The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-03
PIG IRON TRADE
 REPORTED QUIET
 ~ Only Fair Amount of New Bus mess This Week LOCAL SALES ARE FEW
Market In Healthy Condition, But Con sumers Are Pursuing a Waiting Policy-Cpen Winter Favor
 able to Structural Trade.

The pig iron market is notably quiet.
 Few sales have been reported in
 Birmingham this week. The quotation is
 on a basis of S145O for No. foundry but
 iron has been offered to consumers north
 of the Ohio river at $14. Melters seem to | be pursuing a waiting policy.
 Rogers, Brown & Co.'S Cincinnati re-
 port for the present week says
 Aside from current business in which l little, if any, change is noticed, the prin- l cipal interest is manifest in the extent 1 to which the buyers are covered for the
 second and third quarters. It is conceded
 that during the next five months, in spite 1 of the tonnage which stands to be de- l livered during that time, the largest per
 cent of requirements Is still to be bought 1 This is the case with consumers in this
 territory and it reflects conditions gen. orally. although there is probably as much difference in conditions in various local
 ities now as can well be at any one time ! Some points report inquiry and sales good others report all quiet.
 The long continued mild weather Is hav-
 ing a very marked effect, and has made
 possible the continued activity in struc- l tural material which has passed all pre- ] cedent and has brought about the tre- l mendous demands made on furnaces by
 the steel mills.
 Certain grades of foundry and charcoal
 irons are exceedingly scarce Some of the l numbers of charcoal being in strong de- l mand with no supply.
 A record breaking order for pipe was l placed in this territory last week, ap- proximately eighty-fve miles of 16-ineh 1 line, weighing in all over 16O0O tons. This 1 in addition to smaller order taken by l the same company for fifty miles of B. l inch pipe, will have the effect of strength
 enfng pipe prices which have been some what low.
 l Another reflection of last years ability l to do things is that of the country's coal l production. In 1905 the bituminous and an- 1 thracite coal output was S67 474,393 tons.
 an increase of over 15,163OOO tons over 1 1904. Doubtless the present year will see the output greater than. 4OO,OOO,OOO tons. ] It Is admitted that the output is pro- 1 ceeding at this rate and would have 1 come nearly to this point last year. but l owing to car shortage during October l and November every state suffered a l severe set back.
 1 The manufacture and movement of coke 1 IS proceeding at almost record rate with | l tricts. For the first time in many years l the first of February has seen coke con 1 sumers without multitude of complaints on account of lack of fuel. With such a
 start, the year should break all records ] for consumption.
 Matthew Addy & Co.'S Cincinnati report ] follows:
 | Just in the same way the ladies at an
 afternoon tea say What lovely weather, '
 so everyone in the iron business from top
 to bottom is talking about this very re- markable, and from a business point of view, desirable weather. To show the great influence that weather of this kind has on trade, one large building concern
 engaged in putting up steel structures in
 the cities of the middle west lost money heavily during the three winter months
 last year. During the November, Decem- Der and January just passed it's men have