The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-24
IRON MARKET IS
 STILL VERY DULL
Local Sales Are Few and Far
 Between
PRICES REMAIN UNCHANGED
Weekly Rate of Production February. Was Greatest on Record, Yet the Stocks of Foundry
 Iron Are Low.

The Birmingham market has been ex- ceedingly quiet all the week Quotations stand at s14 to s14.5o for No. ?. but sales are few and small Rogers. Brown & Co.'S Cincinnati report follows:
 To locate any new developments in the local pig iron market or in the situation generally would require microscopic search Buyers are more cohcerned with the prompt receipt of metal bought and it's more prompt conversion into finished product then they are about further pur- chases for anything but prompt delivery. All classes of consumers are driving plants to capacity and even those manu- lecturers whose lines have naturally dull periods at this time of year report full operation in all departments. Consump- ton, therefore, appears to be progress ing at rate equal to, if not in excess of, that maintained since the first of the year.
 The weekly rate of production February was the greatest on record, but in spite of this the stocks of foundry iron on hand at furnaces are low and prices for northern, southern and Virginia irons are without change.
 Coke is perceptibly stronger and ship ments during the week have been brisk.
 Matthew Addy & Co.'S Cincinnati re- port for the week of February 19 to 24, says:
 The great question in the market is whether or not the mapority of pig iron consumers can postpone buying until tne late spring. If they can force the sellers to wait this long they can reasonably hope to find a good many weak spots here and there. Thus far this year the buy CTS have not materialized exactly as the iron masters expected But if the lively purchasing that the furnacemen antici- pated had actually occurred 1t would have swamped them, for there is no decent quantity of spot iron available. But in spite of the fact that undoubtedly buy CTS have been proceeding with caution they have not been able to keep out of the market altogether
 There has been right along fair amount of buying-in fact when the tre- mendous purchases made last year for forward delivery are borne in mind 1t IS remarkable that there has been the nec- essity of buying as much iron as has been the case. And the significant thing about 1t Is that steadily since the new year began week by week there has been more buying All this shows that con- sumption is going on unchecked. This week there has been a good trade. The largest lot bought was 250o tons of grey forge. but the aggregate of the small lots has been greater than any time since last November. Even if buyers as a matter of policy would like to wait. yet appar- ently they cannot do it, as they have to have the iron. The demand for faster shipment on old orders is imperlous, and the eagerness of purchasers for quick de- livery of the spot iron just bought tells its own story. There has been since the new year no sudden rush of buyers, but they have been buying something in large and small lots all the time.
 Coke Is in good demand and prices are slightly higher. There is shortage Of coke for quick shipment.