New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-01
Metals

interest IN tne steer lrdue ~ SUN
centred in the placing of government
contracts, present and prospective. and
lin the final settlement of prices which
will become effective on all govern
ment purchases. The American Bridge
Company is accepting no new contracts
from other than government sources
and has already booked orders for 3d.
900 tons of structural shapes for work
at navy yards and at arsenals and
about 10000 tons from manufacturers
engaged on government work.
The Navy Department has received
bids from general contractors on ff-
teen mine storage houses. forty maya
zines, a nautical institute at Washing
ton, and an Office building at the Ports
mouth Navy Yard. These buildings will
require $500 tons of steel. The Navy
Department will take bids also on sew
cral buildings at Annapolis of concrete
and steel construction.
Shipyards, airplane manufacturers.
engine builders and manufacturers of
munitions who have received govern
ment orders are now actively placing
contracts for cranes and machine tools.
II is estimated that contracts for the
expenditure of S5,000,000 for machine
tools have been placed recently.
More contracts for boats have been
placed by the Emergency Fleet Corpo-
ration. and builders who have received
previous contracts for cargo ships are
actively in the market for structural
steel for plant improvements as we'll
as for shop equipment. The Bethlehem
Steel Corporation has offered to build
100 ships for the government. Auto
mobile manufacturers IN the Central
West are turning their attention to
building air plane motors and are buy
ing material in the open market.
Railroads. while actively in the mar
ket for miscellaneous supplies, such as
car axles. brake beams, railroad spikes.
bolt and track supplies generally, are
placing only few orders for rails, cars
and locomotives, largely because of the
inability of equipment manufacturers
to obtain necessary supplies of steel.
The few lots of rails available COM
mand extremely high prices; even sec
onds are bringing $50 ton, while light
sections have scld as high as $50 a
ton. The principal locomotive order
was 65 for the Burlington. to be built
by the Baldwin Works; railroads have
also placed few bridge orders.
Increased activity has developed in
pig iron in the last few days. Sales
throughout the country have amounted
TO about $4,000 tons since last report.
Substantial contracts have been placed
by manufacturers of railroad and agri-
cultural equipment, of machinery and
Of war munitions. Prices have ad-
vanced between So and 81 ton ION
foundry graded in Eastern Pennsyl-
vania and in Virginia, and So a ton at
Buffalo and in Alabama. The Pitts
burgh market, while strong, has ad-
vanced less rapidly. Cast iron pipe is
up So a ton. and additional manufact-
ures OF steel pipe have advanced 81 to
SO a ton. Coke is excited and spot
fuel has brought as high as SIS ton.
Conditions in the copper market yes
terday were unchanged. With the an
nouncement from Salt Lake City that
the strike in the Utah mines had been
settled producers were more hopeful
that the differences with miners in the
other sections would be amicably ad-
justed. The lead market is showing
improvement. and independent pro-
ducers are asking slightly higher prices
than the American Smelling e. Refining
Company, which quotes IL cents
pound.