NON-COMMUNIST STEEL OUTPUT CONTINUES TO FALL

  Steel output in the major
  non-Communist producing countries fell sharply in February,
  continuing a long-running trend, International Iron and Steel
  Institute figures showed.
      Production in the 30 countries which report their figures
  to it was 6.9 pct below the February 1986 level at 32.03 mln
  tonnes.
      Output in the United States fell 18.5 pct to 5.30 mln
  tonnes, that in Japan 7.8 pct to 7.27 mln and that in the
  European Community 6.5 pct to 9.91 mln.
      The figures continue to indicate a switch away from these
  traditional major producing countries to the more advanced
  developing countries.
      Brazilian February output rose 9.2 pct from year-earlier
  levels to 1.73 mln tonnes and that in South Korea was up 7.5
  pct at 1.17 mln tonnes.
      The 30 countries covered by the figures account for about
  97 pct of world non-Communist steel production, the Institute
  said.
  

