January 3, 1913. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 25 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ the year. Screened coal for forge and manufacturing ■ Gas Coal.—The gas coal pits are inundated with enquiries Hull. purposes continues to leave the pits in very satisfactory for prompt supplies, and the available output is far too i COAL. quantities. With regard to bunkering, the supplies accumu- ( small to meet the demand. There are no stocks at the1 The influence of the holiday is "still over the Humber coal lated before the holidays so far appear to have sufficed for j collieries, and reserves at the works are considerably lower market. Owing to the supply of coal having been inter- requirements generally, and a limited quantity of free coal since the holidays. There is also a brisk enquiry for ship- ! rupted, all classes are scarce, and outside of contracts very is still available at about the'prices named last week. The | ment to the nearer Continental ports, and we understand little free coal is to be had. Those who have any to dispose demand for house fuel for coastwise and cross-Channel | that considerable forward business is being done. It is ; of are ahle to command high figures, and anything from shipments continues fair, but the actual quantity loaded : reported that unscreened gas coal has been sold this week 15s. 9d. to 16s. for best Yorkshire steam hards has been is very much interfered with by the irregular running of [ over the whole of next year at 14s. per ton f.o.b. Hull, obtainable for prompt spot lots required to complete. More vessels caused by the heavy weather (experienced at sea. Slack continues in great demand, and it has been difficult in many cases to provide an adequacy for customers, whose holidays do not correspond in length with those taken by the collieries. Prices range about as below:— Prices at pit (except where otherwise stated). Price. House coal:— Per ton. Best ................. 16/3 Do. (f.o.b. Garston, net) 16/6 to 16/9 Medium ............. 14/6 Do. (f.o.b. Garston, net) 15/ to 15/3 Kitchen............... 12/3 Common (f.o.b. Garston, net) 13/ to 13/6 Screened forge coal....... 12/6 to 13/ ................ ............... Best screened steam coal (f.o.b.) ................... 15/ Common do............. 14/ Best slack.................... 10/3 Secondary slack ......... 9/6 Common do............ 9/ ________________ South Lanaashlro and Chaahlra. COAL. There was only a holiday attendance of members on the Manchester Coal Exchange on Tuesday. Collieries generally have been playing yesterday and to-day. House coal is not specially brisk, but furnace coal is in good demand, as well as coal for shipping. Slack meets with very good enquiry, and stocks are not too plentiful at the consuming centres. Prices generally are firm, and are as below :— Prices at pit (except where otherwise stated). Price. House coal:— Per ton. Best ................. 16/6 to 17/ Medium ............. 15/3 to 16/ Common ............. 12/6 to 13/ Furnace coal ........... 12/6 Bunker (f.o.b. Partington) 14/ Bast slack............... 9/6 to 10/ Common slack........... 8/6 to 9/ IRON. There is nothing special to report in this district, every- thing is of a holiday nature. All makers are full of work, and prices are without alteration. _________________ and Oorbyshlnh Leeds. GOAL. At the last market of the year there was an exceptionally good attendance of traders representative of all branches of the industry. There was a larger attendance than usual of exporters from the Humber ports, and the South Yorkshire collieries were fully represented. The tone of the market all round was cheerful, and the little business that was put through realised high prices where prompt delivery could be given. The enquiries were almost exclusively for steam- raising coal or slacks, and very few orders for house coal were given out. House Coal.—The pits have worked about two days this week, and the output has been sold. Sidings stocks, how- ever, are still considerable, and are likely to remain so until there is a spell of really cold weather. London merchants and factors have taken little beyond contract tonnage, and this mostly in buyers" wagons. There has scarcely been sufficient business to test the market values for London and the southern and eastern counties; but, generally speaking, collieries maintain pre-holiday quotations. In the coast- wise trade a considerable tonnage of medium quality house coal has been cleared during the holidays, both at Goole and Hull. Best coal is quite neglected both for the river and the south coast. The heavy gales during the week have played havoc with tonnage, and freights are appreciably higher. In Leeds and Bradford and the West Riding generally merchants have bought very little until the turn of the month. The public demand is still disappointing, and ground stocks at the depots are practically all intact. Retailers report a slight improvement in the very cheapest qualities, but other sorts are neglected. Pit prices are moderately steady at about the following average figures:— Haigh Moor selected, 18s. to 19s. ; Wallsend and London best, 17s. to 18s. ; Silkstone best, 16s. to 17s. ; Silkstone house, 15s. to 15s. 6d.; ordinary house coal, 14s. to 15s.; .secondary sorts, 13s. to 14s. Price. Prices at pit (London) : Per ton. Haigh Moor selected ... 