans, but these varied in exterior design so that the monotonous appearance of a row of houses entirely similar in design was avoided. Different types of roofs are used and some have verandas on the side and others verandas on the front. The difference in the two floor plans is mainly in the size of the house. On the first floor there is a large living room running across the front, and back of this the dining room and kitchen. The living room has a brick fireplace. On the second floor are three bedrooms, closet room and a bathroom. There is a cellar under the entire house and each is equipped with a hot air heating system. The houses have electric lights and gas, city water and sewer connections. They are of substantial construc- tion, it being the aim of the company to build as well as possible, rather than as cheaply as possible. The frame and sheathing are of No. 1 yellow pine, the siding clear redwood and the exterior trim of No. 1 white pine. Double construction is used throughout with Slater’s felt between the sheathing and siding and between the roof and finished flooring. The roofs are covered with first grade asphalt slate shingles. Distinct Building Organization The company has its own building organization, thus saving profits that would be paid to a contractor, and in building houses in large groups it is able to get lower than the generally prevailing prices on building material, saves in labor by effective organization and reduces the cost of superintendency, etc. Labor costs were cut materially by installing power saws to cut up the lumber. The company states it has been able to save from $800 to $900 per house as compared with a contractor who buys material in a small way and does not use labor saving equipment. Some of the houses were placed on the market a few weeks ago and the employees of some of the large industrial companies whose officers are stockholders in the housing company were given the first chance to purchase these houses. Had industrial conditions re- mained normal, it is believed that employees in, these plants of stockholders would have purchased all the houses, but with the slowing down in plant operations and the laying off of men it was decided also to offer the houses for sale to employees of men who are not stockholders, preference being given to workmen em- ployed in industrial plants. The housing company plans to broaden the scope of its activity in the coming year. On the architectural side of the work this year it was assisted by Abram Garfield, a prominent Cleveland architect and a chair- man of a sub-committee of the city plan committee of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Garfield has asked December 28, 1920 members of ¢pe Cleveland chapter of the American Institute of Architects to submit plans for houses for industrial workers, ranging from a modest four-room cottage to a more pretentious house with 700 sq. ft. of floor space, houses that can be sold at present cost of material and labor at $5,500 to $9,000, and it is expected that a number of the best architects in the city will aid in the work of providing designs of houses that may be selected as models for residences of a low and moderate priced type. It is the intention of the company to place these plans at the disposal of a man THE IRON AGE 1663 who wants to build his own house, and it also will be prepared to render service to these individual buyers, such as financing, furnishing material lists, super- vision, etc. The company now owns many lots on which it has not yet commenced to build, and has taken an option on 50 additional lots ina Union Avenue allotment that it is developing convenient to the New- burgh steel mill district. The company will continue its building operations in the year 1921 along the same genera! plan that it has followed this year. British Empire Steel Corporation Vanishes Effort to Merge Seven Canadian Companies Fails, but Two Concerns May Be Consolidated TORONTO, Dec. 17.—It can be stated on the best of authority that the British Empire Steel Corpora- tion has vanished into thin air. It never did exist in fact—simply in theory—and now the theory has gone, too. The real reason can be found in the failure of Col. Grant Morden to interest new British capital to the extent of $25,000,000. The project was first undertaken at a season when speaking in millions was common practice, but financial conditions in Britain during the intervening months have been such that underwriting the undertaking has not been feasible. Official Announcement to Come from London Speaking to your correspondent to-day, one of the officials of the Scotia company stated: “It is up to London to make the official announcement regarding the present conditions. The deal had to be either on or off, as it was impossible to keep it strung up any longer. It was going stale through no action being taken one way or the other.” London has not yet made the announcement, but it is expected that it will come through shortly. There have been several complaints made about the manner in which the deal was being put through. Investiga- tions of the affairs of the several companies going into the merger brought out the fact that there were various sums more or less covered up, but which were apparently