New Britain herald., 1917-11-15
Steel and Pig
 Iron Markets
The Iron Age says:

! an increasing diversion Of mill pro-
 ducts from accustomed channels oe
 consumption is proceeding with less
 friction than had been expected. The
 difficulties of the mills growing out of i the lack of coordination at Washing ! ton are still painfully apparent and
 in the past week the industry in the
 Central West, particularly at Youngs- i town, has lost pig iron and steel out
 put from coal and coke shortage. l Car troubles have also increased and
 the outlook for winter operations. both as to cars, fuel and labor is not
 encouraging.
 1 Working continuously, the manu- i facturers' committee appointed to ! bring all prices in line with those
 already fixed, has brought out a new
 list including bar iron, boiler tubes. nuts and bolts, boat spikes, electric and automobile sheets, wire rope and 1 pipe skelp, and further announce ments are to be made covering screws, 1 railroad spikes and track supplies and a variety of collateral products. Sheet and tin plate extras are about ready 1 and there is yet to come a revision of crucible steel products.
 An important feature of the weeks new prices is the adoption of a ware house or jobbing spread of 1 cent per pound on sales of plates, shapes bars and blue annealed sheets and 1 1-4 cents per pound on black and gal vanized sheets and cold rolled steel. Though larger than the normal job bers profit these amounts are con- sidered fair, taking account of the reduced amount of mill product that will be handled by jobbers under the conditions There is pXnpCta- | ton of readjustment of jobbers' con- | tracts with mills, based on higher prices than those now made, the steel companies having for over two years refused any guarantees against de Clines.
 In a few secondary products, as nuts and bolts, the new prices will mean in some cases revision of con- tracts. There has been more or less friction, moreover, over the pleas made by various manufacturing con- sumers of rolling mill products, for revision of contract prices. But as long as demand exceeds supply no such readjustments are in sight.
 As the government program of steel
 requirements develops. the steel con-
 suming trade in various lines is feel ing the first cleavage between essen Ildl ana nOu-0SS0HLldl lnuuSLIloS. AS
 priority rulings multiply, the distur- bance from steel scarcity in certain minor lines increases and 1t becomes clearer that the list of affected busi- nesses will grow.
 Litt1A, finished steel is being sold for
 general commercial needs, most mills being sold for three to six months ahead. But very considerable ship
 ments are still being made on con- tracts at lower prices than those late ly fixed.
 The governments requirements are | now counted on to be 100 per cent of ship plate output after due all loWance of plates for war and food industries and railroad upkeep. Many plate users must resort to universal plates and a larger use of rivets. The. total of cars bought for use abroad has now reached 35,00O. Be- sides the 3Q.000 for Russia, closed late last week. are 4,975 for our ex-
 peditionary force in France. Italy
 wants 5000 to 5000 cars.
 Japan is negotiating for 15,OOO to
 5000 tons of American standard sec-
 ton rails.
 Government work continues to mo-
 nopolize the fabricating steel indus
 try The business booked in October
 appreciably exceeds that of Septem-
 Der.
 Japan is to have an early release
 for export of the large shipments of
 plates lately made from mills to Pa
 cific coast warehouses. Orders for
 about 7O,0OO tons of plates for the
 first 25 vessels of the American In- ternational Shipbuilding Corporal ton have been given out at Washington. The government has also ordered in eastern Pennsylvania 5000 tons of plates for early shipment to Italy
 Activity in pig iron keeps up and a fair sized tonnage has gone on the books for delivery in the first half of 1918. all at the government prices and differentials. Philadelphia again shows the largest transaction in basic iron-one steel company buying 45,- 900 tons for the first quarter of 1918. The Steel Corporation is in the mar ket for 10,000 tons of basic iron for it's Pencoyd, Pa, works and this will be the first purchase in years for this plant. In Ohio 5000 tons of basic is sought for shipment to Maryland. Tn Chicago the demand for basic and malleable pig irons Is the feature and there is good inquiry also for standard Bessemer.