The Iron Age 1923-11-15: Vol 112 Iss 20

ESTABLISHED 1855 Ship Scrapping with Oxy-Acetylene Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 (Oval) “infant” industry of ship scrapping by the fact that the Government is selling a large number of naval vessels for salvage. These vessels, which in the aggregate amount to above 600,000 tons, are to be scrapped in accordance with the provisions of the treaty limiting naval armament, and must be dismantled by the purchasers within eighteen months from the date of ratification of the treaty, Aug. 17, 1923. A number of firms have already had considerable experience in scrapping naval vessels, merchant ships and lighter craft. Naturally, their experiences would prove very valuable to those who are contemplating bidding for vessels now to be sold, since by taking ad- vantage of the lessons learned by their predecessors — money, and certainly much time, may be saved, One of the earliest ship scrapping operations under- taken was breaking up the battleship Maine in Havana harbor in 1911, after the wreck of this old naval vessel had been exposed to the elements for about 13 years. Many of the problems met in this work will not con- front those undertaking the scrapping of the vessels now being offered for sale. When it was decided to break up this wreck it was planned to take the plates of the ship apart by cutting the rivets and bolts with an air chisel, or with a hand chisel and sledge, while the more substantial fabrication might be demolished by blasting. Before the job was even attempted, how- ever, the engineers in charge of the work estimated that the time which would be required to break up the wreck, laid bare in an extensive cofferdam, would be so great as to magnify the hazards unduly. It therefore () intane indust interest has been aroused in the THE IRON AGE New York, November 15, 1923 1303 VOL. 112, No. 20 Commercial Operation of Steel Cutting Up Heavy Parts. Such as Armor Plate —Various Methods of Procedure became evident that more practicable means for doing the work must be had. Cutting with the oxy-acetylene flame was proposed and after the first demonstration of this process the old methods were abandoned. The wrecked forward portion of the ship was thus cut away and cut up, while the bulk of the hull, with a bulkhead built across the cut-off portion, was then towed out to sea and sunk, with naval honors. Following the success of this pioneer work, when- ever ship scrapping was undertaken from time to time, down to the period following the World War, the oxy- acetylene cutting blowpipe was used as a matter of course. Some of the jobs during this period were spectacular in themselves and a few of them attracted publie notice, but it was not until the Government began to dispose of obsolete equipment after the war that ship scrapping again received notable attention from the press. About two and one-half years ago bids were asked for the purchase of a number of first-line ships, several transports and many destroyers, submarines and vessels of other types. These were offered for sale to be scrapped and were purchased by those in the scrap business or in allied lines. In nearly every instance the vessels sold at this time were towed to a point accessible to railroad sidings, there to be scrapped by oxy-acetylene cutting. Much of the propelling and other machinery in the vessel was removed and converted to the uses of commerce and the purchasers of the ships found a profitable market for the brass, copper and other metals used in the fittings. Even the wire constituting the communi- cation systems within the vessels was salvaged. Re- ¢ Brey ene ~ 1304 THE IRON: AGE ad - 3 ee NT is)? te ote SS Sere Hy frigerating machinery, pumps, cranes and handling machinery were removed and resold as parts of com- mercial equipment. When these vessels were thus stripped of all their portable equipment the oxy-acety- lene blowpipe was utilized to reduce the superstructure, the hull and the heavy fittings to charging box size, all previous experiences having clearly pointed to the fact that by no other means could the vessel profitably be reduced to scrap. Now, at a time when all but possibly one or twe organizations have finished the work on obsolete ves- sels purchased from the Government for scrapping, comes the ratification of the Five-Power Naval Arma- ment Limitations Agreement, which projects the coun- try into a more extensive ship scrapping program than was ever before undertaken. A score or more of ships, from great battleships, thoroughly equipped and in commission, to hulls of new battle cruisers on the ways (designed to be the speediest and most powerful fight- ing machines afloat) are to be scrapped, and the ar- rangement under which they are being disposed of provides that they shall be reduced to such a condition that neither the vessel as a whole nor any of its parts can again be used as equipment for combat purposes. Some vessels, sold under the provisions of this arrangement, are now in course of demolition. In general, the method employed is to moor the vessel alongside a wharf and strip it of its superstructure, masts, stacks, cranes and other appurtenances. A typical arrangement is shown in Fig. 1. Openings are then cut in the deck plates, through which the machinery from below is removed (Fig. 2).