intended as remuneration for the carrying out of the merger plans. This policy of secrecy. in financial details split the board of the Dominion Steel Corporation, and six of the directors, principally Toronto men, were voted off the board by those who were in favor of the deal going through. The final outcome of the whole scheme is more or less a vindication of the position they took three or four months ago. Use Canadian. Ore and Semi-Finished One of the ideas behind the merger was to make use of the big iron ore deposits off the coast of Newfoundland. The Wabana property has deposits, worked by both Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Co. and by the Dominion Steel Corporation. The plants of these mills were to be used for making semi-finished that was to be put through the finishing departments of British plants accustomed to cater to world trade. The export business of ore direct was also to be de- veloped, as there is no danger of seriously depleting the ore deposits in the Wabana mines. Freight rates interfered with the development of the ore shipments on a profitable basis, and little was ever done in this direction, although several trips were made to see what connections could be established. Included in the original list were Dominion Stee! Corporation, Nova Scotia Steel & Coal Co., Canada Steamship Lines, Halifax Shipyards, Ltd., Maritime Nail Co., St. John, N. B.; Davie Shipbuilding Co., Levis, Que.; Century Coal Co., Collingwood Shipbuild- ing Co. The first plans were also to include the Port Arthur Shipbuilding Co. and the Canada Foundries & Forgings, but these two companies were dropped at a subsequent meeting. The Society of Automotive Engineers will hold its winter meeting in the Engineering Societies Building, New York, Jan. 11, 12 and 13. Questioned regarding the possibility of a merger between the two principal Eastern companies, Scotia and Dominion, an official of the former stated to THE IRON AGE that he considered it likely that something would be done along these lines, although it would be separate from any negotiations that had been undertaken by Col. Grant Morden, the promoter of the big merger. Colonel Morden is a Canadian who is in the British Commons. He is a financier, and has spent a long time in trying to put through the British Empire Steel Corporation. It was an ambitious under- taking, as the merger was to be capitalized at $500,- 000,000. All that remains now is for London to make the announcement that the deal is off. Ball engines, recently made by the Ball Engine Co., Erie, Pa., now are being built by the Erie Ball Engine Co., Pittsburgh, the plant of which is at Braddock, Pa. A new company has been incorporated and the business transferred to Pittsburgh, due to the lack of adequate manufacturing facilities at Erie. A large and modern factory, especially equipped for en- gine construction and providing means for much larger production than was possible at Erie, at present is in full operation. The district agencies which have been handling the sale of Ball engines will continue without change in personnel. Officers of the new company are H. D. Wilson, president; F. B. McBrier, vice-president; R. J. Wilson, secretary, and Benjamin F. Harris, treas- urer. W. T. Greenleaf, formerly Cleveland district sales manager of the Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co., is in charge of sales. The Silica Granite Products Co., Ltd., is a company formed under Ontario charter, having headquarters in Hamilton, Ont. The president is A. R. C. Smith and the secretary-treasurer, A. Caddie. The company’s prop- erty is situated in the township of Henwood, New On- tario, and consists of 160 acres, whereon is a very ex- tensive formation of granite rock of high silica content. This rock, when quarried and crushed to various sizes, is a base for cleansers. A medium size of the rock is found to be very good for foundry use in the sand blasting of castings, also in the manufacture of a fire brick and abrasive wheels. The fusion point is 3000 deg. Fahr. Installation of the machinery is almost completed, and the company expects to ship about Jan. 1. The Dale Machinery Co., 54 to 60 Lafayette Street, New York, has been appointed sales agent in the New York territory for the Colburn boring mills and heavy duty drilling machines manufactured by the Colburn Machine Tool Co., Franklin, Pa. ; Uf negte SS 2 eatengin: mary aN Eames pee . I Dy Se 5 tee Fe pe es tog ae a 1664 Internal Grinding Machine with Power Feed An internal grinding machine for precision grinding of small work is a recent development of the Heald Machine Co., Worcester, Mass. This grinder is known as No. 80, and has all the mechanical features of the company’s No. 85 machine and in addition is equipped with automatic feed for the table which is desirable for work of small diameter and longer than 1% in, espe- cially where the limits are in tenths of thousands or Automatic Feed for the Table Is Provided on the No. 80 Heald Internal Grinding Machine smaller. Its capacity is for work with holes ranging from % in. to 2 in. in diameter up to a maximum length of 3% in. The actual swing inside the water guard is 6 in., while with- out guard it is 10 in. A feature of the machine is the vertical pinion