New Britain herald., 1916-12-01
IRON AND STEEL
 KEEP UP ADVANCE
Demand Will Be Greater Next
 Year Than at Present

l says:
 With more excitement in steel making pig iron than has been seen in many years, iron and steel markeSe have gone on advancing. It was ot to be expected that buyers would take less account of the price factor as higher levels were reached, but that is the outstanding feature. Besse- mer iron went up $3 and basic iron s4 a ton in the past week as easily as weeks.
 As it appears that the amount of pig iron and of steel Europe needs to get in the United States is increasing over the 1916 rate of purchases here. domestic consumers in every line from iron ore to wire are making assur- ances of supplies for 1917 the para mount consideration.
 Railroad, shipyard and building re- quirements of steel for next year, it has been more plainly indicated this week, will be placed without regard to price. The difficulties of getting material as needed now promise to be greater rather than less.
 Rail buying for 1918 at $10 a ton above the price at which most Of the 1917 deliveries will be made is al- ready active At Chicago upward of 100000 tons was closed, including ST. 900 tons for the New York CenSal and 52,00O tons for the Chicago & North western and subsidiary. With other New York Central purchases, it's total is between 159OO0 and 175, 1000 tons. The Pennsylvania Railroad is ea;pected to place about 2O5, ,OO0 tons.
 Car Orders Increase.
 Car orders increase in the face of nearly 100 per cent advance in the price of cars The carbuilders are making more strenuous efforts with no success to get more steel for the earlier months of next year. This month nearly 25,0OO cars have been placed, naking a total of about 75,- 900 since September l, as against 7O,OOO for the whole year Up to Sep tenn Der.
 shipyard inquiry is overwhelming the mills. A domestic shipyard has paid 5c on 2,5OO-ton plate order for the last half of next year. Late in quiries include 55,oOO tons of plates and 20,00O tons of shapes for ten freight vessels to be built abroad an6 on which deliveries in the last of 1917 will be accepted
 Of the 27,OOO tons of Gin. to Sin beams wanted for France, 10000 tons has been taken, the bulk of it al 34Oc. Pittsburgh. Export business in mony lines amounting to a large ton- mage is being regularly put before steel makers but cannot be entertained.
 Advance in Finished Steel.
 The weeks advances in finished steel products include S3 a ton in wire products, effective November "A, bringing wire nails to s3 and plain wire to $2.95 s2 a ton in rivets and $3 to S6 in sheets. There are other advances in bars, plates and shapes of varying amounts by individual manufacturers.
 There is increasing difficulty in get ting sheet bars. Sales of 30,00O tons for 1917 have been made to an East ern company; on one 15,o00 ton lot the basis was $56.5O, Pittsburgh. At Youngstown a steel company bought 5000 tons of billets at x$53, makers mill. Forging billets have sold up to $50.
 Warehouse prices in all markets have been advanced $5 a ton on plates, shapes and steel bars and on iron bars, $2.
 At Pittsburgh last week active buy ing of basic and Bessemer pig iron broke out, 60,00O tons of basic being taken on Wednesday and Thursday at $27 at furnace Later sales of 34OOO tons was made by one producer at $50 for the second half of next year, and today that price is quoted by some furnaces for any delivery Bessemer iron has sold at $33 and $335O, and S35 is now asked. For shipment to France and Italy 75,00O to 100000 tons of basic and Bessemer is before Central Western makers.
 Foundry Iron
 Domestic consumers of foundry iron are now looking on foreign buying of such irons as competitive factor to be reckoned with in 1917. More con- is being given also to 1 possible interruption of blast-furnace operations this winter due to coke shortage. The list of furnaces that l must blow out for refining is also in- creasing.
 Lake Superior iron-ore producers have turned unprecedented reserva- tions of Bessemer and -Bessemer ores into contracts in the past week | on the basis of prices established by | sales on November 23. The new prices, which represent an advance of 1 $1.50 ton are S5.95 for old range and 1 S5.70 for Mesaba Bessemer. The ex- pectation that a S1.30 advance over 1916 prices would prevail was over turned on November 22 by the an- nOuncem ent of ten per cent. wage ad- vances by the leading steel conn panies with it an advance in iron