Eurofer Environment Commission meets at USSK

The best part of twenty members of the Eurofer association's Environment Commission, representing the most important steel producers in the European Union, recently visited U. S. Steel Kosice. On Wednesday afternoon, June 9th, the guests were welcomed on Company premises by Vice President Operations Patrick J. Mullarkey and then went on a plant tour accompanied by USSK Director Environmental Affairs Peter Mosny, taking in the Steel Plants, Hot Strip Mill and the new Galvanizing Line No.3. Thursday, June 10th, was reserved for the Commission's working meeting, attended as well by managers from the host GM Environmental department, during which the members also met U. S. Steel Kosice President George F. Babcoke.

Representatives of largest companies pledge help for region

The extensive flooding which affected the whole of Slovakia in recent weeks, but especially the eastern part of this country, left very few people feeling indifferent. Representatives of the largest corporations in this region - U. S. Steel Kosice, VSE, T-Systems Slovakia and Ness - are intensely aware of the problems of the surrounding villages and city wards of Kosice which have been struggling against the destructive power of rising water and landslides prevent-fouc. For this reason they have decided to combine their financial resources in order to assist the stricken villages and their residents. The joint gift from USSK, VSE, T-Systems and Ness amounting to 220 000 a is to be divided as follows:

• in the City of Kosice - 27 500 eur for tackling the most acute problems in the Kosice-Krasna ward.
• in the Kosice Self-governing Region - 192 500 eur for tackling the most acute problems in the villages of Nizna Mysla - 82 500 eur, Cana - 27 500 eur, Sady nad Torysou - 27 500 eur, Vysna Hutka - 27 500 eur, and Zdana - 27 500 eur.

Blast Furnace No.1 is 45 years old

Forty-five years ago, June 1st 1965, the first blast furnace was fired up at the former East Slovakian Steelworks. That day was a Tuesday, and the firing-up took place at 9.30 pm, as reported in the Ocel Vychodu issue dated June 4th 1965. The flames which were used to fire up the 1719 m3 capacity furnace were brought here from the blast furnaces at Tisovec and in the North Moravian region of the then Czechoslovakia, and were intended to symbolize the partnership between Czech and Slovak blast furnace workers. The first East Slovakian pig-iron was tapped from the furnace on Wednesday, June 2nd 1965.

Blast Furnaces team are USSK soccer champions

Thursday of last week, June 17th, saw the culmination of this year's U. S. Steel Kosice soccer championships, which lasted 46 days altogether. This was the 49th edition of the annual soccer championships in the history of the steelworks to date, and the weather was unkind throughout. The starting line-up consisted of ten teams in three groups, and the final matches for the medals were contested by the quartet of teams from the Blast Furnaces, Power Engineering, Cokery and Hot Strip Mill divisions.
In the match for third place the Cokery came up against the Hot Strip Mill. The 2:1 victory was taken by the Hot Strip Mill team, who thus won the bronze medals. In the final game the Power Engineering team took on the Blast Furnaces. The champions' title and the USSK President's Traveling Cup were won by the Blast Furnaces players, with a final score of 1:0. This is the third title for the Blast Furnaces now in the past ten years, and the team dedicate their triumph this year to their plant, where the employees are celebrating the 45th anniversary of the firing-up of Blast Furnace No.1.