* After this work is completed the deck plates themselves and the hull of the ship are attacked, the work proceeding by sections until it almost reaches the waterline. When this time is reached the remainder of the hull is some- times towed up on the beach at high tide as shown in Fig. 3, and at low tide another row of plates is re- moved. This process is repeated at each successive high and low tide (Fig. 4) until the keel of the ship can be towed on to land, where demolition is com- pleted. The steel is cut to charging box sizes and then shipped to steel plants for remelting. Some contractors were able to cut ships to a line where the hull could be converted to use as a barge or a car ferry. The profits derived from the sale of the hull for purposes of this kind have materially aided in bringing up the gross profit derived from the scrap- ping transaction. What was at one time considered a serious problem in this work was the breaking up of the h ‘avy armor plate of the naval vessels. Some of the ships sold immediately after the World War were disposed of under the condition that the armor plate should be removed intact and returned to the Government, but at TT ¢ < "Oo « - ; The man wears a mask to guard against fumes from the numerous coats of paint on the decking and other steel work November 15, {923 Ae Fig. &—Rema of Army Tra: port Mea Aground at |. Tide in the Dy aware River Bridesburg, P This ship w 525 ft. long present the vessels are sold under arrangements which provide for scrapping the armor. Here the oxy-acety- lene cutting blowpipe reaches its highest degree of usefulness in ship scrapping. It is inconceivable that the reduction to charging box size of the armor plat: would be attempted by cold chisel and sledge, but before oxy-acetylene cutting was adopted for this work such tools or drilling and blasting were the only methods available. Two old naval vessels are now being scrapped at a point where tidewater wharfage is available and where a railroad spur makes it possible to handle the scrap Fig. 4—Last Stages of Demolition of the Army Transport Meade Novembi 15, 1923 metal directly from the ships to cars. Direct handling reduces costs and in the same ratio increases the profit made by the company undertaking the salvage work. Cranes of sufficient capacity are so located, also, that it is possible to lift intact such portions of the ship as may be desired to a point on shore where they can be further reduced to size or, for that matter, shipped to a purchaser who can put a mechanical unit into use. These two vessels (the Kentucky, illustrated in Fig. 1, and the Ohio, in Fig. 5) were ships which had a displacement of about 12,000 tons each. They were more than 360 ft. long, had a beam of 72 ft., and a draft of 23 ft. 6 in. The armor belts were 16% and 12 in. thick, respectively, and the turret armor was 17 to 12 in. thick. The main armament consisted of four 12-in. guns in the Ohio; four 13-in. and four 8-in in the Kentucky. Together, the vessels represented about 18,000 tons of steel and several hundred tons of brass and copper fittings. Scrapping these ships ‘was begun by cutting off and removing the deck fittings and parts of the superstruc- ture. Most of this equipment was cut on the vessel only sufficiently to remove it, and was further reduced to charging box size after it had been lowered to the mainland. Through handling part of the work in this way the operators were enabled to attack the remainder of thé superstructure and the deck plates unhindered by work going on above them. The larger guns were cut into ‘pieces in place and the pieces were swung directly from the decks to waiting gondola cars. Cut- ting this armament represented an interesting oxy- acetylene application and was handled with ease and great rapidity with hand cutting blowpipes. When the decks were cleared of most of the metal which could be conveniently removed large open- ings were éut to permit the removal of machinery and fittings. Such of this equipment as could not be economically salvaged and sold for commercial purposes was then reduced to scrap. This remark also applies to much of the piping and other fit- tings in the hulls of the ships. About 25 per cent of the weight of such ships is armor. Upon the handling of this material depends, to a considerable degree, the profit of the whole scrapping operation. This contractor removed the armor belt and the turret armor to shore, where it was cut to charging box size. Several difficulties were met. The first of these was occasioned by the composition and the condition of the armor plate itself. It is, of course, a special alloy steel, case hardened to a depth of several inches on the outside. When in position it was backed by several inches of teak. The hardened outside surface made it advisable to cut the armor while it lay face down; but after the armor was placed in this position no difficulties were encountered in cutting it with either the hand cutting. blowpipe or a blowpipe mechanically guided by a straight line cut- ting machine, as in Fig. 6. Fig. 7 shows that the opera- tion leaves little to be desired for general all around appearance. The protective deck and the lighter armor was cut in place and loaded directly from the ships to the cars. THE IRON AGE 1305 In various sections of the vessels the plating consisted of several laminations. In many sections these lami- nations were separated by heavy coatings of red lead or some other type of paint or protective covering Fig. 5 (Left) Cuts on Forward Turret of Battleship Ohio. Each sighting hood has been cut into three parts Fig. 6 (Above) Straight-Line Cut- ting Machine at Work on 16-In. Armor Fig. 7 (Below) Armor Plate Scrap as Cut up by the Torch, Showing Holes for the Bolts Which Held the Armor to the Ship's Side which, although at times it rendered the cutting less speedy and less comfortable than it otherwise would have been, did not interfere with the progress. The proportions of each class of material recovered by scrapping naval vessels naturally varies with the age and type of the ship. It has been estimated, how- ever, as a rough guide, that about 60 per cent of the vessel’s weight represents heavy steel scrap, 10 per cent light steel scrap, 7% per cent brass and copper, 21% per cent lead, 5 per cent cast iron and 15 per cent wood, dust, rubbish, paint and other waste. poten ere eer eae Be > ek ee rr ee ~ ‘ . ; = . bgeaetenen poo rece se ae r - aE en Cena 4 —_ va 9 ee eae mn " ao oe’ Wee ia 3 a | 1306 THE IRON AGE National Founders’ Meeting The 1923 annual meeting of the National Founders Association will be held Nov. 21 and 22 at the Hotel Astor, New York. James A. Emery, counsel of the association, will discuss “The Outlook” at the morning session of Nov. 21. The addresses scheduled include the following, all to be delivered in the afternoon ses- sion of that day except the last two, which are on the program for the morning session of Nov. 22. “Personnel Work—Is It Practical? Does It Pay?” by Dr. H. H. Myers, personnel superintendent, Ohio Brass Co., Mansfield, Ohio. “What I Saw in Europe,” by Magnus W. Alexander, managing director, National