The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-07
FRANCE AND RUSSIA
NOW RIVAL BUYERS
Both Eager to Get Pulp Beat.
ing Machines for Use in
Powder Making.

France and Russia arc competing for
powder heaters In Philadelphia. 4 firm
there that ordinarily manufactures in
nocent pulp heaters for paper mills has
found a new II lucrative channel for
Its product. Business was very. very dull
his year until II was discovered that
powder. in course of preparation, could
be expeditiously stirred with a pulp
beater. Now the firm is working tn fun
capacity and installing new machinery.
More thar one premium Of $4,000 has
been paid for each heater that could be
shipped inside OF contract time. Pulp
beating machines are bringing $4,000 or
$50. 600. Agents for the allied Govern
mcnts are In friendly but active rivalry
To secure early shipments of the powder
beaters from Philadelphia and elsewhere,
The magnitude OF orders and the
pressure for steel to be utilized in the
manufacture of war munitions are held
responsible for the slow delivery of
plain structural shapes by the steel mills
to the fabricating shops. The latter
nave aiken unusually heavy contracts In
the last sixty days for manufacturing
plant extensions. commercial buildings,
highway and railroad bridges as well as
for subway construction Some OF the
shops are far behind in delivery on con
tracts.
In July and August the fabricated
structural steel contracts were in excess
OF 100000 tons. According to the records
of the largest interests. the August sales
were nearly 10000 tons. equal to the
theoretical monthly capacity of all the
shops OF the country. With the exception
of January, 1914. the August bookings
were the largest for "A single month In
trade history, while the orders taken IN
July and August, with h single eX-
Ception of May and June, 1910, have
never been equalled in a similar period
of sixty days.
The Bridge Builders and Structural
Association reported that July sales Were
Sc per cent OF total capacity. e%quivalen,
to 10000 tons. based upon 1861 tons
monthly capacity. The August report is
awaited with some interest. Up e
August | many shops had taken orders
equivalent to 200 per rent. to 800 pei
cent. of capacity. II Is estimated that
nearly 400, 900 o Of structural worl
to he fabricated are still pending. buI
there Is "A lac OF steel TO be rolled into
shapes. The pressure for steel Is re
Elected in the higher prices current fol
structural shapes. Sales for this monti
are being made at l.3jc. To 1.40c. has,
and fourth quarter contracts command
1.5Oc. Pittsburg. Som f~abricators ar,
still protected on low price contracts To-
shapes, 1.10c. base, n are sharing thi!
advantage with contractors. This is re
sulting in wide variation in tenders sub
mitted on competitive work.
Although steel contracts to cover tn,
manufacture OF war munitions wer,
heavier in August than In any previous
month since Europe turned TO the United
States for war supplies II Is understood
that the average daily bookings by tn,
subsidiary companies of the Steel Cor
poration last month were less han the,
were I'm July. This indicates that thu
independent steel companies shared tn,
August business in larger measure than
in the preceding month. The averag,
daily orders of the corporation, however
were in excess OF capacity. The Angus
output in shipments was the largest II
many years. In fact they were prob
ably never equalled, Yet the Statement
of untitled orders to be issued next Fri
day will probably show slight increase
or IL may show ever a slight decrease
due mainly to the heavy shipments.
1t il understood that the corporation
direct export orders in July were abou
500. 900 tons. or approximately one-thirt
of total sales. During the first sever
months of the veal the export contracts
were nearly 1000, 900 tons, Another
significant feature as indicating tn,
magnitude OF foreign business is tina
many domestic sales-probably one
third-were to cover the manufacture Of
supplies to be eventually exported.
In the last two months independent
steel companies secured n larger pro
portion of the direct and indirect ex.
port trade, which means war contracts
mainly. During the first half OF tn,
year. 1t IL estimated, the corporation
took about 60 per cent. of the contracts
booked and produced about 56 per cent
of the ingot and finished steel output
A REIMBURSEMENT IL under a. now and
probably before the close of the year
these relations will be further modified
The net earnings OF the United States
Steel Corporation In August are esti'
mated at $4,000, 900. This is based
upon a substantial gain in shipments
and increased profits through higher
prices current. The indication In that
July and August net earnings were ap-
p~roximately S2s. 800 5000, In June the
net earnings were at the rate OF S1i,34
per ton on the total shipments. The
August earnings are expected TO be
considerably over the rate Of Sl2 pei
ton.