New Britain herald., 1917-09-13
Steel and Pig
 Iron Markets
The Iron Age says:

Readjustment in iron and steel ment situation is more complicated if anything. A significant fact is that representatives of some of the En- tente Allies are again actively nego- tiating on their own behalf, indicat- ing the suspension, for the time at least, of efforts to get steel for them through the War Industries Board at the prices to be fixed later for the Washington Government.
 The Attorney General has given an opinion that manufacturer mem bers of advisory committees may cantinue their activities at Washington, by declaring their interest in each gov ernment contract that may be taken by their companies. The steel com m1ttee has not resumed it's functions, however, as the opinion is considered vague on some points and machinery is lacking for complying with the conditions imposed.
 There is a steady run of govern ment buying while the major war program is being worked out; gov ernment purchases, in fact, make up the bulk of current business. Indi- w lief that the market will continue to decline, are doing no buying that can be put off.
 By the latest survey of Army and Navy needs, the mills will be called on to supply the government for more shell steel than has been talked of in the great prominence given to ship plates. It develops also that some large shipments on shell steel con- tracts are yet to be made to Great Britain and that that country will buy considerable additional amount of such steel from the United States.
 Though a new plate mill at Pitts burgh is to start early in October and further new capacity will come in by Jan. 1, the tonnage of plates that will be required for government ships, when projected yards begin building, will leave little or nothing for Japan. meanwhile some of the Japanese plates may be taken from the mills and stored in the hope of getting them released.
 Some producers of plates have been facing a shortage of gas coal in the past week and the possibility of a shut down due to the concentration of coal shipments the Northwest under priority orders. This situation, so far as the East Is concerned, offsets in part the easier tendency in plate prices due to the embargo.
 Large requirements of fabricated steel for American operations in France are indicated by the placing of 100 steel buildings this week with the Blaw Construction Co.,, Pittsburgh, calling for 11,O0o tons. Thirty-two other buildings also for France are pending. There is in addition s5,O00,- 900 worth of steel buildings for the new gun-makng plants of private manufacturers in this country.
 Italy is in the market for billets and various finished products and has offered s6O at mill for open-hearth steel For eight vessels for Italy the American International Steel Corpora 1ion has asked for 15,2O0 tons of plates, $500 tons of shapes and 800 tons of bars.
 Recent government purchases have included 4,O00 tons of rivets and some large bolt contracts are pending, one calling for twenty million bolts. The government has added 14,O00 kegs of nails at $3.20 to it's recent purchases, these being for aviation camps.
 There has been a further settling of prices for semi-finished steel. A sale of 4 Ain. open-hearth billets has been made at Pittsburgh at $65 and one of 200O tons of open-hearth in gots at $60, delivered, netting $5s at mill. Sheet bars and slabs, however, have not been quoted below $75.
 The tendency to lower prices is seen in bars as we'll as in plates in the Central West and to some extent in sheets Sales of several lots of steel bars for delivery in the first half 1918 have been made at 3.5Oc Pittsburgh, and jobbers have bought for the last quarter of this year at 4c. Makers of agricultural implements have asked for prices for the first half of next year but mills have held off.
 Pig iron resales are more frequent. Unconfirmed rumors have been wide spread of the fixing of lower govern ment prices on pig iron and these may have prompted consumers sales in the expectation that the iron could be replaced later on a lower basis. Generally pig iron prices have yield ed $1 to $2 ton. There has been $47 No. 2 Birmingham iron and $50 iron in the Middle West, and gener- ally resale lots have been offered at about $2 under furnace prices.