Industrial Conference Board, New York. “Bootlegging Mind Poison,” by Fred R. Marvin, associate editor New York Commercial. “Educational Motion Pictures,” by Dr. Paul Smith, vice- president, American Motion Picture Corporation, New York. “A Foundry Apprentice Training System That Works,” by Horace A. Frommelt, educational director, Falk Corpora- tion, Milwaukee. “A Talk on Gray Iron Foundry Practice and the Remedy for Some of the Troubles Encountered,” by Enrique Touceda, consulting engineer, American Malleable Castings Association. The reports of officers, President William H. Barr, Commissioner A, E. McClintock and Secretary J. M. Taylor, will be presented at the beginning of the Wed- nesday morning session. The program provides also for reports of the new membership committee, H. J. Boggis, chairman, and that on industrial education, L, W. Olson, chairman. At the annual dinner, Wednesday evening, Hon. J. Adam Bebe of Minneapolis will speak. Program of Mechanical Engineers’ Meeting Pressed metal will come in for special attention at the annual meeting of the American Society of Me- chanical Engineers, to be held at the society’s head- quarters in New York, Dec. 3 to 6, inclusive. Papers on the subject will be presented in the machine shop session on the morning of Dec. 6. Among other subjects scheduled for the annual meet- ing are the following: Management, on the afternoon of Dec. 6; fuels on the morning of Dec. 5; development in power economy in the power session on the morning of Dec. 6; and contributions on the corrosion of various alloys, to be presented in the aeronautic section, on the morning of Dec. 6. ; Extracts from the program follow: General Session, Dec. 4—H. A. S. Howarth, Kingsbury Machine Works, Philadelphia, a graphical study of journal lubrication; S. Timoshenko, research department, Westing- house Electric & Mfg. Co., East Pittsburgh, bending and torsion of multi-throw crankshafts on many supports. Fluid Meters Session, Dec. 4—Open meeting for discus- sion of part II of the report of the special committee on fluid meters Fuels Session, Dec. 5—O. P. Hood, Bureau of Mines, Washington, fundamental factors in the spontaneous com- bustion of coal; F. G. Tryon, U. S. Geological Survey, Washington, economic phases of coal storage: H. E. Birch, R. H. Beaumont Co., and H. V. Coes, Ford, Bacon & Philadelphia, coal handling and coal storage Ordnance Session, Dec. 5—Capt. H. W. Churchill, ex ecutive assistant, New York District Ordnance Office. som production problems in the War Department’s preparedness plan. Davis, Power Session, Dec. 6—E. H. Brown and M. H. Drewry Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co., Milwaukee, gains in power-plant economy from extracting steam from stages of main turbines C. F. Hirshfeld, Detroit Edison Co., Detroit, and F. O. Ellen- wood, Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y., high pressure, re- heating and regenerating f@r steam power plants: C. W. E. Clarke, power engineer, Dwight P. Robinson & Co., New York, boiler test results with preheated air, Colfax’ Station, Duquesne Light Co. Machine Shop Session, Dec. 6—D. P. Cook, Boston Pressed Metal Co., Worcester, Mass., some principles and examples of metal development ; W. W. Galbreath, president, and John R. Winter, general superintendent, Youngstown Pressed Steel Co., Warren, Ohio, the development of modern ; stamping practice ; progress report on the present 1 Status and future problems of the art of cutting metals, a review of the present knowledge concerning the elements entering into the cutting of metals ; November 15, 1922 Aeronautic Session, Dec. 6—D. Basch, research engine teneral Electric Co. and M. F. Sayre, Union Colles; Schenectady, N. Y., resistance of various aluminum alloys to salt-water corrosion; H. A. Gardner, Henry A. Gard: Laboratory, Washington, corrosion, cleansing and protectiy of aluminum alloys, such as duralumin. Management Session, Dec. 6—R. T. Kent, consulting mar agement engineer, Montclair, N. J., relation of mechanic engineering to management in the metal-working industri r Ohio Foundrymen to Hold November Meet- ing in Toledo Members of the Ohio State Foundrymen’s Asso- ciation will have an opportunity to inspect the plant of the Willys-Overland Co. and the Toledo Furnace Co. at Toledo, Ohio, on the occasion of the annual con- vention of the association Nov. 15 and 16. The meet ings will be held at the Toledo Yacht Club, beginning with a luncheon on Nov. 15, followed by an afternoon session during which several technical and practica! papers will be read and discussed. Most of Friday will be given up to plant visiting. Among the papers to be read are the following: “Patterns, the Starting Point of Profit and Loss,” by Dan M. Avey, managing editor of Foundry, Cleveland; “Your Insurance Costs and the Adjustment of Losses,” by W. M. Todd, district manager Western Adjustment Co., Toledo; “Problems in Brass Foundry Practice and Their Solution,” by Fred L. Wolf, technical superintendent Ohio Brass Co., Mansfield, Ohio; “Foundry ‘Costs, Ferrous and Non- ferrous,” by E, T. Runge, E. T. Runge Cost Co., Cleve- land. Officers of the association are: Frank W. Huber, president; Walter L. Seelbach, treasurer, and Arthur J. Tuscany, Century Building, Cleveland, secretary. The Toledo committee having’ charge of convention arrangements consists of C. C. Smith, Toledo Steel Castings Co., chairman; ‘C. E. Bunting, Bunting Brass & Bronze Co., and William Baker, Baker Brothers. Section Meetings of Mechanical Engineers Among meetings of sectfons of the American So- ciety of Mechanical Engineers scheduled in the imme- diate future are the following: Birmingham, Nov. 21, anniversary dinner at Hill- man Hotel. Subjects, “Impressions from My Recent Trip Abroad,” by James Bowron, Gulf States Steel Co.; “Interesting Experiences in Russia,” by Robert Palm; “With the Red Cross in Judea,” by H. Y. Carson. (H. L. Freeman, secretary, Alabama Power Co., Brown- Marx Building, Birmingham.) Cincinnati, Nov. 22, at Literary Club Rooms, “Grind- ing of Gear Teeth,” by R. S. Drummond, Gear Grind- ing Machine Co, Detroit, Nov. 23, Hotel Statler. Banquet honoring Dean Mortimer E. Cooley of the University of Michi- gan and past-president of the