New Britain herald., 1919-07-24
STEEL AND P|G
 IRON MARKET
The Iron Age says:

1he possibility of strike at iron and steel works has loomcd up in the past week, but 1t has not slowed down buying, and new business in d number of important products is still going on the books at d rate consid- crablN exceeding current output of the mills.
 The fact that labor unrest is world- wide has made the decision reached at Pittsburgh for d strike vote in 2I unions represented at iron and steel works more threatening than il would ordinarily hC. The great ma jOrity of steel workers are not members of unions. Apart from some organized blast furnace employees and the Anal gamated association, which takes in workers in iron rolling mills, and a portion of the sheet works arc chiefly those of hIackSmiths, machinists, mol dcrs, carpenters electrical workers and other auxiliary trades Numer- really all such workers, union and non-union, arc q relatively small part Of the total of iron and steel works employees In cases where the work CTS are well organized d strike by them might close down some steel making departments.
 The present outlook is that if d strike is voted ii will not be general or serious. At the same time some producers arc recognizing d new haz- ard in planning for the last quarter of the year.
 Looking forward to the carly win tcr months and to the chances of interrupted operation then, due to la Dor shortage or to strikes, a few own CTS arc planning 10 blow in idle blast furnaces soon, even though some of the iron made in the next five months is piled.
 Pig iron output is increasing with each week, Birmingham and the Chi cago district adding a total of five furnaces to the active list in the week.
 The long pending Willys- Overland contract for 125. .OOO tons of various forms of steel, deliveries over twelve hs, is reported closed, as is pre- slmably the large Ford tonnage, which has been under negotiation for some weeks
 Export steel orders for the three weeks of July have not held up 10 the June rate, yet leaders in the trade expect large export movement throughout the year, particularly if there is an effort to increase general imports from Europe and thus check the fall in sterling and other eX- change.
 Railroad material is noteworthy in the export trade. A total of 5000 cars is wanted for France and 1,05O for Cuba. Of over 100 lately bought, 3SO were for Cuba. The American Locom otive Co. has taken orders for 23 locomotives, ? for Chile, 6 for .I, Formosa. Japan has bought 12,5OO boxes of tin plate. Representatives of the Rumanian government arc now in this country arranging, among other things, to buy 25,00O tons of bridge work.
 Two independent producers have advanced wire nails 25 cents per kcg to $50, and plain wire $2 per net ton, but the leading interest has taken no action.
 Steel bars may be marked up next by one or two companies whose sales have nearly filled their mills for the late fall months. Tn general the bar capacity open for the fourth quarter is limited.
 Slelp mills in the Central West arc losing some business because of full order books practically for the rest of the year. Pipe makers arc be- Sicged with additional inquiries; the Sun Oil Co., wants 300 miles of S-inCh pipe; the Texas Co. 100 miles of 12-inch and smaller pipe and 70 miles of S-inch piper. The Oklahoma Natural Gas Co. has bought 35 miles of 16-inch line and is in the market for 15 miles of 12 3-4 inch pipe. Some first quarter of 1920 business has also been booked.
 British ferrOmangHnese is now of fcred at $l05, Baltimore, or $1O be- low the recent price for domestic, and somc sales have been made. The report that American basic iron sold at CS Is, Liverpool, is questioned in view of the low price. The 2O,0O0 | tons of basic sold from Lorraine to d Scotch steel works is described as l less desirable than American basic. |