For sweating U.S. steel companies, producing faster than ever before, production still came nowhere near meeting demand. Straining to catch up, four major steelmakers announced new expansion plans:
¶In Chicago, Inland Steel Co.'s President J. L. ("Joe") Block unwrapped a program that will cost $260 million and boost the No. 7 steel producer's ingot capacity 15% by 1959, to 6,000,000 tons.
¶Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. (No. 4) planned to add $115 million to the $135 million already earmarked for growth, eventually boost its ingot capacity from 6,200,000 tons a year to 6,900,000.
¶Wheeling Steel Corp. (No. 10) announced that...