Factory Use Lowest Since ’83

American factories’ operating rate dropped to 78.2% last month as the third straight monthly decline sent the rate to its lowest level since 1983, the government reported today.

The report said that factory use declined 0.2 of a percentage point in July and that it was down across the board--in manufacturing, mining and utility output. The capacity utilization rate has fallen 2.6 percentage points in the last six months and 3.25 points since reaching 82% in July and August of 1984--the high point since the 1981-82 recession.