The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-11
ENORMOUS ORDERS
 FOR MACHINE TOOLS
Belligerent Powers Place Amazing Contracts With
 United States Firms

Cleveland. O.. March 10.--(Speci l) The Iron Trade Review tomorrow will say:
 Demand for machine tools and various kinds of materials for the manufacture of munitions of war Is tremendous. Or ders for machine tools placed during the past few days represent amounts of money that are amazing.
 A single. export order is said to in- volve millions of dollar. and aAother order divided between two concerns is for PIT small lathes and S9 turret lathes. still another order Is for 100, 100000 ma chimes for Russia. The business from countries not at present engaged In war. is increasing. One import machine tool manufacturer in New England has re- ceived enough business to keep him busy for five years, and has subiet numer ous contracts to other machine tool builders
 Many orders are coming from con cerns in this country which have re- gently taken orders for export Tho Westinghouse Electric and Manufactcr ing company has ordered 40 additional lathes for use in making shrapnel The American Multigraph company. which has not been a manufacturer of ma chine tools. is preparing to get into that line as quickly as possible. The Cam hra Steel company has taken an or der for from 12.000 to 14.o0o tons of light rails for n portable railroad for Russia. Other orders for rails for ex- port have been made but details are not known.
 Inquiries for large tonnages of steel bars for the manufacturers of shrapnei are pending. and one company Is un- derstood to have taken orders for 45,- 900 tons for export to Russia.
 The Steel corporation continues grad ually to Increase it's active capacity which is now about 67 per cent. The small increase in untitled orders. 9s,ooo tons, Is disappointing.
 By exercising option on steel rails, 1t Is understood that Illinois Central railroad has increased it's orders for steel rails laced with the Amalgamated Steel corporation to S5.000 tons. The Bal timore and Ohio has awarded the Car negie Steel company 1000 tons. The Keystone Construction company has placed an order for 5000 tons with the Illinois Steel company for a new line i'll Kansas.
 Prices of galvanized sheets continue to be very high on account of the high price of spelter The scarcity of spell ter Is not relieved. and thers Is ID prospect that it will be. On account Ol very nlRn pTites oI tlfl the Amer1Can Sheet and Tin Plate company has ad- vaneed its price on tin plate $3 per ton. 1t now develops that the recent buying of ferromanganese at s6S in- volved about 10000 tons. The alloy can be had for future delivery at SIS, but s100 is the price for spot delivery If the guns of allies succeed in opening the Dardanelles, the exporting of man. ganese may be resumed by Russia. The contracts for structural material are more numerous in eastern territory. but many shops In the country, espe- elally in the central west. are almost bare of business. Among the tonnages pending are 1000 tons for new brick building on the cathedral site at Pitts burg. The placing of five more ocean going vessels calls for from IS to % tons of plates which will be furnished by the Carnegie Steel company. The taking of all of this tonnage by one company has aroused the suspicion that the price was cut but evidence indi- cates that this tonnage was placed on requirement. contract made at abou. s1.05 Pittsburg, before the price was advanced to $f.1o. The new price of $1.f5 Is now being rigidly adhered to.