The Washington herald., 1909-01-03
OF METALS
Notable improvements Iron
and Steel Industry.
COPPER HOLDING ITS OWN
Conditions Improve on Basis of Good
Orders. Stocks Of Majority of Con-
Quotations Firm and Quief-Ger-
many Demands More Iron.

The domestic metal markets reflect i'm
proving conditions. which are notable IN
the iron and SjeeI-Uorking industry. ana
are slowly developing IN manufactures Of
I copper, brass. spelter. and lead The
close ~ the year huds the majority Of
consumers OF metals with scaut stocks.
and 10 O. considerable extent the same
condition exists among producers Of pig
iron and manufactures Of iron and steel.
and OF copper. brass. lead. and speiter.
In an area Of upward Of 10000 square
miles Of the West, Southwest. and south.
the stimulation 60 general business that
has followed the rolling in Of crops and
mineral products worth S3gg305.GJ0 this
year has dissipated the last cloud in the
commercial horizon In those parts Of the
country Upward OF 2e3 Of the greater
manufactures OF the Mississippi Valley
/ are operating with fun forces and on fun
time. Like good conditions are reported
by The principal distributing merchants
in the same prosperous region.
The tariff agitation is having the usual
dampening effect upon a Few industries.
notably lead and speiter. 10 weU-lu-
formed interests in the metal business be-
ueve that the tariff VIII be radically
changed
Demand for Pig Iron Strong.
Demand for foundry pig iron IN small
.tonnages. go TO 30 tons. is strong in both
Eastern and Western markets. Low silicon
iron is increasing in call The Quickening
or business II rolling mills and pipe
works has brought about the sale Of
the production Of a number OF large fur
naces rs far ahead as June 90 Western
New York furnaces report steady gains
in bookings and the presence in the mar
ket OF a number Of large specifications
Like reports come from Eastern Penn
syIvania. Central Pennsylvania. MahoninE
Valley. ShenanEo Valley. and Southern
blast furnace operators. Prices are firm at
these quotations for round tonnages;
Buffalo district. No. *. SIS. 75al60o at
furnaces Eastern Pennsylvania, No 2X,
al furnaces. Si6Eal6-50.
German Competition Disappears.
Under improving conditions in the Ger
man pig iron market. the fear that Lux
emburE pig Iron. which until lately was
being made at S7.75 Per ton, Tor grades
little inferior TO No. . Southern foundry.
would be able 70 get into our tidewater
markets. has disappeared German ship
ping merchants were ready 10 send this
pig iron across as ballast. and IN some
cases 60 pay a premium for taking Il as
ballast in ships that could take out cot
ton from this side. and as the Germans
pay bOunties on exports. sUbsidize most
Of their express freight steamships. and
give special low rates on export goods
carried On their railways. il looked for
some time while the strife was going on
among German blast furnace owners as
If this couaTry would be made a dumping
ground for German metal
The marked Improvement in business
n Germany IS requiring the surplus
stocks Of iron and steel Hence our
Southern makers of pig iron consider
that ere long their pig iron viii be based
higher than the present price OF SIS for
No foundry at Birmingham.
Steel Prices Continue Firm.
The steel markets are conditioned BY.
firm prices in all lines. and there Is no
likelihood Of changes IN prices one way
OF the other. SPECIFICATIONS for manu-
faCturers Of steel % the amount Of $50
000000 are before makers Of cars. loco
motives. rails. machinery, structural
steel, and special goods for the railroad
interest Most Of these wants will be
placed early in January.
Car builders do not expect to be en-
ployed UP to % or 50 per cent Of capacity
before March
Copper Firm and Quiet.
The international copper markets ere
firm and quiet Few large sales for
home or foreign account were made last
week Exports Of this metal for this
month are set at 20.o)0 tons. Cablegrams
from twelve Of the larger metal-ssIilng
firms and CONSTITUTIONAL engineering cor
porations Of Great Britain, France. and
Germany indicate that the improvement
in the engineering trades that began six
months ago is maintained
The gain in copper consumption in the
electrical ard marine engineering trades
in Great Britain and Germany within a
few months is equal to the gain made in
che year that preceded she greatest
boom those trades ever knew in the east
ern hemisphere. Local copper producers
quote for the larger tOnnages: Lake, /
II l-2al4 IS cents; electrolytic, Ii I-4a14 IL