Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-02-08
NAVY ASKS BIDS FOR
BATTLESHIP STEEL
Indications Are For Early Re
sumption OF Demand For
Metal And Construction
LOOK FOR LOWER PRICES

Steel manufacturers have received
the first inquiries for steel from the
United safes government reported
since the ending of the war They
have been netified by the Navy depart
ment that ii will receive bids until
February I8 for steel required for
four battle ships and one fuel vessel
which the government will build
Bids are invited for delivery OF
400 tons Of shapes. 100 tons Of steel
bars and 10000 tons Of plates The
total amount Of steel desired II 20
500 tons
Orders pending some time for 800
tons Of steel ship plates for the French
government have been closed BY
American steel manufacturers. was
stated recently
Domestic commercial steel demand
is slow. although there has been some
Improvement in the volume 81 orders
reported
In its weekly review Of the iron and
S eel market. the Iron Age says
No signs Of buying movement in
either domestic or foreign trade are
discernible Though needs on all
sides are admitted. no one seems to
discover how to take the initiative to
establish conditions attractive enough
to result In deal There is every
likelihood that the worlds metal sick
ness following the shock of stopping
the war will show no betterment be-
fore spring
Further slight reductions inocean
freight rates are a help in the export
outlook but transportation costs four
and Ca times the former normal
charges lead to expec ations Of other
downward readjustments
A straw IN the drift toward lower.
iron and steel prices Is the reduction
in wages made in few iron mines.
The rates have been put back to the
basis or September before the basic
eight hour day was introduced and
represent cut Or 10 TO I6 20 per
cent
The numerous strikes Iii all parts
OF the country are in the main ending
without increasing the labor item of
cost But labor itself Is undergoing
readJustment so-called In that over
time Is being widely eliminated. not
ably In the railroad service. where all
possible Sunday work has been stop
ped
Urgent needs are bringing forward
delayed buying by the railroads Be-
sides cars and locomotives, 500 600
tons of rails are counted on Some
rail mills are without orders and none
has more than four or FIVE months
bookings
On foreign account sixty-tw0 loc0-
motives have been sold for Africa and
Argentina. Car builders are expect
ing a release on 10000 cars for France
postponed on the cessation Of hostili-
ties.
The latest movement to have Chi
cago re-established as price basing
point has crystallized into the organ
ization OF the Sseel Tank Mannfac-
turers association The outlook is
that ii will receive substantial support
from many buyers or iron and steel
products III the central west
The Iron Trade Review says:
From a statistical standpoint. the
situation has improved greatly Con-
traction Of mill operations seems To-
have reached the point where ii more
nearly balances against the flow of
miscellaneous new business plus the
tonnage being ordered against the
fiecklogs previously accumulated
TT fs Of interest TO note that few
moderate tonnages Of pig iron have
been sold to European buyers during
the last week IN competition with Eng
Iish sellers. The American sellers
were. BY reason OF combination OF
circumstances, involving the desira-
biIity Of pig iron Is ballast, able TO
quote unusually attractive prices.
sThe American Sheet and Tin Plate
company has taken an order for elec-
trical sheets from France which will
Ian its capacity III this grade for two
/ months. and IN eastern maker has
taken round tonnage Of shapes for
French ship yard Included IN cur
rent export inquiries are 8 number
which possess every mark Of being Of
4 firm and hons nde character.
January pig iron production, as ex-
pected. showed drop from that Of
December amounting to 1s0s32S tons.
The total for the month vas 3 800. .7ss
! tons The number Of active furnaces
fell from 361 to s2s