The sun., 1919-08-24
Many STEEL MILLS
TURN DOWN ORDERS
plants Are Not 0versold, but
Uncertainty Of Labor De-
ters Manufacturers.
OUTPUT BELOW AVERAGE
Industrial Unrest Is Reflected
in Curtailed Production
by Workers.
spscia, De.ps,cA to TH, sus.

YfTTSBtR0, AuB. Sos--ANultitAOoo VASES
n, labor trouble appeared in the iron
srd steel Industry In the last few weeks
Three sheet mills at Wheeling. Canton
md Newport have been closed. At a
s,e,l plant at Peoria there was a strike
-ecertv for a IL per cent wage advance,
snd this was settled this week with a
per cent. increase.
same detached pieces OF information
could be given at different points to
which the rank and file Of the iron and
,,ssl workers have been unionized, the
main thing being that the plan OF tho
workers is to affiliate the ordinary blast
furnace workers with the International
Union Of Mine, Mill and Smelter Work.
srs and the ordinary mill employees with
the Amalgamated Association, which lest
me Homestead strike in 1892 ana the
United states steel Corporation strike Of
1901.
The meeting here on July 20, at which
the strike vote was ordered. was OF rep
rssentatives of twenty-four unions. The
vote is now being taken, and 1t can be
said that the officials of the non-uniop
e,eel companies are becoming uneasy
and Il likely will affect the market in the
dlTerent Iron and steel commodities.
Demand and sales generally used to go
hand In hand in the steel market, but
that Is not the CdEG IONs ~ tAO sNNNi
nils is offered a great deal more busl-
moss than they are willing to accept 1t
ia matter of common talk In steel cir
clss how reserved the mills are now
about accepting business. 1t is not that
tbev are oversold against their capacity
az computed for normal times, but that
they are taking a conservative view OF
their prospective output.
NJ one seems 10 consider n strike In
the steel industry as sure. but almost
avery one considers such a thing possi-
Me However, added to this factor 1t is
known that the mills are not making
their normal tonnage in proportion to
the plant facilities in operation. The
fact is that at few plants Is tonnage
output up 10 what would ordinarily be
rroduced with the units that are on and
the number of men employed.
The men are not so efhcient as usual.
Possibly they have the desire to work, in
the abstract, but II so they do not carry
out the desire, there being feeling OF
unrest that interferes with their appli-
cation TO duty.
strong Demand for Sheets.
Demand for sheets is unabated. and
buyers without regular mill associations
hnd difficulty in placing orders. Mills
are endeavoring to take care Of the needs
Of regular customers, but requirements
proposed are so large that many orders
are scaled down before being accepted.
few mills are attempting TO advance
prices, but the majority are making
every effort to discourage such action,
regarding II as plain that It is for the
best interest of the trade that the mar
ket should be held at the present level.
Mills are operating at an average OF a
tflfe over 80 per cent. of capacity. The
leading interest Is doing 80 per cent.
and its only Idle mills are the six of the
HYDE Park plant and a few at plants
hat are idle for physical reasons. chiefly
repairs
The average Of export prices for tin
plate has advanced rather sharply in
the last week or so. and is now a barely
perccptible shade above the domestic
basis making allowance for the fact
that the domestic price Is subject to .
per cent. cash discount, while export
prices are net.
While one or two producers have been
quoting 500 and higher on so per cent
ferro-silicon, the market Is quotable al
$50. delivered, and one producer eircu-
lated the trade this week Offering mate
rial at this price. Demand Is light. the
HfSNi PiOduNCI5 pCluk CONSERVATIVE a. IO
buying ferro-silicon. which V the cane
as to their attitude in buying ali classes
OF raw material.
Such determined values as exist IN
IRON and steel scrap to-day are made by
trading between dealers. due IN part TO
some OF them having short contracts ana
IN part 70 dealers being willing to ac-
'umulate little scrap II they can see
prospects OF profit by holding IT sew
eral months On this basis the market
is Of trife from last week, but not a
great deal.
'uard Against overshipments.
While on account OF the labor unset.
uemant the steel mills do not know how
tAey viii be running for a time, dealers
assert that there is no effort observable
On the part OF mills to delay shipmen.
OF scrap that is really due. Overship-
ineht IN present circumstances would
hardly be attempted.
The Pittsburg pig iron market Is de.
cidedly quiet. but IL is distinctly Arm
Ihe furnaces in blast have no occasion
70 press the pig iron on the market, as
they are comfortably sold up, and In a
lew cases they have some difficulty ir
Nnuing places on the order books for old
customers.
There is no widespread demand for pig
ron at this time, however. the recent
nlylng movement being exhausted, while
another movement has not started and
j. hardly likely to start while labor con.
dlton. wa
The pig iron market Is auotable a,
lohowa Bessemer. S27.95; basic, s25.75.
foundry, S2s.75; forge. s25.75. These
pr'Ges are T. 0. b, valley furnace. freight
" ftlsourg being $40.
Inc activity in coke, which developed
N me Connellsville district in the las
fortnight, continues. At times within
me last few days IL gave evidence of 8
uooSt but conservative action has kep
within reasonable limits.
ne present position of the Connslls
rllle region fuel producers Is strong
euhdry coke keeps up its advance. Vir
,uaIly all prices below $3.50 for spot OF
prompt foundry coke have disappeared
aha even that price can be done only OF
eorolnary brands. The market Is quota
Vs as follows: Prompt furnace S4.B0Q
40 prompt foundry. s6.5o@6.25.