The sun., 1919-06-26
HENRY FORD GIVES
LARGE IRON ORDER
"Iron Age" Declares Germany
Cutting British Steel Rates
in Neutral Markets.
ALL REPORTS OPTIMISTIC
June Output Is Predicted to
Be 10 Per Cent. More Than
That Of May.

Henry Ford came into the iron market
this week with an order for $4,000 tons
Of Iron. given to lake furnaces, which,
with several other orders of somewhat
smaller size but aggregatlng consider
! ably more than the %, 900 tons placed by
Ford. has done much to revive the in
dustry. Reports from all centres this
| week are optimistic.
! The Trot Age, declares that Germany
has begun taking steel business in neu-
, trail markets at prices which England
cannot consider.
The Iron Trade Repioto says Of the
situation to-day Rising mill and fur
mace operations clearly denote the sus-
tanned output in the iron and steel situa-
ton. In some mills the demand is rum
| ming well in excess Of the current output
! foreshadowing a further early contrae-
| ton OF idle capacity. With due emphasis
laid on the absence of railroad buying
| and Its REFRESHING effect upon such heavy
products as rails and plates the present
showing Of the market Is surprisingly
good Sheets now reflect the expanded
buying In that product. which since June
| has averaged 10000 tons daily for all
plants, about equally divided between the
| leading producers and the independents
| In lap welded tubes the mill books are
filled for three to five months Manufac-
! turers Of wire continue to fall back in
deliveries and makers have stopped So
Letting contracts.
Advances Wire Export Rate.
zone. producer Of wire products has
advanced his export quotations Sc on
wire and IS on nails. Some independent
bar mills are operating at full capacity
| for the first time. This week, after
| three weeks OF an exceptionally heavy
buying movement in foundry and malle-
able pig iron. the market Is slowing
down, Past weeks sales nevertheless.
added large tonnage. Prominent in
this was $4,000 ton order placed with
lake furnaces by the Ford Motor Com
pany. The Standard Sanitary Manu-
featuring Company has bought 10000
! tons additional. and a Wisconsin auto
mobile builder has also placed an order
| for 10000 tons. Many furnaces are COM
fortably situated on orders for the re-
mainder of the year and some stacks
| are sold out full. Lack OF buying of
steel manufacturing iron remains a drag
on the INCREASED production"
The Iron Ace says: production Is
| now at about so per cent. of ingot capac-
ity and Junes output will probably be
| fully 10 per cent. more than Mays The
greater activity in pipe. wire and sheets
| Is OFFSET by the still relatively small de-
| mand for bars. plates and shapes. Or
| ders are coming in faster than the ship
| ment rate and some accumulation Of
bookings Is the tangible evidence OF the
| continued Improvement. The old law
OF supply and demand is receiving SOME
recognition. Buying Of wire and wire
products and OF iron and steel remains
| sufficiently vigorous so that talk per-
4 al Of If ari,y 90
Producers Oppose Price Changes.
ct happens, however, that the strong
hands among producers are opposed TO
| a price change, at least for several
| months, but one mill demands 50 more
| a. ton on wire and rs cents more a key
on nails for export. .
Three large makers Of lap weld pipe
are booked practically for the remai nder
of the year, and the revival in building
accounts in part for increased interest In
butt weld pipe. With mills at IS per
cent. operating basis there is less shad
ing in sheets.
| "The upward price movement In Eng
land is marked. particularly In rails.
which are now quoted at $3.50, against
| S45 here. Wages there have been In
| creased 1914 per cent. and mill opera
tlves now demand the six hour day
| Germany has begun taking steel
| business in neutral markets at prices
| which England cannot consider and BEL
/ GUM is offering bars. plates and shapes
at Antwerp. though probably not in very
large amounts. equal to and in some
cases little below British seaboard
prices. Luxembourg plants expect TO be
in full blast in two months. marketing
| through Antwerp.
| american pig iron is reported sold at
$3.45 below the British product. Amer
ican billets were bought at SIS per ton.
Liverpool, for July shipment.
Structural steel lettings continue II
grow and the East is now beginning to
get the pace of the central West. The
| June total will exceed the figures for
May. which at $4,000 tons were double
the business taken In April"