The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-03
PRICE INQUIRIES ON EXPORT MATERIALS Good Prices Realized on
 Foreign Orders CONFIDENCE GROWS
Ferromanganese Market Quiets Down. Steel Corporation States New Or ders Show Increase Over July.
 Inquiries for Plates

New York, September 2.--(Speeial 1.-The Iron Age will say tomorrow;
 The extent to which foreign orders have come or will come in to make up for the falling off in new business at home is the uppormost question in the steel trade. The United States Corpor- ation with it's complete machinery for handling exports, has naturally closed the bulk of outside business done thus far. No figures are given as to volume, but 1t is stated that the sales include plates, skelp. structural steel, wire rods sheets and tin plates, fence and wire and wire nails. In one case a plate inquiry for an Australian water line, Germany got the original order. which was 12 900 tons. This has now been transferred to the United States at an advance of s7 a ton over the price in the German con tract.
 one satisfactory feature is the good prices realized on these foreign orders now that German competition is removed sale of 1000 tons of wire nails was made to England at s1.S0 Pittsburg, plus extras and one of 1000 tons of wire rods at S27 Pittsburg.
 Independent steel companies in com mon with the Steel corporation are re- ceiving inquiries for prices on export ma terial, but in number of cases New York trading firms which desire to han ale some of the iron and steel business expected to come to this side are col lecting prices and other details.
 The steel corporations export trade VIII be freed this week of some of the handicap of the past month, as ten of It's vessels will come at once under Amer lean registry following the proclamation of the President
 The Steel corporation states that it's new orders as we'll as some in August were more than in July and slight ln- crease may be shown by the statement of September 10.
 The ferromanganese market is quiet ing down: a few sales of the metal have been made at $S5. Two steel companies have bought lots of English ferromang- ganese for forward delivery at some what higher level. Several cargoes from England are now on the water.'
 Cleveland. O.. September 2-fSpecial) The Iron Trade Review tomorrow will say:
 Following a period of considerable ex- citement in finished materials, owing to the European war, the iron trade is coming to a realization that any benefits
  slowly and probably for many months domestic demand must be depended upon almost exclusively
 Although inquiries from abroad are pending in increasing numbers, very few of them have developed into orders and demand for consumption in the United States is decreasing. Hence the present sentiment in the market is not quite as optimistic as it has been during the past two weeks. Confidence that in time there will be a tremendous expansion of busi- ness remains unshaken. se various plans are being considered Tor increasing the production of ferro- manganese in this country
 One company has decided to make the alloy by the electric furnace method and has sold Pennsylvania steel company several hundred tons for shipment this year at $10O at the plant. An important independent steel company will put fur mace on ferromanganese and others are considering the advisability of entering the field. They will undoubtedly do so if satisfactory ores can be obtained At Philadelphia a leading firm has sold two additional cargoes of Russian ore which were intended for shipment to Germany, but were diverted to this~' country.
 An English steamer was delivered 600 tons of the alloy in Philadelphia and several other cargoes were reported afloat The limited sales of ferromanga nese that were made during the past week were at $100 to $110 seaboard, com pared with $3S month ago. An inquiry for 10000 tons of foundry grades for de- livery during the next IS months sent out by a Wheeling company received a rather cool reception from pig iron mak- CTS who are not disposed to <quote for delivery so far in advance. While 1t was undestood the company was willing to pay about $13.50 valley for No foun- dry, 1t has not yet been able to place the business. The attitude of furnace operators throughout the country is one of firmness as to prices, although very little new business is developing
 Enquiries aggregating large tonnage of billets are pending and prices of all kinds of semi-finished products are firm ! and tending upward. Makers are con- servative as to quoting for foreign de- livery and are writing to obtain further particulars as to conditions of sale. important inquiries for plates for de- livery in England are pending, but orders develop very slowly and demand for de- livery in this country is light"