The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-12-14
IS INTERESTED IN
CEMENT INDUSTRY.
United States Anxious to Sec
That Sufficient Quantity Is
Turned Out.
PLANTS WILL SHUT DOWN.
Necessary to Make Needed Re.
pairs to Machinery, and Cur
tailment May Send
Up Prices.

| i'If'l-i- >i'l| lNi.-
Washington. De'. BIN view of the
| quantity of cement which will he CON
sumed in the different irrigation projects;
| contemplated In the far West, the In
| terror Department and the Geological Sur
| vey are keeping close watch OH the ASSOC
citation Of Portland cement manufacturers.
| and information of an important and
| highly interesting character has reached
| the department concerning a meeting held
in New York last week. from which the
press was excluded.
The association is composed of fnrty-fiye
OF the largest firms manufacturing ce-
ment representing n large percentage of
the $50 0t0. coo invested in the industry. and
with mills of total capacity of $500 to
10000 barrels day. Consequently the
| action of the members of the association
In unanimously resolving to close their
mills for repairs FOR a period of six weeks
or more between January ! and April |.
1901. is of the greatest importance to the
building trade. IT means u ctrtailment
of the supply of cement which will he on
hand when building operations commence
next spring of not less than 3,MDOlO bar
rcis.
NEED REPAIRS
During the last two years the cement
mills have run night and day with the
result that their machinery is in bad
shape and repairs are absolutely neces-
sary. The demand for cement also caused
Il great increase in imports OF coment,
amounting to about 2,G0o000 barrels on the.
Atlantic Coast alone.
In consequence, prices have been &C.
ni m
in the Lehigh Valley to sl15 per barrel
]. o. b. cars in carload lots at San Franz
cisco. 1t is understood here that the mem-
bers or the association expressed their
opinion that with prices at their present
basis decrease in imports could he ex-
peoted, and at the same time reports f,om
those present showed the stocks on aand
December l TO be light and much less
than was anticipated. In view of these
facts. the decision to close the mills for
repairs Is taken as an indication that the.
cement men anticipate great falling off
lii building operations In 1904, accom;,nIied
by decreased demand for cement which
Is now so largely used in the erection Il
buildings.
FREIGHT RATES
Another question discussed was the is
sue between the cenent manufacturers
and the railroads. The former are said
to be put out considerably by the fact
that the freight rates on cement are so
high that in the mater of furnishing ce-
ment for the Tonic Basin dam they were
accused Of asking the Government So a
barrel for cement which really sells for
s1.7o at the nearest mill, and which will
be offered to the Government {. o. b. ears
Tor SLED or less. The Executive Commit
tee Will take up this matter with the
railroads. and, ii is said, will not only
seek to have the rates in this instance ad-
1usted satisfactorily to the Interior De
part!nent. but Will attempt to secure more
favorable classificationS and rates
throughout the country, and to obtain
such concessions on cement intended for
export as are granted on iron, steel and
other building materials.
The Government il deeply Interested in
the matter. because of the cement which
will be used in the dams and canals in
the irrigation of arid lands, in the Ultra
tion plant to be constructed in the Dis
trict of Columbia and in the building Of
the Panama Canal AS cement 50 largely
enters into the construction of all build
tons OF the association are matter of
concern 20 all parties interested in build
Ing operations.
GOVERNMENT BIDS.
A proposition has been received by the
department from the association, looking
for bids on the furnishing of 10000 bar
re!s Of cement for the Tonic Basin dam
project. Bids are to he invited for dciiv-
ering the cement at the site of the dam
or for manufacturing II there, whichever
can be done most chcaply-
The Government has purchased the ma
chnery for cement mill, with a daily
capacity of $50 barrels. but 1t will not lie
erected at the site of tho dam until after
the bids are received The question Of
enters so largely into this
matter that until the bids are opened it
will not he known whether 1t will be
cheaper to buy the 2OO.C0O barrels Of &C.
ment and transport it TO the site of the
dam to ship the machinery there and
the $4,000 barrels of fuel oil which will be
in making the cement at the
dam.