society. (F. H. Low, sec- retary, Ford Motor Co., Highland Park, Detroit.) Newark, N. J., Nov. 26, Machine shop meeting. (5. H. Libby, secretary, General Electric Co., Bloomfield, N. J.) New Haven, Nov 20, at Mason Laboratory, Yale University. “Leviathan, Her Reconditioning and Trial Trip,” by Prof. H. L. Seward of Yale University. (Prof. S. W. Dudley, secretary, 400 Temple Street, New Haven, Conn.) Worcester, Nov. 13, at the Boston Store restaurant, dinner at 6.30 followed by addresses. “X-Ray Exami- nation of Metals as Employed by the Government,” by Gen. T. C. Dickson, commandant of the Watertown Ar- senal, accompanied by Dr. F. C. Langenburg, metal- lurgist and research engineer of the arsenal. (M. ©. Nelson, secretary, 424 Massasoit Road, Worcester, Mass.) The Trafford City foundry of the Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. ‘Co. set a new high record mark in October in monthly production, when 38,300,568 lb. of castings were produced. That compares with the for- mer record of 3,184,598 lb. in March, 1916. How Germany Must Work Out Problems Longer Work-Day Essential to Adequate Production— Ruhr Regarded as Lost to Germany— Interview with Minister of Labor BY DR. RICHARD MOLDENKE with Sir Arthur Balfour, for Great Britain, and Dr.. Federico Giolitti, for Italy, it seemed essen- tial that France and Germany should be covered simi- arly. Arrangements were therefore made to get into touch with the most prominent captains of industry in these countries, so that these men might give a mes- sage to the iron and steel industry of America telling of the steps taken to return their countries to nor- maley, the probable trend of steel production, export ind kindred topics. The results were disappointing, as these men would not talk for publication and in some ‘ases evaded a meeting. The situation is perfectly understandable; in the ‘ase of France the great industrials might not interfere with the policy of the Government, which is doing everything to crush German competition; in the case f Germany, the most important steel producers will shortly find themselves ruined by the French policy, and are therefore not making the process any more lifficult to bear than they ean. Most of the important men were seen, however, and sufficient information was obtained to enable me to draw the deductions given further on; but it should be kept in mind that, except where actually quoted, the responsibility for the state- ments is on the shoulders of the writer. In other words, the French industrials would not speak for publication though approached through governmental and indus- trial channels, and with a loss of three weeks of pre- cious time; and the German industrials dared not speak for publication, because of the impending ruin of their interests in the Ruhr and Rhine regions. It remained for one man—the highest authority in Germany from the standpoint of the statesman, a mem- ber of the Cabinet—to take a farsighted view of the immediate political and industrial situation, and fear- lessly combat outward and inward foes so that a disas- ter may not come to civilization in spite of every out- Pr ewith sir a up the recent interviews of the writer PUUUUAN ANETTA look for it at the moment. Dr. Heinrich Brauns, the German Minister of Labor, is the man in question, and in addition to the strictly political and industrial aspects of the world problems which he discussed, something will be given on his work in the interest of harmonizing capital and labor—which should also interest consider- ably the readers of THE IRON AGE. French Fear of German Numbers From the many interviews, and an intimate knowl- edge of the characteristics of the European peoples, the present crisis seems to me to rest upon the follow- ing bases, consisting of several lines of policy which shape diplomatic and executive military action. First, one does not hear much in France of reparations; one senses only the obsession that the sixty to forty mil- lions of people ratio must be made fifty-fifty or better, at all hazards. Hence the huge military establishment, with the most modern of war equipment. The debt to America is never mentioned, if thought of, and the vast potentiality of England seems entirely overlooked. The condition today is exactly that of three periods of French history in the last century, when that nation overbalanced all the others. With the traditional policy of England requiring a balance of power on the Continent of Edfope, for which Germany has just suffered, it would seem that war is surely ahead sooner or later. The French policy is none the less understandable as, with the acquirement of the enormous ore resources of Lorraine, it is part of national economy to secure enough coke to utilize them to build up the national wealth again. Numerous selling agencies have been established by France the world over and, were it possible to have access to Ger- man coke from the Ruhr as needed, a period of wonder- ful prosperity would be ahead of the French steel in- dustry. On the thought above, the following seems to be the AiUiANUGAUUANNLLLUUUIANNUULUNULLUUAESELUOURSINGUUULEGLALLUUUESGSAL LAU EDERATHATTENOSEA AOE AeSAET EE AT Ne HAA TENN HAEUUNT UAATOUAUALYECUAL LHL R. BRAUNS was born Jan. 3, 1868, at Cologne, Germany. Reared in the Catholic faith, he studied theology at the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, and later took up political science and law at the Universities of Bonn and Freiburg, receiving his degree of Doctor of Political Science at the The trend of his activity is seen in the title of his thesis—“The Transition of Hand-Weaving to Factory Operation in the Lower Rhine Velvet and Silk Industry,” published at the time and widely commented upon. In 1921 the University of his native city conferred upon him the degree latter institution in 1905. of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa. From 1890 to 1900 Dr. Brauns filled positions within the scope of his church, and from 1900 on he entered the labor field, as managing director of the National Society of Catholics of Germany, with special attention to the industrial courses taught the workingmen of that organization. member of the National Assembly, for the district of Cologne, that