Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1880-02-06
THE NAIL TRADE.
ANOTHER ADVANCE LIKELY TO BE
MADE


Pittsburgh Post
The Western Nail Association will
meet in regular monthly session in this
city on Wednesday next, and the indi-
cations are now that another advance in
the price OF nails will he made In a
chat with several OF the leading nail
manufacturers yesterday, the reporter
was assured that the advance is surely
coming, and some OF the manufacturers
think that the card rates may he in
creased even before that time. There
are several reasons why there should he
another advance in nails. Manuiactur-
ers say that when merchant bar sells at &c
per pound nails ought to bring from s. 20
to - 20 per KEY. The present card
rate is - % per key here and - % in
the east Nails were selling at s. 90 per
key when merchant bar sold at 81 cents
and manufacturers had more than they
could do then To supply the demand.
With the increase on merchant bar came
the increase in puddlcr's wages and the
increase IN wages paid To- other work
men IN the rolling mills The advance
in wages of course increased the cost OF
manufacturing nails and since that time
the purchaser and not the manufacturer
Of nails has been reaping the advantage,
This is one reOsOn why manufacturers
favor another advance in card rates
Manufacturers say that the demand
for nails still keeps increasing. While
the card rates at present are 81 per key
only regular customers can buy them at
those rates, and even they can not buy
all they want. The manufacturers are
10th To- sell. They want to share the
advantage ui any further increase and
are particularly watCiiul that nails shall
not TALL into the hands OF speculators.
\ good deal has been said about specu-
laturS dabbliRg in nails, hut the best in
formation the reporter could OBJ
tain warrants him in saying that
but few speculators hereabouts up
to this time have gotten hold OF
many nails. Some Oi the manuiaCtur.
crs go so lar as to declare that no nails
are held by outside speculators; that II
there be any nails slowed away they are
held by hardware dealers and other bus
incss men who deal regularly in nails.
Nails manufacturers enjoy u protection
from outside spectators which but few
other producers enjoy. The outsider
may be- able 10 buy nails, but he cannot
easily dispose Of them all to an adyant-
age For instance, when hc buycs he
must buy different sizes, and when he
sells hc can generally sell only
such sizes as his customer may want.
Thus hc has lett ON his hands Il lot OF
nails Oi some particular size, which are
not easily uuloaded at advantageous
rates. The regular dealer in nails does
not suiIrr tue same disadvantage be-
cause, being a regular patron OF the
manufacturer, hc can replenish his dl-
minished stock Of one particular size,
aud then with the unpopular size which
lac was before unable to dispose Of, he
again holds an evenly balanced stock.
The manufacturers feel pretty confident
that outside spectators hold but little,
ii any stock of nails.
The hardware dealers and others who
sell nails regularly are more likely to be
the spectators, but manulacturersth think
these classes are also without large
stocks. Many oi this class OF dealers
have of late enlarged their orders, but
where there we're sudden and heavy in
creases in the order the manufacturers
have been particularly watchiul t0 see
that the large order was not given Tor
the special purpose OF storing and spec
ulating. They have been crowded
with orders and therefore had abund-
ant excuse for declining tO ill orders Tor
say ten thousand key lots from pur-
chaser who usually heretofore bought
two hundred kcg lots Many OF them
have been compelled 10 adopt this
course, while still other manufacturers
have been shrcwd enough To- do 1t at
any rate. They have discovered more
or less disposition in dealers to thus
load up, but iur all that they feel conf
dent that the demand for nails is healthy
and will continue. This, they say, is
another reason why the card rates
should be increased.
There is soma difference of opinion as
To what the increase should be. Some
think that the card should not be in
creased above = 90, but others say that
IS GO is not too high. An increase to
s. 80 would carry with 1t an increase IN
the nailers' wages. Atprcsent the nail
ers receive twenty-seyen cents per key,
and an increase to - 30 in card rates
would give the nallers thirty cents per
KEY under the present scale. Owing To
this fact, some OF the Pittsburgh manu-
iacturcrs think that the Wheeling nail
men ought to be opposed to an advance
in the card. Ii is reported that the
Wheeling manufacturers have orders
ahead for a month, and If this be true
tn would Of CoUr5 oppose any in
crease IN the price OF nails that would
force an increase in the cost ot manu-
featuring until their present orders are
filled. The Pittsburgh manufacturers
do not generally believe. however, that
the Wheeling men have allowed them
selves To get into such a predicament,
and expect that they as well u our home
manufacturers will favor an additional
advance to 50 80 OF - 90 per keg.
Before closing We should state that
the reporter, in his search for intorma-
ton, was courteously treated by all man
uiacturers save one. He VAS making in
quiries OF kindly gentleman at Chess,
Smith X Co =, when one person sud
denly burst out IN a pctulant manner
commanding the gentleman to give no
further information, and firing ill-tem-
pered remarks at the reporter in partic-
ular and at newspapers in general; 1t
was doubtless another case OF indiges-
ton, as the individual had a dyspeptic
appearance.