Yet certain decontrol has already been in progress. Last July sole leather was decontrolled and since then controls have been removed from leather products, glass containers, plastic type nylon, and several chemicals, Mr. Sawyer said. One of the recognized barometers of Gains in Easter buying encourage business . . . pace of industry is the number of Rayon shipments off 2 2 % for quarter . . . Sawyer says de- the workers employed i n any one industry, or group of industries. This is b y no means fense and plant expansions will retain prosperity an absolute index, as brought out b y reOn the subject of decontrol, Mr, SawHE volume of business depends largely cent speakers before the American Manyer said that any day situations may de- agement Association. Thus representain the long run o n how eager a buying velop at home or abroad which will make beaver is Mrs, John Q. Public. During the tives of the chemical industry stated that, the need for controls imperative. Perhaps pre-Easter season N e w York department in a campaign t o reduce costs, they found stores were much encouraged b y the im- in early 1953, decontrol of steel will b e in they had several surplus workers, resultproved volume of purchasing. order. But this will not be true of copper ing in employment of fewer workers. Easter business for N e w York departor of manv other items. Total employees in the chemical and ment stores as a whole was 3 to 4 9c ahead of the boom 1951 Easter and 6 to 77c better than in 1 9 5 0 . Gimbels reported EMPLOYMENT, Chemical and Allied Products sales as 12% ahead of 1951 and 17% THOUSANDS OF WORKERS over 1950. The increases were d u e largely to excellent women's and children's apparel and accessory business. For six months shoppers have avoided retail stores, preferring t o put money in banks, where savings are now a t an alltime high. Even now, hard goods, such as refrigerators, television sets, furniture and the like, are moving slowly.
BUSINESS
PROCESS INDUSTRIES* OUTLOOK
T
"Borrowed Business" In fact these hard goods items enjoyed their heyday early last year when rumors of impending shortages inspired such buying of these items as was never witnessed before. This is described by one merchant as "borrowed business" for which the merchants are now paying. Leaving the department stores to the milling throngs and pushing and shoeing women, let us consider t h e latest figures on rayon, in view of the mild depression in things textile. Shipments of all types of rayon and acetate in March totaled 75.7 million pounds, a drop of 7 % from the 81.4 million pounds shipped in February, according to the Textile Economics Bureau, Inc. For the first quarter shipments were 247.5 million pounds, a drop of 22% from the year before. Moreover, stocks held by producers at the e n d of March were 4.7 million pounds larger than the month before despite continued cutbacks in production. The most important comments on the general "situation" over the past week were those of Charles Sawyer, Secretary of Commerce and n e w boss of t h e steel industry. Answering those w h o fear depression, he said that defense expenditures of $150 million are yet to come from present and recommended 1953 appropriations. Expenditures for new plant and equipment in 1952 are scheduled for $24 billion. Thus capital outlays in 1952 will exceed the previous high of 1951 by 4 % in value. A survey shows that manufacturers anticipate 1952 sales t o be 5% higher than last year. In view of enormous accumulation of personal savings, this money will be spent to cushion any tendency toward recession. 1686
1951
1950
1952
EXÏILE PIBER CONSUMPTION
RAYON. SU*. wOOl. AMD COTTON. MJUIONS Of POUNDS
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1951
INDUSTRIAL
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EXPLOSIVES S M P „ E N - S
O * BLACK BIASING
fOwui» AND HIGH E>PlO$v£S. MILLIONS OP POUNDS
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WOOD PULP PRODUCTION. A l l GRADES. THOUSANDS OF SHORT TONS
—
ff^S=EÀ CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS
CHEMICAL
AND ENGINEERING
NEWS
allied industries in February were 7 6 1 , 000, compared with 738,000 in February 1951. T h e latest figures for industrial in organic chemicals are for January, where 229,200 compares with 214,500 the year before; for industrial organic chemicals, 83,200 workers compares with 78,500 in January 1951. H e n c e in all departments there have been gains. Hiring of workers in manufacturing in dustries in February continued below the postwar average for the season. In fact, since May 1951 factory hiring rates have been low, primarily as a result of a re duced consumer goods output. In the textile, apparel, and paper in dustry groups, layoffs in February were more than double those of the year before. Manufacturing employment as a whole declined b y 160,000 between the two Febmaries, hence the chemical industry is an exception to the rule. On the whole, the graph on wood pulp production is satisfactory since over two years it exhibits a generally rising trend. More recently, however, it progresses on a plateau. January production was 1,438,000 tons against 1,354,000 tons in 1951. The peak ©n the graph is 1,484,000 in May 1951. Considerably higher pulp pro duction is needed in view of current short ages in paper, notably publishers' paper. Shipments of industrial explosives have declined from the November peak of 63.8 million pounds, the January figure being 56.8 million, comparing with 60.0 million in January 1951. The current figures com prise 55.5 million pounds of high ex plosives and 1.3 million of black powder. In view of our preparedness prognmi, a high production is natural. Besides, there is a big peacetime use, particularly during an active industrial era like the present, with large uses in mining and civil engineering enterprises.
make
Perchloric
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International Nickel Company, lnc.t Research Laboratory, Bayonne, Sew Jersey
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A VARIABLE RANGE
Copper Still Critical
OF LOW D-C VOLTAGE
Copper is undoubtedly the No. 1 scarce basic item, necessary for preparedness and peace. The accompanying graph con tinues disappointing in that progress is slow, if any. Compared with early 1950, production is indeed discouraging. Production in February was 95,979 tons as against 100,269 in longer January, comparing with 101,054 tons in January the year before. In addition to domestic production the United States imports 35,000 to 45,000 tons monthly, but still the supply is short. A domestic expansion pro gram is in effect "which may bear marked results b y 1954. The graph on textile fiber consumption is what might b e expected in view of fre quent reports of depression in the indus try. Use of t h e four listed fibers in Janu ary was 543.3 million pounds as against 463.3 million in December and 548.6 mil lion the year before.
FROM AN AC SOURCE
STABILIZED AND REGULATED — Any setting of output voltage is not affected by variations in o-c line voltages or output load current. For chemical, electronic, nucleonic and other allied industries — here is the ideal means of obtaining a precisely controlled, multiple range of low d-c voltages. Easily connected to any convenient a-c outlet, the VARICELL provides any desired output in the range of 0 - 3 0 volts b y simply rotating the handwheeh For any setting from 6 to 30 volts, the R.M.S. ripple voltage never exceeds 0.1 volts, and stabilization and regulation is :£ 0.25 volts. Maximum a l l o w a b l e output current is 15 amperes. WRITE FOR BULLETIN
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3 0,
NO.
16
SUPERIOR ELECTRIC THURE AVE., BRISTOL.
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COMPANY C O N N .
• • m m
NAME
CHART C R E D I T S : Employment-De partment of Labor; Copper—Copper In stitute; Textile Fiber Consumption—Tex tile Economics Bureau, Inc.; Wood Pulp— D e p a r t m e n t of C o m m e r c e ; Industrial Ex plosives—Department of Commerce. V O L U M E
THE 804
VI051
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C O . NAME C O . ADDRES S CITY
APRIL
2-I,
m· mm
POSITION
1952
ZON Ε
STATE
• • : 1687