for driving the table which is equipped with a double friction. If only the hand feed for the table is required, throwing in the upper friction engages the pilot wheel, disconnecting the power feed which is controlled by the lower friction and the machine becomes suitable for productive work on small, short holes. Ordinarily while the wheel is actually grinding, the power feed is used but as the wheel leaves the work, the operator, by pulling the ver- tical lever at the head end, disconnects the clutch oper- ating the power feed to the table and engages one con- necting the hand feed, allowing rapid hand movement of the wheel head table out of the way. At the same time, automatically, a guard swings over the wheel, the water and work stop, making plugging or removal of the work instantly possible. When the machine is being used for hand feed only, as the table moves to the right a small dog attached to it engages the lever and throws the clutch out. When the operator wishes to resume work he pushes the lever back into its vertical position, starting the work head and water. The work head is driven by a cross belt through the base from a cone giving speeds of 160, 290 and 530 r.p.m. It is arranged to swivel and is gradu- ated to 45 deg. or 4 in. taper to the foot. The work head is bolted directly to the base, and is fitted with bronze bearings, dustproof and adjustable for wear. The work spindle is high-carbon steel, the front bear- ings being 15% in. in diameter and rear bearings 1% in. in diameter. The feed to the cross slide is calibrated to read to one-half thousandths of an inch on the diameter of the THE IRON AGE December 23, 1920 work. This can be operated by power or hand as de- sired. The idler pulley is fitted with ball bearings and is of a flexible type keeping an even tension on the spindle and countershaft belts. The main table has flat and V ways. A two-step cone drive gives two speeds of travel with the power feed. An overhead countershaft is used, it is explained, because with a machine of this size a countershaft attached to the machine itself creates vibration. The wheel head known as type II has a solid adjus- table taper bearing at the wheel end with ball bearings at the pulley end. They are made up in units complete in themselves, each having its own pulley, thus to se. cure correct spindle speed. Wheel heads, style 200, are designed whereby different sized quills are inserted into the nose of the spindle. These quills have a taper so that when put in place with a slight tap on the end of the quill, a firm grip is established. Various holding fixtures including a quick acting collet chuck with jaws having a capacity of % in. in diameter up to 3 in. can be furnished. Broach Grinding Machine A single purpose grinder with a capacity for broaches 64 in. long and 8 in. in diameter has been re- cently placed on the market by the J. N. Lapointe Co., New London, Conn. This grinder, it is explained, was originally designed and built a number of years ago for use in the company’s factory, and is now made avail- able to the trade. A solid column supports a vertically-adjustable knee which carries a table equipped with both cross and longitudinal hand feeds. The grinder is furnished with a head and foot-stock, mountable on the table for broach grinding and removable for the clamping of square broaches and keyway cutterbars.. The head-stock is comprised of an index mechanism for use when grind- ing spline broaches and a live center which is belt Lapointe Single Purpose Grinder with a Capacity for Broaches 64 In. Long and 8 In. in Diameter driven from an auxiliary countershaft. The auxiliary shaft is driven by belt off the main countershaft. A 3-step cone pulley on both shafts gives three possible speeds to the live center spindle on the grinder table. The grinding wheel is carried on a spindle sup ported by a swivel-head which makes it possible to both grind the rake angle on the back of the broach teeth and to undercut the faces. The head swings on the column of the machine to any horizontal angle thus to permit the grinding of teeth machined at any angle to ‘the axis of the broach as well as the grinding of teeth at 90 deg. to the axis. The grinding wheel spindle is belt driven from the main countershaft. A pair of idler pulleys changes the direction of this belt for any angle of the grinding wheel spindle. The whole swivel head mechanism is moved forward and back by a hand lever to put the grinding wheel in contact with the broach teeth and to remove it from contact. December 23, 1920 SHEET AND TIN MILLS Mechanical and Electrical Operating Features Discussed at a Pittsburgh Meeting A general discussion of both the mechanical and electrical processes in the making of sheets was con- tained in a paper entitled “Sheet and Tin Mills” and read at a recent meeting of the Association of Iron and Steel Electrical Engineers at Pittsburgh by A. B. Holcomb, consulting engineer, Youngstown, Ohio. After describing the method of reducing bars in hot mills, Mr. Holcomb went on to say that considerable difference of opinion exists as to the proper ‘number of stands to be driven as a unit. Six and eight mill groups are common in the case of electric drive, while steam driven groups of three or four are