New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-12-13
Steel and Pig
Iron Markets
The Iron Age saws:

! the HioIe serious turn In the Tall Oelu
situation due to snow and zero wealth
er, have largely occupied the iron
| and steel trades and business has been
| secondary -
! Contrary to expectation the Wash
| lngton meeting was called with no
definite proposal in the minds of the
| government representatives. There
{ was no discussion of specific prices,
but the situation was canvassed with
reference to the latest data obtained
from the manufacturers by the Fed
eral Trade Commission showing in
creased cost of production. The COM
missions findings will now be gone
| over with the manufacturers at Wash
ington, Dec. ] "A, and later the War In
dustries board will appoint meeting
with the steel committee before Jan. l.
Indications are that few if any
changes will be made in the present
price schedule and that it will con-
tinue after Jan. /.
The tendency of the Pomerene bill
for bill government control of the
steel industry figures largely with the
governments representatives as a
reason for not disturbing the market
at this time, though a portion of the
Federal Trade Commission still favors
reductions in basic products.
With no authority which can give as
surance of stable prices, consumers
are cautious in buying. This is true
particularly in lines of product in
which government wants are not DOM
mating. AS to plates, shapes, bars
and forging steel the average buyer
appreciates that contract deliveries
are entirely subject to war priofties.
Saturdays blizzard made havoc of
the plans of the general operating
committee of Eastern railroads at
Pittsburgh. A better movement of
coke had helped Youngstown blast
furnaces to start up, but the coal
situation again became desperate. At
Cleveland wire plants of the Amer
lean Steel & Wire Co. have been shut
down since Saturday for lack of coal,
five blast furnaces being banked.
Specifications for government steel
are going to the mills faster than had
been counted on. and some classes OF
mills are more fully occupied on war
account than seemed likely two
months ago. Yet there are gaps due
to lack of team work. For example,
Canadian plants having contracts for
American shells complain of the slow
ness with which orders for the steel
are sent out from Washington to the
makers here.
The pig iron market is working
steadily toward a condition in which
consumers without war orders will
find it we'll nigh i'm apostolic to secure
iron. Philadelphia continues to lead
in the volume of new buying. About
10000 tons was bought there in the
week, 10000 tons being basic for de-
livery over the first half Of 1918. For
Pencoyd, Pa, and Worcester Mass,
steel works it is expected that basic
iron will be brought from alabama
furnaces of the Steel Corporation.
Pittsburgh and Valley steel works,
unable to buy pig iron to make up
shortages. are using more scrap, but
even so the steel ingot output is only
Is to so per cent. of capacity, and the
ingot output for the year is now esti-
mated at 42,600,0OO tons, as against
41,4O0,OOO last year.
Hundreds of thousands of tons of
steel for Europe are held up at At
lantic ports and elsewhere by freight
congestion. For Italy alone $4,000
tons is awaiting steamers at one port.
In wire products sales are being
made to the manufacturing trade for
delivery in the first quarter of the
mand is still coming up. One 27,O0t-
key contract for nails is being placed
by single Eastern shipyard for new
buildings.
Government orders for tin plate
since September have run up to 400,-
600 to 100000 boxes, Of which about
half is for the Allied Governments.
Practically all the tin plate output of
the first half Of 1918 is now under
contract
Upper lake shipping ports have
sent down their last iron ore cargoes
and the lake movement for the sea-
son Is now estimated at 62300,0O0 to
$50, 100000 tons, December yielding
rather a smaller total than seemed
probable after the extraordinary per-
Torrance in November.
Hospital work: Three esmarch
bandages, so hospital shirts, SO pa
jamas, 49, convalescent robes, eight
bed Jackets. seven towels and four
comfort pillows. Relief work: 26
skirts, 81 slips, six aprons and 2
pairs of bootees. Knitting: Six
wipes, two blankets, eight pairs of
wristlets, 16 sweaters, 81 mufflers,
two pairs of socks, two helmets and
three pairs of mittens. In addition,
a. quantity Of partly worn clothing
has been collected for relief work and
number Of toys and books for the
children in the war zones have been
donated. Five complete Christmas
packages have been furnished thus
far, as we'll as other articles. In this
connection the members of the execu-
tive committee state that they wish
to thank all who contributed to the
Christmas packets.
Selectmen Make Appointments.
The Berlin Selectmen met last eve