Black Steel Sheet To Be Controlled

Chronicle (Levin), 1 June 1948, Page 3

Black Steel Sheet To Be Controlled

WELLINGTON, May 3.1. In a slatement issued today, tlie Minister ot' lu dustries and Commerce, Mr. Nordmeyer, stated that owing to inabiltty to obtain sutiicient quantities of black steei slieet from oyerseas, it had been uecessary to institute contrdl over the uses to which it could be put. Mr. Nordmeyer said that notwithstandiug repeated elt'orts ou beliaif of liuporters, his, department and the Goyerm jnent, it had been. imppssible tp olitairt the auiount required( to. pieet' Nevv. land's normal needs and tlia't up tp.tlie present time the . amouut allo'cated to 'us was suhiei eut to nieet approxiniatei,y half . of our normal requirements only. . . — . . H -1 1 • - !J :

" It will obvious," said tlie JNjjinster, "thac the sheet available must bc used for the most- essential purposes and wliilst it, is to- be regret,te.d , that by giviug priority for the use of sheet .-to essential manufacturers, some indpsLries will be; adverselv aifeetedt This caimot be av^oided. It is simply a ease of not being' able to obtain suiKeient sheet to nieet all demands. It will be general Iv agreed ■ that essential lines such as household ranges, nxilk eans and tlie'like, must have first call oji the available supplies and it* is to ensure that priority jtems pf this dpscription are provicled for dhat coutrof is being introduced. This- shortage of steel is not conJined to Nexv Zealand but is evident right throughout the world. This is partly due to the inability of producer couutries to maiutain their normal production, partly to increased demands for manufacture into fmished articles in those cquntries, and partly to a general increased demand by all couutries right throughout the world. Nevertheless every effort contiuues to be made by the Government to obtain additional supplies from overseas including an increase in the tonnage allocated to us by botli the XJnited lying dom aud Australia. In tlie meantiine, however, prospect^ for obtaining increased .supplies are not at all favourable and therefore vve must use the stocks comiug forward for the most essential purposes." The Minister stated that control would be admhiistered by the Factory Controller, Mr. L. R. IMorriss, of the Department of Tndustries and Commerce, and would be operated in collaboration. with importers and distributors of bl'ack steel sheet.