The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-01-20
RESTLESS SELLERS MAKE CONCESSIONS Pig Iron Market Strong in
 Most Centers INCREASE IN WAGES Ten Per Cent Raise for Miners in Lake Superior Region-Demand for Plates for New Ships
 Is Very Active

Cleveland, January 19.--(SpeciaI.) The Iron Trade Review tomorrow will say:
 Although the pig iron market con tinues strong in most centers, some sellers have become slightly restless on account of recent inactivity of buy CTS and are showing a disposition to make concessions. This is true par ticularly in the Pittsburg district in the case of basic and some sellers of fo indry iron in making shipments to distant points are naming delivery prices which net the furnaces less than recent quotations. This is illustrated by the shipment of pig iron from Cleve- land to Pittsburg.
 'Tn eastern territory numerous sales have been made. but the tonnages are not large. The Rogers Brown Iron company, Buffalo, has sold 75,0OO tons of hot metal to the Lackawanna Steel for last half shipment This transac- tion may have a strengthening effect on the Buffalo market, where sales have been made at rather low quota tions
 'Th wages of all miners in the Lake superior region will be advanced Feb- ruary about 10 per cent. Indepen- dents reduced wages shortly after the European war was declared, but the Steel corporation did not The Inde- pendents advanced last fall to schedule Of the Steel corporation and now the schedules of all mines are to be ad- vanced.
 ''The demand for plates for new ships D@% company which has 500,000 tons of ore on dock at Cuba which it cannot find vessels to haul, has decided to build two large ore freighters requiring about 10000 tons of plates. The Mary land Steel company has taken an order for freighter for a Norwegian inter- est and orders for four packet freight CTS to be built on the lakes have been placed. Atlantic Refining company, being unable to obtain satisfactory de- livery from the Atlantic shipyards, has placed an order for two tankers with the Union Irin works, San Francisco. Pacific Coast yards have also booked orders for six lumber boats.
 "A recent sale of Bessemer billets was made at $40, Pittsburg, but this is not regarded as fixing the market. In the east inquiry for semi finished material is extending into the third quarter and sellers are not willing to conIfaCI aC present. Wire rods are being sold at $50.
 "Some sales of ferromanganese are being made at $125 seaboard on con- tracts, and prices as high as S175 are being asked for prompt delivery. Rec rd-breaking prices prevail on manga nese ores and freight rates are eX- tremely high, being in some cases 120 shillings from Bombay
 Foreign buyers of large rounds are offering to pay very high prices for the American product, but find it diff cult to place the business with mills which are already overwhelmed. AL though some bar contracts are reported at as low as 1.S5c Pittsburg buyers do not find it easy to contract and the selling policy of leading companies for delivery after the second quarter has not been defined. Agricultural imple- | ment manufacturers are not showing much activity. but are presumably l watching the trend of events