New Britain herald., 1916-05-12
BIG SHELL STEEL
 CONTRACTS PLAC
Otherwise That Market
 Slowed Down in Past W0G
The Iron Age says:


 The placing of new contracts upward of 15O,O0O tons of shell in the form of blooms and round$ negotiations for as much moreE steel, including 5O,000 tons for F and Italy, are the chief developr] of the week. Otherwise the trade has slowed down, as it has3 needed to do.
 Buyers for the allies did not gea three cent steel in these late traA tions. For blooms $50 to $S5 paid, and for rounds 3.5c to 3.75l some pending business $75 has offered for shell forgings, but sI hold for more. At Pittsburgh \ tons of rounds was sold to Italyl inquiries there represent 90,OOOI besides 35,000 tons at ClevelandE
 Steel companies which some ago were turning away domestlcl mess for this year seem to haV9 served space for renewals or tracts with belligerent countries. eign and home consumers in cases have virtually competed fqa available steel, the highest pric4 ciding which should get it.
 The labor situation in the Pittss district is clearing up. The loss o1 iron and steel production was X but foundry and machine shop s4 are still noticeably affecting cons ton.
 The market promises to have rest from price advances. Pipe go higher, and one or two wire nH lecturers are getting $1' a ton the general level. But there slight easing up in semi-finished At Pittsburgh ingots from steel dries have sold at $40, and bflletA sheet bars have been offered atH figure for third quarter.
 The Steel corporation's rail tracts in April prevented a cong able falling off from the previous of increase in thrilled orders. A unheard- of total of 9,S29,551 toIa April 30, last months increase 498,550 tons, against 762, 0S5 to March and GAG, ,199 tons in lFebru8
 The wire trade is a good examIH the way the export outlet .boN prices. Though barb wire cons tion at home is reduced by high Ig foreign demand is a stop-gap, a E sale of 30,000 tons having been to the Allies. Tin-plate prices ar ing pulled up by export sales at per box.
 While some Central Western x mills have advanced to 3 c, fo@ 2S black, 2.90c is still done. IT eastern sheet trade the amoun business booked for third quartz small. .--
 The $5 advance on rails has apM to 15,O00 or 20,O00 tons booked ii# past week. Generally railroad bJ# has fallen off, An order for wood box cars for the Chicago Northwestern is one example ot effect of high-priced steel.
 Pig-iron buying has shown de% There is also the that some producers has rcversed existing only recently are now selling for farther forH delivery at less than for this Various Buffalo sales for 1917 r& sent such concessions.
 Southern iron has sold in the cago district and in the central x at $15 for the last half and for x early months of 1917 at $15.50 at K 1ace.
 A western Pennsylvania steel oany is buying Bessemer iron @ week to week. A 10,000-ton sale@ @ made at Youngstown at $21 at fun N or export to Italy. A southern # teeI company has bought 10000 @ If basic.
 Such iron and steel exports as N eported in tons made a new re t 438,000 tons in March. The K ge for the preceding six months bout 375,000 tons and the pre, ligh month was August with 4o# ons.