framed the Constitution of the German Republic, and a member of the first Reichstag of the Republic. He represents his district in that body to the present day. Dr. Brauns is now Minister of Labor (Reichsarbeitminister) over three He is an author of books on labor organization and development, some of the titles of which are of interest, namely: The Christian Labor Unions; the Eight-Hour Day in the Mining Industry; Wages in the Mining Industry of Germany; the Law of the Shop Committees (Betriebsraete) ; Political Studies on the Wage Question; etc. _ Dr. Brauns has the united support of all the organizations of German work- ingmen, and the complete confidence of all the organizations of manufacturers Hence his name is found in all the cabinets from the time of von years, serving continuously in seven cabinets. as well. He was a DR. HEINRICH BRAUNS, German Minister of Labor Fehrenbach to the present one, and he is likely to remain in office as long as his health will permit. —_ HT 1307 | TnNsoPNUeesenc etn igRNAN ELLE ee aire ae are iallapnse «nie slate ee , - 1308 THE IRON AGE universal opinion in the several countries visited. If German and French ironmasters were to work together in perfect accord and with united interests, steel would eventually be produced at so low a figure that the steel export of all other nations would show sorry figures. On the whole—barring the super-patriots—this uniting of interests and activity is actually engaging the atten- tion of the several French and German groups that would benefit by it. There are, however, some practi- cally insurmountable obstacles to the idea. Even if the Schneider and the Stinnes groups, for instance, were desirous of cooperating closely, the two respective Gov- ernments will never agree. All kinds of hindrances would be interposed by way of taxes, tariffs, and what not. Further, it would require the closest kind of study and rearrangement of producing and distributing points to obviate over-prosperity and hardship going hand in hand. It is this problem that seems to me to underlie the second line of policy that is coming to light little by little. Ruhr Separation Problem In the equalization of the sixty to forty million, the separation of the Rhine and Ruhr districts from Germany would give France what she is working for, if these districts come under French influence and dom- ination politically and industrially. It seems hardly likely that an actual annexation is contemplated—with what that would mean to English policy. But the crea- tion of a protectorate, or a semi-independent state, is unquestionably the goal of France, and with it there would no longer be any border line between the antago- nistic nations. The Ruhr and Rhine Republic, as evi- dently contemplated by France—in the view of the writer—would be surrounded by a wall, with high ex- port duty for reparations on the German side, and lower duties on the side of France to keep out competi- tion undesirable to French interests. So much for the French side. Now for the German: It is now admitted almost everywhere in Germany that the Ruhr is lost to the Fatherland, as the consequence of French policy and military action. At the end of this month (October) German aid must necessarily cease in the occupied regions, as there is nothing left in Germany to send there—paper marks having gone to smash. The great industrial leaders are at their wits’ ends to provide money to pay those men who have been retained at work to supply the small demand for manu- factured products still existing. Mr. Stinnes himself, the greatest of the industrial and financial leaders of Germany, planning with his staff how to meet the crisis, looked a physical wreck, and complained bitterly of the criticism heaped upon him at home and abroad these last days. He well re- membered the writer, who spent an afternoon with him two and a half years ago, when his party had induced President Ebert and his Cabinet to ask President Har- ding for mediation in the reparations tangle; but Mr. Stinnes pleaded to be excused from making statements at this critical time, though urged to do so by Minister Brauns so that the United States might be able to judge the situation better. The consequence of this in- ability of Germany to help the Ruhr, the money being seized by France almost as fast as sent, means that, to avoid chaos and a possible futile massacre of the occu- pation troops, French money or a Rhineland Republic money will have to be provided, and this will be the present result so far as Germany is concerned. There will, however, be a new Alsace-Lorraine question and a very live one, placed upon the records of the world, and already there are no “pacifists” left in Germany. Germany in a Bad Way Of the internal conditions in Germany, actual ob- servers who go into the markets—not from hotel bal- conies or in conducted parties—will find that they are frightful. The writer and his wife saw many tragic cases, but space forbids stating more here. Suffice it to say that there are two classes of German people today: those who sell to the population, and those who buy from these. The latter have to pay what is asked or pillage the shops—this is commencing now. The former naturally charge enough to cover the doubling November 15, 1923 prices day by day. Since, however, this overcharge jg usually more than is actually required, the shopk« epers accumulate money, and then spend it freely, as do for. eigners. So that there is a smaller class of regu|ation “pirates” preying upon a larger class of “victims.” These pirates are the ones seen by those Ame: icans who report that Germany is doing well. It is but just, however, to look at the awful distress in Germany from another angle. The war had dis- organized working forces and their efficiency in Ger- many just as much as elsewhere, and while Germany resumed activity earlier than the other nations, yet even today one sees the men loaf at their tasks, and the actual production per man-hour is still far below that of the pre-war time. The Minister of Labor him- self enlarged on this situation in his talk with me and has recently introduced legislation in the Reichstag looking toward an increase of hours per day—in effect, a 10-hr. day, though