The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-04-17
Ore Agents at Head of the Lakes
Predict a Sweeping Price,
Cut.
COMMODORE BEGINS
SHIPPING YESTERDAY
Virginia District Will Be Little
Affected by Lax State of
Iron Trade.
From Saturdays Daily.

From Saturdays Daily.
Iron ore from the Mesaba
range will sell during the
year 1914 for from IS to 60
cents a ton on all grades less
than during the shipping
season of 1913. This is the
opinion of ore agents at the
Head Of the Lakes ex-
pressed to prominent Me-
saba range mining men fol-
lowing the annual dinner of
the Lake Superior Iron Ore
association held this week
at Cleveland which failed to
fix the price of ore for the
year 1914.
Furthermore it is an
nounced that the price of
ore will not be definitely
settled until some time in
May, while shipments will
start from the Mesaba and
Vermilion ranges next week.
Ore shippers are generally
of the opinion that market
prospects will be consider
ably improved in the second
quarter which means SUBJ
stantially July and with
conditions as at present
there are open and authen-
tic predictions that only
minimums will be shipped
from Mesaba range proper
ties up to that time, while
if a better price does not
then prevail many low-grade
properties will be closed for
the entire season.
Ore agents at the Head of the Lakes
are divided on opinions as to market
conditions. The controlling influence
is the price of pig iron. Under recent
tariff revisions Canadian pig iron is
put in direct competition with Amer
lean pig iron and the result is con-
siderable price reduction. Ore sales
are consequently affected.
Rumored Low Sales.
While furnace concerns and mine
operators have generally occupied a
firm and opposite stand as affecting
sales, rumors of breaks in the ranks
Of the operators are persistent. One
is to the effect that the Rogers Brown
company operating the Buffalo-Sus-
quehanna at Hibbing, recently devel-
oped and one of the biggest open cut
properties on the range, have sold q
million tons of non-Bessemer at &C
cents a ton under last years price
quotations. Those familiar with ore
marketing conditions predict break
from the Corrigan-M Mckinney ano
Breitung interests who operate anG
control large non-Bessemar producing
properties on the Mesaba and other
of the Lake Superior ranges.
Ore Sold on Reserves.
Such early shipping as will be done
from the Mesaba will be largely on re-
serve sales, according to stories cur.
rent in reliable quarters today, while
it is also generally predicted that with
market conditions remaining as al
present not more than two-thirds Of
the tonnage shipped last year will g
down the Great Lakes this season
The first quarter ore shipping activi
ties will be confined generally to &C
tual minimums, while small non-Bes
semer producing properties will fint
the present price level quotations
prohibitive and many will suspend
especially among the underground
where the cost of mining is more thai
in the open cut properties.
Virginia District Little Affected.
While the general outlook for or
sales is far from reassuring it seem
fairly certain that the Virginia dis
trict will be little affected as Their
is in prospect here a considerabl
amount of development work.
Commodore Shipping.
The first shipments from the Vir
einia district to the Head of the Lake
docks went forward yesterday fror
the Commodore open cut mine here
where steamshovels were cut in tn
first of the week. Operators who hav
contracted ore on the reserve basi
will be generally active next weel
while the early movement will nc
be of the proportions of last season
Mining Men Skeptical.
Local mining men generally ar
skeptical as to the reported or
prices. They, however, take an or
timistic view Of the general situatjo
and declare that if the present seaso
falls below the two preceding in poir
of shipments there is nothing to pre-
vent the 1915 season from breakin
all records for prices and productio
on the range.