often seen. Lower first cost and lower operating cost, he stated, are advantages in favor of the large group as against the decreased losses due to shut downs and lowered roll temperatures with the smaller group. The power required to drive hot mills, said Mr. Holcomb, shows considerable variation, not only be- tween various plants, but also between various stands in the same plant. A considerable number of tests, however, indicate average values of 175 to 200 hp. per mill for sheet mills, and 125 to 150 hp. for tin mills. Natural gas is most satisfactory as a fuel for sheet and tin mills, Mr. Holcomb continued, but on account of the decreasing supply, substitutes are being used, among which is powdered coal, which furnishes a heat that is easily controlled and in many cases gives satis- factory results. With this fuel, however, changes in combustion-chamber design are required to prevent high-silicon-content slag, formed from foreign matter in the coal, from lodging on the surface of the steel. Powdered coal, under certain conditions, is a dangerous explosive which the author verified by personal experi- ences. The power input to a set of cold rolls, the speaker said, is very steady and roughly amounts to from 40 to 50 hp. per stand for 28-in. rolls running approxi- mately 38 r.p.m. The starting conditions, however, are very severe after the rolls have been stationary long enough for the necks to cool down, since the lubrication used is such as to practically glue the necks to the brasses when cold. A small amount of engine oil poured on each neck at the time of shut down con- siderably reduces the starting torque required. The nature of this load provides an excellent application for a synchronous motor if a magnetic or other suit- able clutch be used so that the motor may be brought to speed before starting the mills. The synchronous machine, especially where power is received from a central station, may well be of such capacity as to earn real dividends through the effect on the power factor conditions. In the tin house again, Mr. Holcomb remarked, the question arises of group versus individual drive. Al- though all installations with which the author said he was familiar use line shaft drive, there seems to be no reason except the slow speed desired to make diffi- cult the application of a 5 or 7% hp. motor on each tin house unit. The use of electric drive for sheet or tin mills in- volves a very important factor that is seldom present elsewhere to any such extent, Mr. Holcomb declared. This is the amount of foreign matter that is carried into contact with the driving motor by the ventilating air. The use of rope drive, of course, makes possible the placing of the motor in a separate, clean room, but with gear drive, which has’ been chosen in most cases in this country, the motor is immediately between two hot mills. The combination of steam, iron oxide, coal dust and hot neck grease that is continually blown through the motor will, in time, deposit so as to inter- fere seriously with satisfactory operation. In two cases that have come under the author’s observation, motor, gears, and oiling system have been completely and satisfactorily housed with corrugated iron on structural steel framework. Outside air is furnished by a ventilating fan which serves the double purpose THE IRON AGE 1665 of cooling the motor and preventing the entrance of foreign matter through the crevices of the covering. The production per mill per hour naturally varies with different mills and depends on the size of material being rolled. Averages for a number of mills over considerable periods show about one ton for sheet mills and three-quarters of a ton for tin mills. Energy con- sumption per ton for the main drive shows a wide variation, being as low as 80 kw.-hr. to as high as 160 kw.-hr. for sheet mills and averaging about 140 kw.-hr. for tin mills. Power required for auxiliaries is about 15 to 20 per cent of the total plant load for sheet mills and from 25 to 30 per cent in the case of tin mills. These figures include the usual finishing departments. Railroad Loans Authorized WASHINGTON, Dec. 21. — The largest loan yet granted to any railroad under the revolving fund pro- vision of the Transportation Act has been given the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Co. The total is $25,340,000. The loan will be used to meet maturing indebtedness. The Interstate Commerce Commission also has ap- proved a loan of $3,759,000 to the Chesapeake & Ohio for application on the purchase price of freight equip- ment estimated at $8,200,000. The company is re- quired to finance about $4,360,000 to meet the loan of the Government. The Chesapeake & Ohio plans to buy 25 switching locomotives and 1000 100-ton steel coal cars. The Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railway Co. has asked the commission for permission to declare a stock dividend out of surplus of $2,000,000. This is the third road to ask authority to capitalize its surplus, the other two being the Burlington and the Lackawanna. The Lake Superior & Ishpeming in its petition says it had accumulated and reinvested earning surplus of $2,690,407.45 on Sept. 30. It proposes to capitalize $2,000,000 and distribute the stock pro rata among the