The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1937-07-05
SCRAP METAL
TRADE BOOMS
Iron And Tin Are Shipped
Weekly to Japan, Euro
pean Countries
BY EDWARD M. STROBE
United Press Staff Correspondent

by Ell" AMI W.. - iN
United Press Staff Correspondent
NEW ORLEANS, July 5. CUP
Between 5000 and 10000 tons
of scrap iron are being shipped
from this port every week, ac-
cording to estimates. The metal
goes to Italy, Japan, Poland, Bel
GUM, England, Germany and
Mexico.
Huge piles of scrap iron, cop
per, brass, aluminium and tin cans
can be seen here one day, but
they are gone the next. Relatively
high prices are being paid by for
eign nations and the junk busi-
ness has brought boom times to
thousands.
Today great combines and syn
dicates have been organized to
handle the nations cast-Otf metals.
These combines work through the
parent company down to the rag
a-muffins of the alleys who wan
der through the back streets
picking up iron, cans, brass and
copper to sell it for a few nickels
TO the local agent. The agent
in turn sells it to a trucker. The
trucker hauls it to the company
dump and again sells it for good
profit.
GOES FOR
ARMAMENT
The "Junkers" know and admit
that a great part of the metal
they sell is going to be used in
the manufacture of munitions
which some time might be used
against this country. But, they
say, they must make a living.
Iron is bringing around 9 l-2
cents a pound in New Orleans.
Brass and copper bring as much
as Ia cents. Aluminium sells for
about the same.
Scrap iron collected from as
far north and west as Central
Oklahoma, and as far east as Mo-
bile, Ala, eventually reaches the
docks here.
Freight agents are glad to get
cargoeS of scrap for their vessels.
The rate is high-as much as Sll
a ton, and a ton of iron takes far
less space than a ton of cotton
which pays about the same rate.
So great is the demand for
tin in Italy that one enterprising
dealer sold a load of dismantled
taxi-cab doors to the Italian gov
eminent. The doors were loaded
into an Italian freighter without
having the wood, upholstery or
broken glass removed.
IRON is
CONDITIONED
Solid chunk" iron brings the
best price. Before being loaded
aboard a freighter the metal must
be Conditioned" Conditioning
consists of cutting the metal into
pieces not more than 5 feet long,
Is inches wide and Is inches
thick. Steel rails, ship plates, rail-
road wheels and parts, form the
most lucrative items of the trade,
but iron bolts, discarded nails,
pipes, radiators, all go into max
ing up full cargo for freight
er.
Particularly pleased are ship
agents when they can carry full
cargo of scrap. One voyage out
of New Orleans to Japan paid
$4,000 in freight rates. Such
cargoes are loaded by the shipper,
with freightage paid by the con-
signee. The consignee also UNI
loads the cargo.
Rising foreign prices have made
it possible for the bunker" to sal
wage many iron objects formerly
not considered worth the effort.
One dealer bought an old war
time iron ship, weighing about
100 tons. The vessel had never
been completed, had been towed
into the Rigolets below New Or
leans and used as quarters for a
bridge crew. Later the dismantled
ship burned. He realized q profit
of about $500 on the ship. He
purchased it cheap, cut it up,
hauled it to the dump, and sold it
as No. / iron.
TIN CANS
COMPRESSED
Tin cans are being hauled from
municipal trash heaps and smash
ed by a giant compressor into
compact suit-case-size parcels for
cargo. The tin brings high price
in foreign nations.
A compressor for such work
costs about .$S5,000 and must
have a tremendous market to en-
able the operator to show q pro-
fit for its operation.
Foreign markets are paying as
high. as $3.50 a ton for New Or
leans iron and steel. Prices for
copper and brass are based on the
need of the nation buying the ma
terial. Fabulous tales have been
told of prices obtained for car
go of brass for use in the manu-