New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-01-01

1ctor. Prices OF various cnnmoasStes
uch as breadsturs. livestock. nrovisl,r,s
hides and leather. textiles. and in fact
aea-ly every class OF article. except go,
md coke. OILS and few others, have ,ssa,
Eaadily, and st their present prices alsitost
reach q record The index number a. ,s
December !. as calculated by Braestrea,Es
s S.l2sz which has only been exceede4 So
hat OF March. 1907. when prices ea-has
s--fSS. In December 1905 the ,,,r.t.
vas s6.T22. so that for the current nersas
an Increase OF Ill per cent is shown. will
the increase over March last. the low rssi,+
IL this year. is II per cent s
INDUSTRIAL PROGRESS. Il
In the early part OF the last year demon
sExation practically prevailed In the iron
and steel trade and earnings OF the Iyr.stad
States Steel Corporation, which contro:s eo
per cent OF the steel business In the css,,n-
ny, In the first quarter amounted n n fc+.,
hat suggested at the time the nroha t;3i,+,,
II TIE passing Of the dividend on the earn-
mon STOCK inaeaendent manufacturers
we're cutting prices. and finally the Tyrs;tad
states Steel Corporation broke awav from
Us price level and announced an one, ,.u.-
xet. which had the immediate effect of at
Hacung business. as reflected in thei net
quarter OF ss9.S 49,, against 80 ees ff the
nrst three months. In the third quarter
aet earnings were SIS 246. so7, and it Is likely
that the report for the last quarter will
show more than 5000 COO. Lower prices IN
duceo enough buying gradually to bring
ABOUT eatter quotations. and at the close OF
IAe year contracts were at figures thai
showed IN many cases increase as couapared
E1th the end OF 1905. with only few rrod-
ucts under the level OF the preceding vaar
Fig iron prices arc from s. 20 to g 50 a tim
higher than they were twelve months aro
PRODUCTION Of pig iron in 1909 was heavy
and the weekly rate. as Of December / IVA G
Gs'z-s tons, representing a yearly OUTPUT of
a.ooo.sn tons, estimating charcoal pig iron
AZ Sa.Ooo tons month. On January 1. 1909
pig ron production was AT the rate of 4oI.-
s4 tons month. which rose to almost
eH.oeo tons by August !. that mark being
passed IN September by 5000 tons. AZ the
beginning OF the year the United s5atas
Steel Corporation had sixty-tyyo steel-rusk-
ing iron furnaces in blast and the indepeu-
dents forty-nine. while on December the
steel Corporation had leg and the indapen-
dents ffty-seven.
Copper production In 1903 was close to
1zeaooo,ee pounds. and the large amount
Of the metal held in producers ha IS in
the larger part Of the year is now being
rapidly reduced. and IL is believed by trade
authorities that IN 1910 the demand for con-
sumption will run al a rate that will carry
copper back 70 q I5-cent level. The Decem-
prices for lake copper were as high as 1915
cents, against ~ cents in December 1908.
while electrolytic IN the last month advanced
70 Il cents. against 14.I21s cents in the cor
responding time in the preceding year. The
general metal situation has made marked
progress IN recent months. and the outlook
promises record breaking demand and
earnings IN the current year. The market
for steel products in 1903 started in lgioon
and ended IN sunshine. Most Industrial
companies are now working their plants
On E normal basis, and there are few idle
mills or factories in the country. From the
low level reached by the steel companies
shortly after the October, 1907. panic, pro-
duction has been more than doubled in the
larger number Of cases. the United States
steel Corporation, for instance. now oper-
1ig st 100 per cent, against 90 per cent