stockholders. Opposition to the Burlington Railroad for permis- sion to issue $60,000,000 of additional capital stock out of surplus and of $109,000,000 of bonds has been expressed before the Commission during the past week by representatives of the Nebraska State Commission. The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. has been au- thorized by the Interstate Commerce Commission to execute an equipment trust and sell $4,500,000 of trust certificates at not less than 95 per cent of par and accrued dividends. The proceeds from the sale of the certificates will be applied on the purchase price of 20 freight and five switching locomotives, and 1000 100-ton steel cars at a total estimated cost of $8,118,- 050. Part of the cost will be met by a loan of $3,759,- 000 authorized by the Commission. The Chicago Great Western Railroad Co. has been granted a loan of $1,929,373 to enable the road to pro- vide itself with rebuilt freight train cars and to make betterments to its roadway and structures. The Chi- cago and Northwestern Railway has asked permission to issue and sell $1,856,000 of 5 and 6 per cent bonds. Anti-Strike Bill Passes Senate WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.—Organized labor was caught napping in the Senate when the Poindexter anti-strike bill came up for consideration in its regular turn on the calendar. The bill was passed without a record vote and with only half a dozen Senators present. A mo- tion for reconsideration is pending and the labor forces will make an effort to reverse the action. In any event there is little possibility of its passage in the House. The bill prohibits interference with commerce. It not only forbids railroad strikes but goes further and makes it unlawful to use force or violence or threats or menace of any kind to bring about strikes or inter- ruption to commerce by employees in industries enter- ing into railroad operation such as the manufacture of locomotives and the mining of coal. The Electric Alloy Steel Co., Youngstown, Ohio, has established sales agencies in New York and Detroit and a district sales office in Philadelphia. eran ee one, arate ane eae 1666 Machine for Operating Cutting Torch A new machine for operating the oxy-acetylene cutting torch was used recently at the Government proving grounds, Sandy Hook, by the Oxweld Acetylene Co., Newark, N. J., in reducing 4000 tons of punctured armor plate to charging box sizes. The machine was developed with the co-operation of engineers of the Linde Air Products Co., in an effort to effect economies in the oxy-acetylene process involved. Each plate was 9 x 13 ft. by 3 in. thick, weighed be- tween seven and eight tons and was badly warped by Cutting Armor Plate with Mechanically Operated Oxy-Acety- lene Torch. A phonograph spring motor furnishes the power shell punctures. Besides irregularities of surfaces, an- other difficulty was the composition of the metal, which contained high percentages of nickel and chrome, and yielded a heavy and viscous slag that did not flow freely from the kerf in blowpipe cutting. This not only re- tarded the cutting speed but necessitated higher oxygen pressures than are required in cutting ordinary steel of the same thickness. The power for operating the machine is furnished by a phonograph spring motor. A worm on the turn- table spindle is in mesh with a 72-tooth worm wheel on a horizontal shaft running in two bearings and with a knurled-groove pulley on the outboard end. Above is another and larger knurled-groove pulley held down by spring tension. Through these two rollers pass jointed knurled pull-rods with one end attached to a torch carriage. A lever pivots on the idler roller shaft and, when raised to a vertical position, applies a brake to the lower driving shaft, at the same time separating the two rollers, giving freedom to the knurled pull-rod. The usual phonograph speed control is used. A change is made in the governor weights so that the motor will run faster. This, together with the large gear reduction provided, gives a greater towing power to the pull-rod. An Oxweld machine cutting torch is mounted on a two- wheel cart having wheels 3 in. in diameter. Runners are provided on each side set close to and inside of the wheels. The runners are 3 in. in length and are mounted to clear the plate by % in. Their function is to prevent the torch carriage from falling off the plate at the start and finish of the cut. The combination of the two-wheeled cart with swivel connection to the pull- rod keeps the tip of the torch at the correct distance from the surface of the plate at all times in spite of the irregular surfaces of the warped armor, and the cut is thus kept at the correct angle to the plate. A “C” clamp attaches the motor to the plate and may be moved to a new line of cut by releasing the hand set-screw. In “setting up” all that is necessary to adjust the alignment is to place the motor so that the pull-rod ex- tends over the line of cut. THE IRON AGE December 23, 1920 New Shaper Feed Simplicity and sturdiness are features emphasized for the new feed introduced by the Queen City Machine Tool Co., Cincinnati, for use on its shapers. The device consists of two units, the one at the bull-wheel bearing regulating the amount, and that at