Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-07-25
THE NAIL MARKET.
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE FALL TRADE REPORTED
GOOD.
Most Of the Mills Repairing, With the Ware
houses Empty Of GOods-An Interesting
Talk With Manufacturer.

Most OF the nail manufacturers in the
Wheeling district are devoting the major
portion of their attention to repairing
machinery, etc, Just at this time, and there
will not be much activity displayed in nail
making for the ensuing two or three weeks,
taking the mills as whole. After about
the middle of August, however, there will
be general resumption, and the indica-
tons are that the remainder of the year
will see a large output supplying fairly
active demand.
A manufacturer devoted half an hour,
Yesterday, to falling over the situation
with REGISTER reporter, and he left the
newspaper man with the distinct impress
sion that the outlook was very favorable.
Among other things, the manufacturer
said
I'VE have had a fairly prosperous year
so far, and have made enough money TO sat
isfy our stockholders, and have kept our
employees busy, and think we shall be able
10 continue on in the same way 10 the end
Of the wear, but manufacturers generally
are not very well satisfied, as prices are
not quite what they ought to be, under
present conditions
What is the price at present.:
Quotations are sl.S5, in car lots, with
the usual discounts. and ten cents added
for smaller orders. That is as close as nails
can be sold. with steel at $50 50a3l 90 per
ton. as il is at present, although there Is
disposition in some quarters 10 think other
wise
DO YOU mean that there is disposition
by some mills to shade prices'
NO, would not say that. If there was,
feel safe in saying it would not be long
until meeting of manufacturers was
called, and the figures braced up little.
Then from what quarter does the droop-
ing tendency come. Are the wire nail men
pushing you on sales
The trouble arises neither from the
competition of the wire nail men, nor from
a tendency of the manufacturers TO cut
each others threats, as il Is sometimes eN-
pressed. The tendency TO drop prices
originates with the agents. They're the
gentlemen who make the trouble. Take
present quotations of SlS5, for insta&ce.
An agent will call on a big buyer VINO per-
hans is well filled and who doesn't care
about taking any more nails He asks what
the price is, and is told sl.S5. He says:
Make il SIS delivered here, and
III take couple of cars
The agent says: 4 can't do that,
but I'll see what my mill will do, and he
goes out and wires his mill: smith IS OIL
fered nails at Sl.S5, delivered here. Can
Won meet it, The mill knows that any one
who fills such an order is doing il at "A loss,
but Smith is an old customer and they
don't want 10 lose him, and the end Is that
they fl the order, on the quiet. Then
Smith catches anOtheragent, and the agent
catches his mill the same way, and
the first thing manufacturers know,
no nails can be sold in Smiths town,
without great trouble, at figures showing a
profit. 1t is such business rs this that
tends to break down the price of nails, and
the sooner the mills sell their own nails, or
shut right down on orders in any degree |
below the rate. no matter what the reason
or excuse. the better they will be able to
keep control of the market. If agents /,
would wait till buyers asked about nails !
themselves, they would do better in the
long run
How is the demand.n
II can best answer that by telling You |
that the mill warehouses are clear OF nails, !
aud iobbers in the West are in pretty much |
the same situation. We have no nails in !
our mill. having 10 rake and scrape TO make |
up a car load for Il customer the other day, /
and the others are in the same situation
Then the situation would seem to be !
very good for maintaining present prices |
or even securing something Octtcr:'
'Oh. there will be no trouble about main |
tanning present prices, because no mill can |
afford 10 sell nails for less than Sl.S5. | |
think there will be a good market right /
along through the autumn, and that all the |
mills will be busy. The labor troubles in |
the building trades throughout the country |
hurt the demand some, otherwise we would |
have had all we could do to have kept nails /
in our warehouses all summer. Most of |
these troubles, outside of Wheeling, have |
been settled, and as soon as the hot weather |
is over there will be a renewal of building |
everywhere With stocks run down as they |
are. think manufacturers have hold Of the |
best end Of the situation, and if they will, |
can turn the remaining months of 1890 to |
good account