The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-04-14
PIG IRON MARKET
 BECOMING ACTIVE
Considerable Tonnage is Sold
 at S14
CONSUMERS NEEDING IRON
Prices Are Firm at Regular Quotations. Cheerful Feeling Now Pervades the Market-Coke Situation
 Practically Unchanged

the Market-Coke situation
 Practically Unchanged.
 The Birmingham iron market is becom- ing active once more, and S14 for No. 2 is being paid freely. The United States Cast Iron Pipe and Foundry company recently bought 10000 tons of No. ? foun- dry at sl4 and 5000 tons of No. at SIS 50. Since the first of April the sales of Ala bama iron at s14 on a No ? basis. amounts to between 9o,OOo and $500 tons.
 Rogers. Brown & Co.'S Cincinnati re- port for the current week, says:
 A cheerful feeling pervades the iron market this week. The production of pig iron during March was the greatest in the history of the country, but con- sumption was fully equal if not larger and demands from consumers still are received requesting anticipated deliveries. The purchases of a heavy tonnage of foundry and Bessemer irons by the lead ing pipe and steel interests are having due effect on the minds of those who have been hestating about covering their requirements. The large contracts for rails and structural material and the ad- vance in tin plates, due to the scarcity of steel bars. all tend to show that there is no let up in the general conditions of prosperity Inquiries are coming in quite , freely. and it is apparent that many of the large consumers are testing the mar ket and some of them have found on un- expected frmness, which is gradually bringing them to the belief that the time is ripe for buying movement.
 Makers of malleable castings foresee a year of unprecedented business. Ii is ex- peeted that they will soon buy for the last half of the year.
 In consequence of inability to secure labor to chop wood and make charcoal, the southern charcoal furnaces have not been able to run one-half time during the past few months, and there is in consequence. decided scarcity of south ern car wheel iron and prices have ad- vanced.
 There is continued interest on the part of users of basic iron and deals of im- portance have been negotiated.
 In southern brands prices are somewhat frmer $l4 for No. foundry has been established as the price by the leading producers at Birmingham.
 The coke situation remains practically unchanged It is expected that the trouble in the anthracite district will soon be settled, but if the peace negotiations fail there will be a continuance of high prices for coke on account of the demand from the east
 Matthew Addy & Co.,. s Cincinnati report for the week follows;
 Very heavy buying of pig iron has marked the week. In this market there have been some unusually large transae- tions, notably one for just about 15,0o0 tons of chilled basic. The various pipe companies have been purchasers of large blocks, and they are still after consider able tonnages. In addition there has been great deal of interest on the part of the general foundry trade, and while as yet they have not bought in wholesale quantities they have placed many or ders for all kinds of iron. The 5O 100 and 25O ton orders for early shipment from foundry users are a distinct feature of the market. There have been so many such orders that they count up very rapidly Of course there have been with these lesser foundry orders some 5d0 and 1000 ton lots But the buying has been on much larger scale than any time since the beginning of the year and it has cleared the atmosphere very decided ly. This large buying just at the opening of the second quarter of the year shows that consumers are running out of iron and as consumption is keeping up at the record breaking pace of 1905 there can be no question but that the demand will continue.
 As far as the furnaces are concerned their position is one of great strength. They are still well filled with orders, and the rev business they are taking on is sufficient to relieve any immediate anx- Iiety that the iron masters may have had regarding the summer months. They are now assured that there will be busi- ness enough to % around. The'e are 10 accumulation of socks eithcr E. .ile north or south There has been some lit tie surplus of low grade iron in the south. but the pipe companies have now gobbled that while for the good and standard grades of foundry iron there is call for more than is being made. To- day No. 1 soft and No. ? foundry are really in short supply.
 Taken as whole the market Is in very good shape and the outlook Is de- cidedly promising.
 There is not much doing in coke. The strike has fattened out and the stimulus given the trade by the fear of a general strike and the consequent shutting off os supplies Is at an end. So the coke trade today is simply along normal lines.