the rail screw, the direction in which the table will be moved. At the end of the long bull-wheel hub a large face ‘am is mounted, revolving with an undulating motion and immersed in oil. The action of this cam through the large roller to the ratchet pawl:-is a straight line and direct, without links or intermediate parts, thus to cause little strain to the swinging arm that carries them. The ratchet wheel drives the feed shaft splined sleeve through a safety friction. This is an advantage, when it is considered how easily the table can be run to the limit of its traverse, or a wrench accidentally dropped where it will interfere with its working. Spider springs provide a driving pressure ample for all needs and an automatic take up for wear. The swinging arm has a large bearing on the out- side of a sleeve which is pressed into the housing, upon the inside of which the double splined feed shaft sleeve is fitted. The swinging arm is held toward the cam by a long torsion spring. The amount of feed is con- trolled by a stop on the adjusting handle extension in- side, which acts to limit the swing of the roller arm, the spring being automatically varied to the tension re- quired by the movement of the handle. The feed con- trolling lever can be placed in zero position, at which point no part is undergoing wear or in motion, and the movement of the parts is always proportionate and no greater than the amount of feed being used throughout the 16 changes provided. The reverse box lever indicates, by its position, the direction in which the table will move and starts and New Feed Device for Use on Queen City Shapers stops the feed. The box contains the familiar bevel gear and clutch construction, the clutch teeth being in- tegral with the gears, and the mesh of the gears ad- justable for wear. All moving parts are inclosed. The convenience of control is emphasized, the feed always taking place upon the back stroke of the ram without attention or adjustment. It is explained that a strict schedule of interchangeability is maintained with a complete equip- ment of jigs and gages so that the whole is readily dis- assembled completely and reassembled and running in less than 15 min. A socket wrench with a small universal joint and sockets tapered to a thin edge thus to permit its use in places ordinarily inaccessible has been placed on the market by the Boston Machine Screw Co., Cambridge, Mass. Many Plant Suspensions for the Holidays Resumption at Some Will Be Slow—Steel Cor- poration Subsidiaries Operating at Nearly Full Capacity—Wage Reductions by Many Companies PITTSBURGH, Dec. 20.—Iron and steel plant suspen- sions for the holidays this year are for much longer periods than they have been in the past five years, though they probably will not be for more than a few days in the plants of the Steel Corporation subsidiaries. The recession in general business appears to have borne very lightly on the latter, for while they have had some cancellations and orders suspending shipments have in- volved a considerable amount of business, the propor- tion of live orders remaining on their books is high and a fair amount of new business is seeping in. Almost all of the Steel Corporation plants in this and the near- by districts are running at a high rate and there are no visible signs of any slowing down. As both Christ- mas and New Year’s come on Saturday, there probably will be in all about four days’ layoff for the men in those departments of the corporation mills which ordi- narily are down over Sundays. With the independent plants it is different. Prac- tically all of them will shut down on Friday and not resume before Jan. 1, and some are likely to remain down for an even longer period. The pipe mills still have enough live orders to be kept in operation for some time and this week finds all of the independents running full. However, there has been a notable slow- ing down in the new demands upon the independent makers of tubular goods and the growing belief that prices of these companies soon will recede to the Na- tional Tube Co. price has led to many suspensions and requests by buyers that they have their orders can- celled. This may well have a bearing on the pipe mill operating schedules before the end of the year. In all other finished steel products, the recent cut in prices by independents has been without effect in stimulating new business, and such unfilled orders as are on the books of the manufacturers to a large extent are inactive be- cause of the failure of buyers to specify against them, probably because this is the inventory period and the materials are not wanted until after the turn of the year. Idle Pittsburgh Plants In this immediate district, the Allegheny Steel Co., and the West Penn Steel Co., plants of which are at Brackenridge, Pa., closed down on Dec. 15. Some of the men still are at work in these plants on repairs, but these will be completed by Jan. 1, when all of the men will be laid off unless in the meantime sufficient orders are received or the prospects of orders are suffi- ciently bright to warrant a resumption. Both of these companies have fair-sized order books, but specifica- tions are lacking and the rate of operations permitted by the live business would not be high enough