WORLD FAMINE IN STEEL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3490, 19 May 1920, Page 5

WORLD FAMINE IN STEEL.

LONDON, Ma 1-ch 5.

The world is faced =.':it.h a famine in steel, writes a Daily Chi-oniele representative, who interviewed «several authorities. Britain is the only country in the world now manufacturing and exporting steel in anything ‘but negligible quantities. It is impossible for British steel merchants to cope with the enormous demands.”

“So far as can be foreseen, ’-" said a I'epresenta.t.iVe of one of the largest iron and steel concerns in the country yesterday, ‘our steel trade is about to pass through a period of greater pros-' perity than it has e.\’ell known before, but when .1 say ‘pz'oSDel‘it.V’ I mean work rather than profits. Tlle'Amerl- - steel trade is crippled owing to labour troubles, while Germany, ‘Bel. gium, and France are out of the Inarket for obvious reasons. This means that we have to Supply steel fior the world, and we cannot do~it. British steel firms are finding it impossible to keep pace with the demands of the home trade, let alone export require ments. Our main difliculties are the shortage of laibour, fuel, and railway trucks, reasons enough to force many til-ms to shut down for several days a week. "Hundreds of the best steel workers were killed in file WELl‘_ That loss cannot be replaced in a hurry. Everything points to the Tfariiine becoming worse, as the demand frmu all parts of the world i§"<‘3‘ol‘<)’ssal. When the war ended, the Whole world thought there was going to be a. slump and held up orders accordingly. Twelve months. later they realised that they were wrong, and now they are all sending in their orders together."