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Outlook for Ore Shipments in 1933 Improved UTLOOK for the Lake Superior Or ore industry in 19338 is much brighter than the actual situation in the season now drawing to a close, but some hurdles still are ahead. It has been a battle for two years now to reduce stocks and at the same time maintain some rate of mine operations, and this problem has not yet been solved. The in- dustry will enter the new year with stocks at mines, lower lake ports and blast furnaces substantially above the average, but it is more confident this time that increasing consump- tion will soon take up the slack. Producers are beginning to sched- ule fall and winter operations. Six or seven underground mines on the Menominee range in Michigan, that have been down many months, will resume about Noy. 1. Mines in other districts, long inactive, will start up. But others that have been operated during the summer, including open pits, will be off during the winter. Stockpiles Are Growing Plans still are dictated more by the necessity for providing work than by an immediate need for ore. The low rate of shipments this year, re- sulting in a total of approximately 3,000,000 tons—least in 47 years— has caused an accumulation of about 10,000,000 tons in northern stock- piles, whereas the normal at this time is near 4,000,000 tons. These stocks will be increased this winter if mining companies do as they pro- pose, giving work to regular employes to enable them to support themselves and families. Stocks at lower lake ports and fur- naces at the moment are below aver- age, but consumption is not biting into them to any great extent, and by spring the situation will be re- versed, more on hand than ‘‘normal.’’ The indicated stocks for Oct. 1 are 32,250,000 tons, compared with an average of 38,000,000 tons. Judg- ing by recent consumption, and al- lowing for a moderate increase over the remainder of the year, the stocks Dec. 1 probably will be reduced to 21,500,000 tons.: The average for Dec. 1 is 40,000,000 tons. Winter Consumption Uncertain Consumption during winter and early spring usually reduces stocks to 20,000,000 tons by May 1. Allow- ing for a 50 to 60 per cent increase in consumption from Jan. 1 to May 1, the actual stocks are likely to come out near 26,500,000 tons, or around 6,500,000 tons above aver- age. It is an uncertain prediction as to what the first four months next vear will develop in ore consumption, but it is a safe venture to say that stocks will be above normal. One month’s normal shipment from upper lake ports to lower lake docks is 7,000,000 to 10,000,000 tons. Therefore one good month in the fore part of next year will cut stocks down practically to normal, and thus attain the object for which the in- dustry has been striving. Large stocks at furnaces have been a stumbling block all summer. HEN the National Steel Corp. and the In- land Steel Co. transport iron ore on the Great Lakes they tell the world about it. Large white letters on the sides of their hulls identify the seven National and three Inland freighters. Of the 332 bulk freighters on the Great Lakes, 67 were in commission June 23; 76 on Aug. 1; 93 at present. Of the 22 hauling ore, 9 are Steel corporation ships NATIONAL STEEL CORPORATION MARINE REVIEwW—October, 1932 Consumers have viewed their stock- piles as so much cash. Hence ship- ments from upper lakes this year were reduced to a minimum, barely keeping up with the consumption rate. Operators up north have had to keep under some headway, to pro- vide work, and to smooth down taxes. There has been no wholesale sur- rendering of leases just to escape royalties; in fact there have been comparatively few. What has hap- pened has been a rather general re- vision of terms applying to mini- mum shipments. Many leases pro- vide that lessors ship a_ certain minimum quantity of ore each sea- son. Some lessees temporarily waived this provision in whole or part; others deferred it, requiring that future shipments make up for the de- ficit this year. While the arrangements have not been wholly satisfactory to the ma- jority of producers, trying to make both ends meet, they have been in numerous instances better than the terms originally agreed upon. The American Welding society will hold its twelfth fall meeting in Buf- falo the week commencing Oct. 3. An excellent program of a large number of interesting papers has been pre- pared. The meeting will last through the week ending with an inspection trip Friday morning, Oct. 7. Morning technical sessions and committee meetings will be held at the Statler hotel. Afternoon sessions will be held at the One Hundred Seventy- fourth Regiment armory. Bids will be received in the office of the United States engineers, 333: North Michigan avenue, Chicago, un- til 10 a.m., Oct. 15, and then pub- licly opened for furnishing and de- livering operating machinery for the lock gates at Kampsville and LaGrange. locks on the Illinois waterway. 3 5.