to pay to start the plants on Jan. 1. Other makers of sheets, particularly those devoting any considerable part of their capacity to automobile sheets, are short of speci- fications and new business with them is slow. Live orders in tin plate, wire products, save possibly nails, strip steel and cold-finished steel bars, are almost nil and capacity active in these products over the last week of the year will be much restricted. Wage reductions are not far off. As a matter of fact, some already have been made in the Wheeling district independent plants and in the Pittsburgh dis- trict proper, some of the companies which, because of location or lack of housing facilities, making it neces- sary for the men to come some distance to work, have been obliged to pay more than the regular Pittsburgh rate of 46c. an hour for common labor, are figuring on cutting to that rate or less. Unemployment in the Pittsburgh district to date has not assumed big propor- tions, due to the fact that so many Steel Corporation plants are located here and these plants have been run- ning practically full. But an increase is probable in the next few weeks and this is going to make it pos- sible for the employers to have a voice in the wage rates, something they have not had in the past four or five years. It is certain that the working day is to be shortened in order to give work to as many men as pos- sible during the period of dull business. It also is cer- tain that extra remuneration allowed for work in excess of 8 hours will be eliminated. An interesting story in connection with the wage situation is one that the Steel Corporation proposes to put its plants upon a 3-shift schedule of 8 hours each, but that in compensation for the reduced total of earn- ings thus involved, it proposes to increase the hourly rate. Confirmation of this report is not obtainable, however. General Suspension in the Valleys YouNGsTown, OnI0, Dec. 21.—Except for those de- partments requiring continuous operation, iron and steel plants in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys will be idle over Christmas. Operations reached a low ebb this week, in anticipation of the holiday suspensions. The Sharon Steel Hoop Co., Falcon Steel Co., Newton Steel Co. and Mahoning Valley Steel Co. are wholly down. The Carnegie Steel Co., as usual, is maintain- ing the best rate of schedules, between 85 and 90 per cent, while the Girard plant of the A. M. Byers Co. is also operating regularly. Of the independents, the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. has been enabled to maintain the best operating schedules, with steel production at 65 per cent. This week the entire open-hearth department of the Repub- lic Iron & Steel Co. is suspended, though production of steel is at the rate of 50 per cent, a decline of 10 per cent from last week. Six open-hearth furnaces oper- ated last week. The hot mills of the Trumbull Steel Co. are sus- pended, but the cold-rolled units and coating depart- ments are in commission. Shipments are ut the rate of 75 per cent. Officials expect an improvement in operating conditions after the first of the year. The sheet mills of the Brier Hill Steel Co. are oper- ating at a rate of 60 per cent, but the plate mills are idle. Niles sheet plant of the Republic Iron & Steel Co. is at 80 per cent. Wage Reductions Expected Valley iron and steel employers are expected to an- nounce at any time a reduction in wages, variously estimated from 20 to 25 per cent and affecting major- ity of employees, following similar announcements by competitors in other districts. It is pointed out that the going rate for common labor in Valley mills of 46c an hour is higher than competing interests in other Middle Western centers are paying. At Coatesville, Pa., for instance, where plants of the Midvale Steel Co. and the Lukens Steel Co. are operated, the rate was 38c. an hour until the recently announced reduction cut it to 30c. At Johnstown, Pa., the rate has been 44c. per hour. Valley steel makers declare that in times of close competition, such as the present, the disparity in wage rates paid by competing companies cannot be maintained. Further extension of the eight-hour day is another consideration to which much attention is now being directed. Either the general inauguration of the shorter day or the elimination of overtime wages will be re- sorted to, the practice varying in different plants. Not Entitled to Extra Pay MILWAUKEE, WIs., Dec. 18.—That workers on Gov- ernment war contracts are not entitled to extra pay for hours employed in excess of 8 hours per day is a prin- 1667 1668 ciple laid down in a decision handed down by Judge Byron B. Park of the Circuit Court at Stevens Point, Wis., in the action brought by Ward Solberg against the Four Wheel Drive Auto Co., Clintonville, Wis., seeking to recover $210 alleged to be due for services. Three hundred and ten similar claims, involving an aggregate of approximately $70,000, are pending against the Clintonville company and will, in effect, be determined by the final outcome of the Solberg case. Molders’ Wages Reduced CLEVELAND, Dec. 20.