Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-31
MILD WINTER an AID.
manufacturers of Steam Fittings Say
Their Trade Has Been
HELPED,BY THE WARM WEATHER.
Little Activity of Late in Japanned and
Granite Ware Goods.
AN ANOMALY In TIN PLATE MARKETS,
OFFICE OF PITTsBURG DISPATCH,

OFFICE OF PITTSBURG DISPATCH,
SATURDAY. March y, 1890.
A representative OF one of the principal
firms engaged in the manufacture OF fittings
for steam work, in an interview to-day fur
nished some facts of interest as to this i'm
portant industry. He said: 1.-THE materials
needed in our trade took an upward turn
along with pig iron at the close of 1889. Our
products, though hardly as firm as they
were three months ago, are much higher
than they were year ago at this time
Lake copper advanced 40 per cent. in De
cember and casting brands 30 per cent Our
castings are costing US fully % per cent
more than they did eight months ago. There
has been a slight reduction in copper
amounting to about 4 cent on the pound.
"The volume of business done by our firm
has been 25 per cent larger the past three
months than for the corresponding period OF
last year. The open winter has enabled
those who handle our products to do an un-
usual amount OF outdoor work. l cannot
remember a winter SO favorable to our trade
as the past has been. The outlook for the
year before us is bright. There is no sign IN
sight of decline in orders and appearances
for this year.
The Outlook is Promising.
.'Our territory, which covers the region for 100
miles from PIttsburg is prospering. New en-
terprises are sprnging up in all quarters of
this territory, and it is plain that our products
will be needed for a year to come in sufficient
quantity to insure a full line of trade. The re-
cent drop in pig iron is not felt to any appre-
ciable extent in our industry, but, of course, it
fnT+f DON ardF mas
any length of time"
The latest price of lake copper in carload
lots is 1870, and casting copper 13c lb. The
latter was down to lie per lib. within the past
wear.
zone of our leading manufacturers of jap
AIMED and granite household utensils said to-
day The materials used in our trade ad-
vanced sharply in the latter part OF last year,
along with pig iron and steel. The leading ar
tIcle we use is tin plate. In this line we are
dependent entirely on England for our sup
plies. Prices there went up 20 per cent in De-
cember, and we cannot buy any cheaper to-day.
Tin Plate Remarkably Cheap.
when tin plate was advancing spectators
loaded up heavily, as they did in iron and steel,
and many being forced to unload, we are now
having that anomalous condition of things
when tin plate is selling lower in the United
States than in England. In my view the pres
ent depression is only temporary reaction
from the boom of last December, and that there
is a prosperous year ahead. When tin plate
advanced our goods went up about 10 per cent
and while there has been some cutting of late,
feel confident that this is only temporary andiS
TO be charged up to speculators- Prices of tin
plate still very firm across the water, and it
now looks as though Congress would impose an
additional ! cent per pound duty, which will
bring the tariff on tin plate up to 22l0 cents
per pound. The addition has been agreed on
BY the Committee of Ways and Means and
prices will inevitably be forced upward when
this is framed into law.
with the protection afforded by the addition
to the duty, it is thought that a number of
American manufacturing firms which went
under On the low tariff will be revived One of
these which succumbed is located at Leech-
burg"