The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-04
HALF OF CAR ORDERS
COME FROM ABROAD
OF 8.O78 Contracted For i'm
May. $500 Are for For
eign Railroads.

Too much emphasis Ia being placed
upon export business In rolled steel
products. according 70 some Of the steel
companies. These deprecate the prom
'nerce recently given TO Wal contracts.
II Is pointed out that under ordinary
conditions sales for export are rot 10
per cent. OF The total sales OF the
various companies. and even to-day
foreign business IL not exceeding Is
to 20 per cent. Of total transactions.
These figures are doubtless correct, hut
when II rs taken into consideration that
heavy sales OF steel products to domestic
consumers are to fill export contracts
OF an extraordinary nature II Is prob
able that sales OF steel destined for the
International market IN the last eight
months have probably been o~ne-third.
or AZ least 40 per rent. OF the total
orders booked, Foreign orders to-day
are most interesting because unique in
character. For the last few weeks they
have been the lie Of the steel trade.
While 1t Ia admitted that so per cent.
OF the steel produced is consumed in
this country the significant feature is
that In the laet month purchases Of
rolled steel on domestic account have
fallen OF probably 500. 900 tons as COM
pared with April. and pig iron sales
have decreased 400. 900 tons. Foreign
business during the same time has MAIN
tanned tho recent average and inquiries,
to-day are more persistent than they
we're early his year.
II Is a most interesting fact that OF
the railroad car contracts placed In Nav
more than half came from foreign coun-
tries. Merchant car builders took orders
for SOS cars last month. of which
$500 will he built for foreign Govern
ments, including 5000 for the Italian
State Railways. 900 for Russia and
500 for France. About one-nnh OF all
the orders for motive power placed IN
May also we're for foreign railroads, in
Guiding those In Canada. Egypt. France,
Cuba, Spain and South America.
At the moment there are numerous OK
port inquiries either for iron and steel
products or for railroad equipment, which
call for the consumption OF heavy tom
nages OF steel, France Is to take or has
taken tenders on cars. locomotives, bill
let's. rounds and steel rails. Russia
wants prices on cars. locomotives. wire,
rails and small arms. Japan has re-
Gently purchased wire rods, tin plate.
s'ee's, steel Plates m pig Iron and Is
still in the market for many OF these
supplies, Italy has purchased rounds.
billets. shells, cars and pig iron and
Is now negotiating for rail- blooms, bill
let's, projectiles and steel plates. South
America has purchased pig iron. rails
and miscellaneous forms OF steel and
constantly In the market.
China has taken railroad equipment,
steel plates and structural shapes and
is now In the market for fabricated
structural steel.
Railroad equipment orders placed In
May call for about 52J, 900 tons Of steel, |
as compared with lei, 900 tons in April.
Thus there was a decrease OF nearly
In the May requirements Of
rolled and forged steel for this purpose
The fallinw on, however. was largely due
to the smaller purchases of rails. The
April rail sales lacked only a little OF
! 900 900 tons. whereas the May orders
were slightly under 400, 900 tons. The
locomotive builders steel requirements
In May were nearly double what they
were In April, The May locomotive
placed included teO standard
gauge and 10 narrow gauge engines.