—Molders’ piece rate wages will be reduced in Cleveland Jan. 1 and reductions will probably be made in the hour rates. Some of the Cleve- land foundries that have been operating as closed shops will become open shops. At least three large foundries have already announced that beginning with January they will be run as open shops. It is also probable that Cleveland foundries will discontinue making an- nual wage agreements with the molders’ union. The present wage agreement between the Cleveland gray iron foundries and molders expires Jan. 1. The present scale is 90c. per hour, but early in the year as high as $1.10 was paid. However, the foundries lately have all got back to the 90c. maximum hourly rate. Wages of common labor in the foundries have been reduced about 10 per cent by displacing some of the men drawing the highest wages with others who are willing to work at lower wages. Until recently Cleve- land foundries paid common labor from 50 to 65c. per hour, but at present the range is from 45 to 60c. per hour, and shops that have employed their common labor on the basis of time and a half for over eight hours have eliminated the excess pay for overtime. Gray iron foundries operating on a piece work basis are at present readjusting the new piece rates to become effective in January. It is the intention to make the new rate so that men who have been earning from $8 to $11 per day doing piece work will earn only $6. Decreased Employment WASHINGTON, Dec. 21.—Decreased employment in the iron and steel industries is indicated by the monthly report of the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It is shown that the number of employees in the iron and steel in- dustry in November was 3.2 per cent less than in Oc- tober, while the amount of the payroll was 4.7 per cent less. The number of employees in 109 establishments in October was 188,007, and in November 181,923. The amount of the payroll fell off from $15,155,772 in October to $14,448,545 in November. Although there was a slump in employment in November the number employed and the amount of the payroll was much greater than in November, 1920, labor difficulties accounting for the poor showing of a year ago. The number employed in November, 1920, was 33.6 per cent greater than in November, 1919, while the amount of the payroll was 56.2 per cent greater. A general slump in employment is shown in the November figures for nearly all the representative in- dustries on which records are kept by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Eleven of 14 industries showed a decrease in the number employed, while 13 of the 14 industries showed a decrease in the amount of the payroll. The largest decreases were in the textile industries. The automobile industry was one which had a de- cided slump in November, the total on the payroll in 44 establishments dropping from 108,893 in October, 1920, to 96,721 in November, or 11.2 per cent. The amount of the payroll in the same plants fell off from $4,057,482 in October to $2,790,011 in November. The car building and repairing industry was one of the three showing an increase in the number em- ployed, its total employees going up from 59,635 in October, 1920, to 60,530 in November, 1920, or an in- crease of 1.5 per cent. The amount of the payroll, however, decreased from $4,464,122 in October, 1920, THE IRON AGE December 23, 1920 to $4,383,007 in November, 1920, or a decrease of 1.8 per cent. Unemployment in Michigan DETROIT, Dec. 18.—At a recent meeting of the Michigan Industrial Conference, comprising secre- taries or managers of employers’ associations in all the industrial cities of Michigan, which was held in Jackson, Mich., it was brought out that there are about 167,000 men idle in the State, and of this number about 110,000 are in Detroit. In no city, however, was the situation reported serious. John L. Lovett, general manager of the Michigan Manufacturers’ Association, who presided at the meeting, told his hearers that not much improvement in the industrial situation could be expected before spring, and that it would take the automotive industry two or three years to recover fully from the slump. In the Field of Labor Three Lancaster, Pa., steel plants have announced reductions in wages and in some instances reduction in forces and in working hours. The Champion Blower & Forge Co. has made a wage cut of 10 per cent, and the entire plant has been put on a 9-hour basis. The Stand- ard Ball Bearing Co. has dropped 10 per cent of its men, and has adopted a five-day week of eight hours for operation. The Barry & Zecher Co., machinists, has dropped its entire night force of several hundred men and has dropped some of its day force. The bridge and construction department of the Steel- ton, Pa., plant of the Bethlehem Steel Co. has adopted a four-day-week schedule. The Butts & Ordway Co., Boston, iron and steel, has taken out a group insurance policy for its seventy- five odd employees, which provides for death benefits ranging in amounts from $100 to $1000, according to the length of service of the employee. This company is the first of the heavy hardware concerns of that city to take such action. Connecticut life insurance companies are doing a large business in group insurance. Included in the list of companies to take out such policies, reported last week, are: The United Engineering & Foundry Co., Pittsburgh, a $2,100,000 policy