New Britain herald., 1916-04-07
 MILLS MAINLY TRY
 ID EQUAL ORDERS
Make No HeadWay and Some Are
 Falling Behind
The Iron Age says today:

March brought the production of astonishing figures, so that the rate for pig iron is now practically 40,- 100000 tons, and for steel ingots 43,OOO,OOO to 44,000,OO0 tons. At the same time mills made no headway in March in overtaking orders; some of them fell farther behind.
 Significant in it's bearings both upon rail prices and expectations Of the duration of large consumption of steel is an announcement just made hX the United States Steel Corpora ton that it's rail making subsidiaries have decided to maintain the pres ent prices until May 1, 1916, as to rails sold for delivery up to May 1, 1917, but will make no commitments beyond that date"
 The statement is taken as the fore runner of advances in rail prices which for some time have been justi- flad on the score of wage advances, the high price of ferromanganese and the much higher prices paid for other forms of steel with which the rails are crowded. It may safely be added that this notification means a large influx of rail orders in the pres ent month, though how much space is still available at rail mills for rcllings in the first four months of l917 is a question. On some of the rails ordered last month deliveries run up to July 1, 1917
 There has been a growing senti- ment that more stringent rail speci- ications would in time bring higher prices and independent rail manufac- turers are not likely to be behind hand in putting rails in closer rela- tionship to the general steel market. IL is now nearly a year since the Railroads were advised of the danger of overstaying their market.
 Heavy Rail Orders.
 Some good-sized additions have heen made to the heavy March rail orders already reported. The Santa Fe has reserved about 60,000 tons with the Colorado mill after placing 12,0O0 tons at Chicago. The Sea- board Air Line has bought 25,0OO tons: the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg, 12,00O tons; the Atlantic Coast Line, 10000 tons; the Wabash, 15,000 tons; theD., L. & w, 5000 tons; the Buston & Maine, 15,000; the Erie, 3O,000 tons. Probably 30O.- 900 is under inquiry, including the Pennsylvania Railroads quota. Con- sidering their under-buying of recent years, the railroads have been en- Fsely conservative in their late con- tracts. Efforts to increase orders thus far given would be no surprise after the Steel Corporations notice. " Pig-iron production in March was 3,337, ,691 tons, or 107,667 tons a day, 9 gainst 3,O87,212 tons in February, or 106, ,456 tons a day. Active capa- city April 1 was 108,5O9 tons a day Tor 317 furnaces, as compared with a7,310 tons a day for 312 furnaces one month previous. Thus April opened with production at the rate of 39,606,000 tons a year for coke iron. Estimating charcoal iron at 1000 tons a day brings the yearly rate within 30,000 of 40,000,OOO tons. :. It was said in some quarters three months ago that furnaces compelled to go ou for refining would there after nearly balance those going in. But meanwhile the active list has grown from 295 to 317-a gain of 22.
 Pig Iron Market Off.
 Pig iron buying has been less, as was indicated fortnight ago. Prices have been stronger in some districts: btIt at Pittsburg those for steel mak- ing iron are at a standstill, and Southern iron has been offered at lower prices in the Chicago district Alabama pig iron stocks increased about 20,000 tons in March, after an increase of 25,000 tons in February.
 Other features of the market are further inquiries for steel for ex- port, including 80,00O tons, chiefly hillets and blooms, from one New York buyer; lower coke and scrap prices; an advance of $5 on light rails, of $2 to $3 on light gages of black sheets and of $3 a ton on spikes. In semi finished steel available supply at Pittsburg has increased fractionaIly.