The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-08-27
FOREIGN INQUIRIES
 UNPRECEDENTED Nations Wish to Place Orders in United States RAIL MILLS WAITING Buying Continues Light in Pig Iron. Prices of Manganese Advance.
 Structural Projects Being
 Indefinitely Postponed
RAIL MILLS WAITING

New York. August 2s.-tspecial) )-The sron Age will say tomorrow;
 ''The situation in the steel industry is briefly that the mills are as busy as July, while some of them are turning out more; that the buying is considerably less day by day than the productions that a variety of Inquiries have come from abroad without much buying. Thus far the tendency at the moment is to exaggerate the amount and significance of the inquiries from other countries for American steel products.
 That this country will eventually make large exports of steel products because the European supply has been cut off is the general expectation of manufacturers and that expectation is shaping the pres ent market policy of leaders in the trade. Meanwhile the halt in financing and the shutting off of outlets for cotton oil implements, automobiles and other prod ucts have been influential enough to mod fly some paper enthusiasm.
 Another definite advance is noted in billets and sheet bars, which are now Ssl and s22 respectively at Pttsburg and Youngstown mills A sale of 12,000 tons of sheet bars was made on which Sep tember deliveries will beat s22. Eastern plate manufacturers have been asked for prices on a number of lots for ex- port.
 With all the uncertainty in the money situation, the railroads are making no moves and rail mills are waiting with them. In ferromanganese excitement is less. and the price Is more, generally sl0o.
 Though transa actions are still limited English makers have made some ship ments to docks there, and saiings are looked for within another week.
 Pig iron has little share in the advancing tendency in finished materials. Buying continues light"
 Cleveland. O.. August 26.-tSpecial )-The Iron Trade Review tomorrow will say.
 Foreign inquiries unprecedented as to the variety of iron and steel products, and as to the number of countries wish ing to place orders in the United States, are being received, and in some cases, including a sale of a fair tonnage of wire rods for delivery in England.
 Orders have been booked, but for the most part foreign business has not taken definite form on account of the uncer- tainties of transportation and other com plications connected with the prevailing war in Europe.
 ''Jhe ferromanganese situation is not so serious and shipments from England are expected to arrive in about three weeks. The usual quotation is now $l00 tidewater.
 Prices of manganese ore have ad- vanced rapidly. Consideration is being given to the various deposits of manga nese ore and manganiferous ore in differ ent parts of the United States and Cuba, but opinions vary widely as to the ex- tent to which these deposits can be util- ized in making up the present shortage in ferObmanganese.
 Mills are urging large consumers oi tin plate to specify and are giving nos tfication that deliveries cannot be guar anteed unless specifications are promptly received The result of the adoption of this policy has been very heavy specifying by the Standard Oil company and other large consumers, Foreign inquiries for tin plates include one for 2000 boxes from India.
 owing to the conservative policy of the banks, many structural projects are be- ing indefinitely postponed Inquiries for shapes have heen received from India the Straits Settlement and South Africa Prices are being firmly maintained.
 The outlook is that German pipe shops with contracts for large .tonnag ges of cast iron pipe in South America will not bt able to fill their contracts, and 1t is prob able that considerable tonnage of this pipe will be made by plants of the United States. Such business will be welcome as few orders have recently been placed from usual sources"