Facts, Figures

> Bethlehem Steel, which launched 45 ships in 1941, expects to launch two ships a week throughout 1942. Its shipbuilding backlog is now three times as big as its steel orders.

> Brazil got a $100,000,000 U.S. Government credit (for rubber, iron ore, railroads, etc.) to pile on top of almost $70,000,000 still unused from her last credits. Meanwhile, the balance of trade (nearly $65,000,000 last year) is still running all Brazil's way.

> WPB's Bill Batt announced that U.S. manganese output for 1943 will be stepped up 1,400% over 1940 (to 600,000 tons a year) by developing high-cost mines in Minnesota, South Dakota and Nevada. The Government will absorb the excess price, sell the metal to fabricators at what imported concentrate would cost them.

> U.S. imports for 1941 hit an all-time record of $3,345,000,000. Exports soared to $5,146,000,000. In dollars, this was $95,000,000 below 1929 (1916-20 were also higher), but in actual volume it was a new-record, too (since 1941 prices were lower).

> U.S. Steel took out $1,000,000,000 in sabotage, fire and windstorm insurance.

> The Federal Reserve Board tightened the screws on installment selling. Down payments were upped all along the line, and the time limit was cut from 18 months to 15 on everything except residential modernization, plumbing, furnaces, vater heaters and pumps, and pianos.

> Now that ro more steel strip is needed to make automobile bodies and fenders, it will be used to ease the bottleneck on steel plate for shipbuilding. Strip steel can be rolled as thick as 1/4 in., and two or more thicknesses can be used where extra strength is needed. With the ten wide continuous strip mills thus converted, plate production could be stepped up from 526,000 tons a month to around 830,000 tons.

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