The star-independent. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1904-1917, 1915-04-16
THE Steel MILLS ARE BUSY.
BUT TRADE BOOM stacking
Export Business Expanding, Although
Home Demand Is Small-The Con-
sumption, However, Appears to be
Gradually on the Increase

New York, April 16.-"The Iron
Age' says the steel trade is going on
in its own orderly way, scarcely meas
uring up to the scale of prosperity at
tributed- to it in some quarters. Con-
sumption, which seems to be gradually
increasing, counting in steel that is
going abroad, is for the time being
greater than new buying.
The expansion in export business has
been marked in the past six weeks.
March contracts with foreign buyers of
iron and steel products were probably
in excess of 250,000 tons, not includ-
ing 100000 tons Of shrapnel bars re-
Gently closed for France. No order
has yet been placed here for 10000
tons of rails for France, as reported,
and the fantastic story of large
French order for bridges to span the
Rhine scarcely needs denial.
A vast amount of shrapnel business
has been and is still being distributed
| in this country by Canadian interest
which has an sS,0O0,000 contract with
Russia, but with this as with a good
deal else in war supply lines there
are complications which make negoti-
ations long drawn out. The disposition
is growing to proceed very conserva-
lively in regard to war contracts where
many Intermediates are at work.
With half of April gone, there is
some light on the situation as to prices
of plates, shapes and bars, which were
advanced to 1.20c., Pittsburgh, by
leading manufacturers. Less weakness
has appeared than part of the trade
predicted, yet new business in these
| lines is still limited. Sales of bars and
shapes have been made at 1.2Oc., Pitts
burgh, and Pittsburgh mills have taken
lplate business at 1.15c., while some
Ohio plate mills have sold as low as
1.10c., Pittsburgh.
Some interest is shown in agricul-
tural contracts for bars, but at 1.2Oc.,
Pittsburgh, the price is now 81 a ton
above that at which most of last year S
business was placed. Some concessions
! have been made in recent sales of rein
forcing bars
At Chicago, plate mill operations
have been at limping rate, so little
car work coming out, and one mill was
idle all of last week. The Chicago 4
Northwestern has decided to buy 1000
box cars and so steel passenger cars
| SURPRISINGLY ldDIiCdbluS couti avs
booked in March, including elevated
work and several large jobs figured on
in preceding months, ran up to GA per
cent. of a month capacity, figured >on
the basis of 100000 tons year. In
the eight months of the war, the aver
age of such work has been less than 3o
per cent. of capacity.
In the lighter steel products the mar
ket has gone on in a humdrum way.
Sheets have developed some weak spots,
especially in galvanized, which have
been offered to jobbers at 3.25c. to
3.30c. at Central Western mill. Tin
plate shipments in March were the
largest for one month in over year.
Wire products are less active, particu-
larly fencing, and there is no indication
of speculative buying.
A differential has developed in the
sheet bar trade, Bessemer bars having
sold at $40, Youngstown, as against
$3.50 for open hearth. American bill
lets have sold at 1875 shillings elf.
Liverpool, or $32.85, and even at pres
ent freights such business is quite at
tractive.
Reports agree that the melt of foun-
dry iron is gradually increasing, due
chiefly to the larger operation of ma
chinery foundries. The malleable trade
mends more slowly.
Southern furnaces have generally
succeeded in holding the $3.50 basis
for No. iron, though pipe interests set
out to establish SO price in their re.
cent buying. Sales of one Alabama in.
terest were $4,000 tons in one week
of the movement.
One eastern Pennsylvania steel com
pany has bought $4,000 to $4,000
tons of basic iron in the past week
Furnaces had little success in the eff
fort to get an advance, most Of this
iron going at or below $13.25, deliv
cred. In the Chicago district some ba.
sic iron has been sold for st. Louis de-
livery and 10000 tons is still pending