Evening star., 1923-09-06
JAPANESE BUYING
ORDERS POURING IN
Sheet Iron, Lumber, Copper,
Zinc and Foodstufts in Great
Demand From u. S.
UY y. &. ROlI.t.

Special Dispatch to The star.
NEW YORK. September 6.-Bulid-
ings destroyed by the earthquake ana
fire will he supplantcd. at least
temporarily. in the stricken cities OF
Toxic and Yokohama. by WOODEN
structures covered with galvanized
iron sheets. This fact is confirmed
by the heavy orders which poured
into American firms today by came
Practically every hit OF aValiaple
galvanized sheet iron in San FRAN
cisco has been snapped up by caole
and other Pacific cities are being
Combed for supplies which can be
shipped Immediately.
Japan has already bought sheets in
enormous quantities in London and
the steel mills of the east and middle
west are preparing for additional
orders which cabled inquiries assure
Rre coming.
It is estimated that Japan will
spend in the neighborhood of a quar-
Ter of Il billion dollars for lumber
alone to relieve the immediate need
for shelter. Enough lumber and sheet
iron tO fill several large ships already
have been bought on the Pacific coast
and will he loaded with the utmost
dispatch.
Copper and Zinc Also Needed.
Japan has never been able to pro-
dure more than about % per cent Of
her steel requirements. and with the
dlsorganiZatton now prevailing she
VIII he even more dependent on the
outside world for these products
copper and zine also are needed and
Inquiries for over 900 tons have
p6 60 f.aN. Iii .al.
II is assumed that this demand
represents requirements for repair
lnG electric light and power plants
Ihe zine demand is accounted for in
part by the probability that consid-
cradle OF this metal will be used by
Japanese plants in turnin" black
sheets into galvanized roofing.
production OF labor in the western
mills has been srreded up until it is
about - per cent above normal ca
pacity and stocks are ptling up at
the mills in anticipation of the added
requirements.
Heavy FoodstuT Demands.
Japanese interests have cabled
urgent requests for prices and times
of delivery on foodstuffs to Portland
and other coast ports. and consid-
erable business has been booked in
the last twentY-four hours at Port
land. Very little export flour can be
that section. as Oregon millers have
sold practically their entire output
for period of three months. The
bulk OF these purchases was made
by China.
Advances of 10 TO 10 cents bar
rel have been made in the prices of
export -four by millers who have
some still unsold for the next few
months. Latest sales by club straig
flour for delivery three months hence
have been at $4.75 and SAT- net a
barrel Portland, which is about 10
cents above recent levels. No effect
of the Japanese disaster has been felt
In the American tea market.
| For nearly ten years, Kobe and
Schizouka have superseded Toxic and
Yokohama as tea shipping centers.
and while there was unquestionably
some destruction of stocks at the lat
ter places, Irwin Harrison & Co.
of Chicago, tea importers. have re-
C"iVed cables stating that the de-
Struction of warehouse stocks in gen
cral was small. Furthermore. the
third Japanese tea crop is now being
harvested and cured.
Slight Advance Possible.
There should be 81 notable price in
creases, for supplies of the first two
crops in this country are sufficient for
some time to come. Small adjust
ments upward. however, might follow
requlSltiOning of teas by the Japa-
nese government for home consump-
tion.
The Louisiana rice market is very
firm. but this is due rather to ex-
pected domestic demand than to the
earthquake and fire. Some of the
growers have advanced their prices
about Is of a cent. but many of the
better Informed say that it is illogi-
cal to ship rice from New Orleans
when adequate emergency supplies
can be secured from China and Siam
There has been no let-up in shipment
of goods to Japan from gulf ports,
however. The Osaka Shosen Kaisha
has cancelled none of it's sailings, al
though vessels have been di .erted to
X ODE. New freight bookings are
piling in and there have been no can
cellationS of cargo space
Steamship lines engaged in the
Atlantic orient trade and the trans
pacific carriers have suspended or
dinary tariffs, and authorized reduced
rates on all genuine relief shipments