the pill is sugar-coated in provid- ing the maintenance of the basic 8-hr. principle. Must Work Harder and Longer Hence, in my view, the present catastrophe is largely the fault of the German population itself. Germany will have to work more intensely per man, and longer, to make good the handicap that exists in every country which cannot support itself from its home agriculture. As Minister Brauns said: “Paradoxical as it may seem, in order that Germany can sell more goods, it must produce more. Then the production cost will go down, competition will again be possible, and money will flow back to Germany with which to pay for foodstuffs brought from abroad. Shipload after shipload coming from agricultural countries has had to be turned away from German harbors, as there was no money available to pay for them.” So only from within can there come a reversal of the present conditions. The socialistic poison that has flourished so long in Germany has finally engulfed it, and one observes today that the socialists “sing very small.” This view is voiced everywhere in the higher social structure here, but must still reach the masses. Unfortunately this truth can be brought home only through starvation, and unquestionably Germany is now facing this. Whether civil war will have broken out by the time this reaches the American public through THE IRON AGE remains to be seen, and wil! depend upon the coolness of the central Government. The army (Reichswehr) is absolutely loyal, being thor- oughly winnowed out and ably officered. The police are dependable only in the smaller cities and the coun- try. Despite reports to the contrary, communism has lost out, and the riots that have begun, and plundering of stores, are not from a revolutionary spirit, but the simple manifestations of desperation from inability to pay for food. France Not Entirely Victorious Now for another line of thought: In occupying the Ruhr district, the French had expected an easy victory. They did not reckon with the Westphalian population. Today the French have won a victory, but it is 4 Pyrrhic one, and has left the iron industry of France badly crippled. Inquiry for pig iron from France, | learned in Italy, showed that there was none to sell. Two interesting rumors seem to have been in circu- lation in Europe: that the Germans have spent all their money in works’ betterment, to be ready to compete to destruction when the time came; and that the Ruhr today contains 3,000,000 tons of semi-finished steel available for seizure by the French, if they wish to con- fiscate it. The facts are that, in spite of the original policy to improve the works so that reparations could be met while building up German industry and exports again, the Ruhr occupation has nullified: all this agai", and today the lesser railroad systems are abandoned and tracks grass-grown, rolling stock is unfit to use, and the bulk of the establishments are in a condition approximating a shut-down plant. The American iron industry need not be reminded what a steel plant is worth after it has been shut down for some time. Hence, with the new state of affairs coming in the Ruhr, production will not increase so rapidly as 's November 15, 1923 expected and the French budget will be lame for a long time to come. So far as the rumored 3,000,000 tons of steel are concerned, this figure can safely be reduced by one- third. The danger here for the export business of the United States and Great Britain is that, if dumped upon the world’s markets, as has happened with the German paper money seized, it would mean a bad tem- porary disorganization. Interview with Dr. Brauns With the above general discussion of the situation as it existed on Oct. 20, it is now in line to turn to the interview with Dr. Brauns. A short account of his activities appears in another place. I was first pre- sented to him a little over two years ago, and came in contact with him almost daily for several weeks. Of commanding presence, magnificently proportioned, loved by everyone, and with a simple and truly Chris- tian spirit, this man is today the ablest counsel of the cabinet. His is the largest governmental department, and he has in hand the boards, scattered all over the Reich, which care for the war-wounded and war- dependents. His department covers the entire range of legislation—both revision and new—of the labor laws, liability insurance, social welfare, housing and settlements, international labor questions and laws, “out-of-work” benefits, arbitration in labor disputes, etc. Some of the methods worked out will be described later on. In these very critical times of labor unrest, Dr. Brauns has consistently held to the middle course and thus found agreement between both sides. His ability, the righteousness of his motives, his personal integrity and character above reproach, and his unselfishness of purpose, have endeared him universally, so that in all the recent cabinet changes it was a standing formula that “Minister Brauns must be in the new cabinet. He is irreplaceable at the time, for no other man exists in Germany who commands his field so ably and also enjoys the confidence of workingmen and employers fully and equally.” Had Dr. Brauns continued his theological career, he would be today a prince in the Church of Rome. Reparations Struggle with France On arriving in Berlin, Dr. Brauns was kind enough to give the writer and his wife an entire evening at his home in the palace housing the Department of Labor. The story of the reparations struggle with l'rance was outlined as actually handled by the various cabinets. One felt as being actually present at the green table and following out the tangled lines of diplomacy into the definite channels of action. The cry of the Ruhr for help, the rage of the men at being asked to work under bayonet rule in times of peace, the continuance of help long after the case was hope- less—to ward off a revolution. The changes in cab- inets, the final blank wall of French refusal to deal with the German Government, the hopelessness in ex- pecting a clean-cut discussion with the French premier. There stood out clearly the alternative—“‘no Ruhr, no Reparations.” Teutonic Recuperation Inevitable But here again there stands out