West Virginia's little-known Wheeling Steel Corp. is only the tenth largest steel producer in the U.S., but last week it was first in the hearts of the industry. One year to the day after U.S. Steel's price rise sparked a business-political uproar, Wheeling Chairman William A. Steele surprised everyone by risking the Kennedy Administration's wrath with an announcement of selected price increases averaging $6 a ton. Steele's timing seemed a deliberate test of President Kennedy's present mood, and steelmen happily hailed Wheeling's lead. Said one competitor: "God bless 'em."
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