The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-11-19
PIC IRON BUYING
SHOWS INCREASE
Expect Better Buying in
Finished Steel
ENSLEY MILL ACTIVE
Improvement Takes Form In Encour-
aging Increase in Activity-The
French Government Places
Order
ENSLEY MILL ACTIVE

New ! Ofk, November lo.-tSpocla l. In
Iron Age will say tomorrow:
Pig iron buying has increased and in
| finished steel markets the expectation of
better buying ahead is stronger. Many
| manufacturing consumers seem to be
waiting for the reductions in labor cost
which 1t is widely believed will become eff
fective January !.
Prices in bar. plates and shapes are
now close to the level at which there
was free contracting late in 1911 and
| early in 1912. Conditions otherwise are not
the same, it is true. and neither buyer
| nor seller would repeat the free commit
ments of that memorable movement in
plates and structural steel sales of the
former at Lose.
Pittsburgh shipments are common, with
mills running less than one-third capac-
ity. The export movement is still much
below the average of the first six months
of the year. The French contracts for 3is-
inch shrapnel rounds went at low prices.
about $1,000 being divided between two
Pittsburg companies.
Pennsylvania Steel company has booked
S5oo-ton rail order and the Ensley mill
has a weeks double turn operation ahead.
Sheet prices have sagged with only 40
per cent of capacity employed. Two or
three aggressive sellers have taken BUSH
ness at 1.S5c for No. q black Our Lon
don cable tells of an advancing market
Tor hematite iron. One Sheffield company
has bought 100000 tons. 1t is believed at
Washington that British shipments of
1tI.xr will hn
resumed under guarantee against re-ex-
ports that might reach Germany
Pig iron buying for the first quarter and
in some cases the first half of next year
has broadened; in the east, the activity
has been the greatest. Several large lots
were quietly closed at s12 Buffalo being
readily done on contracts running to July.
Smaller foundries have bought also.
Cleveland. O., November 1S-(Spe-
cial. 1.-THE Iron Trade Review tomor-
row will say:
Improvement is no longer confined to
mere hopeful feeling. but has taken
the form of very encouraging in
crease in orders for pig iron and q
slight increase in activity in some fin
-SitNh iiicp. iht Qull-
ness which prevailed until a couple of
weeks ago has almost entirely disar-
peared and even old material which
descended to unprecedented depths
show more signs of Improvement in
buying
Many meters of pig iron includ-
ing some important companies appar-
entity are convinced that no mistake
can be made in buying at the present
| prices and are showing much more de-
cided disposition than for long time
to place considerable tonnages. oRecent
sales of Buffalo iron at S12 furnace
have been unexpectedly large and the
lowest quotation is not as freely made.
While in some cases low prices rath er
| than increased melt is responsible for
| the larger volume of buying, furnace
/ operators are looking forward to more
satisfactory conditions for the re-
| mainder of the winter.
The present outlook is that with the
cooperation of the government of the
| United states and Great Britain it will
| be possible to import enough ferro-
manganese to meet the requirements
of consumers of this country but it
will be necessary to guarantee that
none of the alloy will become the prop
erty of any consumers of the countries
now at war.
An order for 1900 tons OF rounds
| for the manufacture of shrapnel has
| been placed by the French government
| end about equally divided between the
Steel corporation and the Jones &
Laughlin Steel Co. An order for 1900
tons of rivet rounds has been placed
| in the Philadelphia district. Prices of
steel bars are weak and s1.05 Pittsburg
| is more generally done Bar iron is
| selling freely in Chicago at less than
81 81 n
| troit is about to receive bids on $4,000
tons of cast iron pipe. The city of
| Boston is also in the market sfor 5000
| tons. Prices are very low.