New Britain herald., 1919-08-07
STEEL AND PIG
 IRON MARKET
The Iron Age Says:

Actual stoppage of pig iron and the Cleveland and Chicago districts in the past week have given more weight to the possibility of curtail- ment by strikes in the steel indus works operations of the American Steel & Wire Co. at Cleveland have been largely suspended. At the South Chicago works of the Illinois Steel Co. { out of 2 blast furnaces are banked, and at Gary fl out of If open hearth furnaces are idle.
 The unionizing of blast furnace and steel plant workers in the Pittsburgh and Ohio districts has shown no marked progress in the week, but the outlook is more threatening because of the railroad shopmen's strike, and a new uncertainty has entered into the prospect for the remainder of the year.
 The increase in pig iron in July was pronounced, as was expected, the tai for the month being 2,42S, ,541 tons, or 7S,3 340 tons a day, as against 2,114,738 tons in June, or 7O,495 tons
 
 kept up through the month so that 239 were in blast on Aug. 1 as against 200 one month previous.
 Pig iron production at the begin ming of August was at the rate of S5, 635 tons a day as compared with 71,7OO tons a day at the beginning of July, the present operation being at a yearly rate of about 31, ,500, ,000 tons, whereas the 1918 output was 39, 100000.
 Export trade picked up toward the end of July after at quieter fortnight. The placing of 150 locomotives for Poland with the Baldwin Locomotive Works, which accepts 10-year equip ment nOtes came after long negO- tiations. Orders for 5000 to 1O,- 900 cars are expected to follow, but the arrangements of q car trust may be long drawn out. Thus far man. ufacturers have been more active than bankers on these European deals and the need of strong leadership has been marked.
 A fully financed enterprise, the Ia ta Steel Works in India, is figuring on American steel for large additions which will take nearly 10000 tons of structural shapes. British works cannot meet the deliveries wanted.
 There is some confusion in news from Europe, With uncontirmed re- ports of American capital figuring. Americans, for example, arc reported to have acquired control of an Aus trian steel plant. Thirty steamers arc expected soon to load Swedish ore from German blast furnaces.
 Shipyard developments have been
 n; pany and trawIcr orders represent upward of 2O,OOO tons of plates. The Steel Corporation's notable program, now in process, calls for II ships to be built at it's Federal yard and 10 at it's Mobile yard.
 Plate orders have improved at Eastern mills and cut prices are less in evidence. Actual advances in fin ished products are regarded as more a contingency in case of strikes than as forced by demand, the leading pro- ducers' policy being rather one of price maintenance through 1919. - Chicago makers of rail carbon bars have advanced their prices $2, be- cause of the high price of re-rolling rails Large structural rivets and boiler rivets have advanced $4 a ton.
 The tendency to advance pig iron prices is seen both in Southern and Buffalo district products. One South ern producer put up prices 75c from Aug. 1. There is some figuring on 1920 iron. but sales have not been large. On a 20,000-ton purchase of basic iron by a Northern Ohio steel concession was made from the valley furnace price of S25.75 and transa ctionS in basic have been reported at not far from $25.