the statesmanship of Dr. Brauns, for in all this turmoil he is at work planning for a new Germany to work out its destiny on what remains of the once proud empire. If stripped as was Austria of its natural resources, it will be hard and take long; but whether as in the old days of Prus- sian liberation in the early part of the last century, or in quiet pursuit of contentment, the persistence, abil- ity and strength of the Teutonic race will rise again and make a new Germany. But before this can happen the nation will have to drain the cup to the last bitter dregs, and the time seems to be now. Naturally, much of the interview was of a confi- dential character, and will develop day by day as the plans for bettering conditions mature. But a portion of the time spent was devoted to the consideration of what has been done to bring capital and labor closer THE IRON AGE 1309 together, and what methods are in actual operation in the settlement of disputes to avoid strikes and conse- quent waste of treasure and time. The question was thought important enough to be put into concrete form so that no inaccuracy might eventuate, and Dr. Brauns was good enough to have his legal department chief put it into a short report. This, translated, is quoted as follows: Binding Wage Agreements “The idea of a definite wage agreement between employers and employees of a given industry has be- come a universal procedure in Germany ever since the war. Special agreements replacing such general agree- ments have practically ceased to exist. Actuated by the conviction that only through the means of such carefully worked out agreements, satisfactory to both sides, would the weakened and disintegrated industrial system of Germany recover again, Dr. Brauns under- took, at the very beginning of his administration, to devote all his strength and resources to the develop- ment of the wage agreement idea. Thousands of wage conferences have been held with the active cooperation of the minister and, where of particular gravity, Dr. Brauns himself has presided at the deliberations—this in particular in connection with the mining industry. It is to the credit of the minister himself that the en- tire mining industry of Germany now has regular wage agreement conferences. “Laws passed just after the war have given him wide powers. As soon as a wage agreement between employers and employees of an industry has acquired strength enough to be recognized as binding by a large majority of those interested, the Minister of Labor can officially decree—without appeal—that the terms of such an agreement have become binding upon the entire industry, whether the others interested have been parties to the conferences or not. (This is designated the “Allgemeinverbindlicherklaerung”). In the case of these wage agreement conferences, should it turn out impossible to reach an agreement between the associa- tions of wage earners and employers, the minister ap- points a tri-party arbitration board consisting of equal numbers (usually three each) of employers, employees and prominent men who enjoy his confidence. Should the verdict of this arbitration board not be accepted by one of the two parties, the others.may apply for a decree making it binding upon the objecting party. (This is designated “Verbindlicherklaerung”). “Such a decree of the Minister of Labor, which can- not be appealed, makes the terms of the verdict of the arbitration board binding upon the industry, just as if an agreement had been reached by the two parties in the first place. The enforcement of the decree can be understood to be easy in that it gives the workingman the right to sue his employer for the wage provided in the decree and get prompt judgment for the amount. Power and Responsibility “It will be seen that an immense power has been put into the hands of the Minister of Labor, and that the men selected for the arbitration boards must be equipped with a high degree of knowledge and experi- ence. The minister himself must be imbued with a strong social sense of responsibility—all this so that wages may not be set to the damage of the industry involved. On the other hand, workingmen cannot be expected to give service under conditions that are not humanitarian.” Discussing the matter at length, Dr. Brauns gave instances in which very difficult cases had been solved without recourse to strikes. It amounts to compulsory arbitration, in effect. But, with the wisdom and sound sense of the minister, the laws have worked so well that no change or present improvement is contemplated. Dr. Brauns holds out the prospect of a future visit to the United States to study our labor conditions and laws which, so far as I have observed them, differ in many ways from those of Germany or England. In Ger- many, the heads of the labor organizations are trained political economists to a great extent, and such men ean sit down and reason with others of like type who may head the employers’ organizations. Ee ea ame cena ee . n QPLAPT SEO ee Mes Citroén Automobile Shops m France that he will build automobiles in the United States, has had a very successful career as a manufacturer in France. I first became acquainted with his shops in 1909, when he was employing not more than 40 men. At that time he was located in the suburbs of Paris and was making double helical gears. It was high-class work and stamped Mr. Citroén as a designer of more than usual ability. Today Andre Citroén is employing more than 10,000 people, and under maximum conditions this number reaches 13,000. He first undertook to build automobiles in 1919, and in the past two and a half years he has put in circulation in France more than 50,000 cars. Two types, only, are made, namely, the 5-hp. and the 10-hp. The 10-hp. car is built at the Javel shops located on the banks of the Seine opposite Passy and only a few blocks below the Citroén Grennelle works. The latter works were installed by Citroén in 1911 and were designed for making helical gears and a general ma- chinery line. Mr. Citroén was carried on the French military estab- lishment as an engineer officer and the breaking out of war called him into active service. His experience in shop work resulted in his being engaged in connection with projectile manufacture and in this way he became identified with the government projectile works on Quai de Javel. The ground at Javel as late as 1915 was a truck farm. The French War Department caused to be erected here one of the most modern projectile plants A NDRE CITROEN, who announced some time ago At the Head of the Article Is Shown the Main Building of the Automobile Works as Viewed Office Citroén from the Quai de Javel, Paris Cars Awaiting Tests as They Are Lined Up in _ the Assembly Shop Equipment and Methods of the Manufacturer Who Plans to Build Motor Cars Also in the United States BY CAPT. GODFREY L. CARDEN in France. For the most part outputs were confined to 75 mm. shrapnel. At the end of the war when the Javel plant, in common with many others, was no longer required for war purposes, Mr. Citroén and his friends secured control of the property and turned it into an automo- bile works. This necessitated changes in installation but for the most part automatic machines previously used were lined up for turning out automobile parts. There is a very heavy display of American automatic tools throughout the Citroén shops, but many of these machines will have to be replaced since they have been running from war days. I visited the Javel shops on March 14 and was ac- corded every facility. The layout is probably as good as can be found in France. The buildings are all modern in construction, splendidly lighted, and heated and ventilated in accordance with the best modern practice. The discipline and orderliness impresses the visitor at once and the handling of material provides for a steady flow without backtracking. At present the forge department is located at Javel, but it is the in- tention to move the forges to the Suresnes shops. In the cementation plant I counted 16 furnaces at work. They are the type of Loy and Aube, Paris. Citroén is turning out at present about eighty 10-hp. cars per day and about seventy 5-hp. cars. The 5-hp. cars are built at Levallois. The principal woodworking plant is at Issy-les-Moulineaux. \ll presses in use are the type V, of Crampigneul, 1310 November 15, 1923 Paris. Women operatives work the press levers. The handling of the plate material is by male operatives. The chassis are assembled in the same shops where the frames are stamped out. Pneumatic tools are em- ployed for this assembling work. Only the 5-hp. chassis are pressed out cold. The 10-hp. power chassis are bent after heating red hot. The body work for the 5-hp. machines is undertaken at Javel. The chassis come from Levallois. In the spring-making department I observed one electric fur- nace only. All others are of the usual type. The springs are shaped up by hand, that is, pounded into Shape for grouping by hand. The main foundry is at Suresnes. Here are made the aluminum gear boxes, solid brass plug chamber of carburetor, cast iron cylinder boxes, cast iron flywheels and pistons. Much cast iron is used by Citroén. Just now cast iron is cheap in France. Citroén, I under- stand, is experimenting with aluminum pistons. In both the Suresnes and Javel foundries I found consid- erable molding machinery employed. THE IRON AGE 1311 Many women are employed in the engine assembling works, and it was surprising to see what heavy jobs some of them were taking care of. Just now France iS experiencing a very great shortage in workmen. My observations on the Polish shops were that many Polish workmen were going to France because of the higher wages and the demand for help. I assume that the retention of women in the French shops since the war is largely due to this shortage of male help. Among the American machines in use were many with such familiar names as Brown & Sharpe, Pratt & Cars Assembled as They Are Moved Along the So-Called Rolling Way Many American Machine-Tools Aré to be Found Among the Machining Equipment In the Press Ds partment the Chas ses Are Formed and Assembled Whitney, Cincinnati Milling Machine Co., Flather, Becker, Bardons & Oliver, and many others. One man operating two Potter & Johnson machines was turning down wheel hubs at the rate of 5% per hour per machine. Operatives are now making about 3 fr. per hour working on an 8-hr. basis. These Potter & John- son machines were formerly used on shell making and many of them have reached the point where they need replacing. For the most part the air compressors have been supplied by the Ingersoll-Rand Co. The ae a a AP Aas. > ceed te SRR) Ramet Me! A earn. ential. . ana = amc sone " , wars a J 6 asta Rare ey Sat caeandiietaed _ x 1312 THE IRON AGE painting department is installed in a new shop erected — the war. It is wonderfully well lighted and clear. Car bodies are painted pneumatically and are dried in the drying room. Women are doing most of this work. Citroén is turning out his 10-hp. de luxe car today, f.o.b. works, for about 18,000 fr. At current exchange of 16.55 the equivalent is about $1,090. The 5-hp. car costs, f.o.b. works, about 9550 francs, which at the same rate of exchange amounts to $577. ROLLER BEARINGS IN ROLLING * Power Consumption in Wire Mill Compared With Plain Bearings Shows Great Savings BY A. W. MACAULAY N a 9-in. wire rolling mill, consisting of eight pairs of two-high mills, the last pair was equipped with roller bearings. The roll diameter is between 260 mm. Fig. 1—Energy Consumption, When Using Plain Bear- ings, of Rolling 5.39-Mm. Wire (No. 5144 Gage) in 14 Passes From 714-1 Billets, of 0.80 Per cent Carbon St Weighing 110 Lb. The measured maximum 520 kw mpares with 545 kw. estimated; the 2 nsumption of 8.0 kwhr. in rolling kwhr. estimated (10% in.) and 300 mm. (11.8 in.), and the neck diam- eter 114 mm. (4% in.) To be able to apply bearings of sufficient capacity, the neck diameter was reduced to 90 mm. (3.54 in.) . This involved the adoption of chrome-steel shafts, upon which the rolls were shrunk—a practice which has not given any trouble during working. As for the stress Fig. 2—Energy Consumption With Roller Bearings of Rolling 5.39-Mm. Wire (No l, Gage) in 14 Passes From 714-In. Billets, of 0.80 Per Cent Carbon Steel and Weighing 110 Lb The estimated maximum 1d f 360 kw. and energy consumption « 5.27 kwhr in rolling one billet may be ( ! tired é plair bear:ng require