14/ to 14/6 Wallsend & London best 13/ to 13/6 Silkstone best ........ 13/ to 13/6 Do. house ...... 12/ to 12/6 House nuts .......... 11/3 to 11/9 Prices f.o.b. Hull : Haigh Moor best...... 16/6 to 17/3 Silfcstone best ........ 15/9 to 16/6 Do. house ...... 14/9 to 15/3 Other qualities........ 13/ to 14/ Special qualities of screened gas coal realise up to 15s. 6d. per ton f.o.b. Hull. Price Prices at pit; Per ton. Screened gas coal .... 12/6 to 13/6 Gas nuts ............ 11/6 to 12/6 Unscreened gas coal ... 11/ to 11/6 Manufacturing Coal.—The market is quite bare as regards slacks and washed nuts, and very high prices can be got for prompt deliveries of these qualities. During the holidays the stocks at the depots in the manufacturing centres have all been cleared up, and it is questionable if the market has been so free from supplies since the strike. Buyers are still anxious to cover their requirements to the end of 1913, and are paying advanced figures. Price. Prices at pit: Per ton. Washed nuts ........ 11/6 to 12/6 Large double-screened engine nuts ....... 10/9 to 11/9 Small nuts ......... 10/6 to 11/6 Rough unscreened engine coal ....... 11/ to 11/6 ........ Best rough slacks .... 9/3 to 10/ Small do. .... 8/3 to 8/9 Coking smalls ......... 8/ to 8/6 Furnace Coke.—The yield of the ovens has been very poor this week, owing to the scarcity of coking slacks. The demand from Frodingham, the Midlands, and the iron and steel works in the Leeds district is, if anything, keener than ever. Any spot lots of washed furnace coke sell readily at 21s. at the ovens, and for special qualities 22s. has been paid. At several collieries rough slacks and nuts are being crushed in order to feed the ovens. Price. Price at ovens: Per ton. Furnace coke ........ 21/ to 22/ Barnsley^ COAL. Though the usual weekly market was largely of. a holi- day character there was a strong enquiry by buyers for all classes of steam coal. The fact that the collieries had stopped work for a longer period than the many other industries had caused a decided scarcity in regard to several grades of coal, and manufacturers were prepared to pay a considerable higher price in order to get hold of ready supplies. As a consequence values all round were of a very firm description. In regard to large steams the tonnage required on export account continues to be of a substantially increased character, and the fact that the Russian State Railways have invited tenders for a further half a-million tons for shipment from March to December materially strengthened the position of coalowners in regard to forward business. The collieries produc- ing the best class of Barnsley hards still refuse to accept Ils. 6d. per ton, and on the other hand shippers are disposed to delay matters rather than concede 12s. per ton pit which is asked for. This situation has beneficially affected the cheaper grades of small; coal. Having regard to the fact that most of the collieries were again set down on Wednesday for the holiday, it will be seen that there is likely to be a considerable scarcity of fuel for some little time ahead. There is no change in the position with regard to small manufacturing fuel, and a famine still prevails, so that values are very sensitive to the particular circumstances prevailing at individual collieries. In regard to house coal, the better qualities are still somewhat difficult to procure, but otherwise the supply is more than ample, and coalowners are now holding prices perhaps a little firmer than a fortnight ago. The demand for gas coal is particularly heavy, and the tonnage required on contract is distinctly above the average, and any surplus coal in the open market still continues to command a substantial advance on contract price. The position in regard to coke is in no way changed, and enquiries from the north are still reported to be very freely circulated; and although prices of about 20s. to 22s. per ton are considered by some to be abnormal, makers report that they have still little difficulty in obtaining these rates for the greater part of the present year. Current prices are as follow:— Prices at pit. p . House coals:— Per ton. Best Silkstone.......... 14/6 to 15/ Best Barnsley softs...... 14/ to 14/6 Secondary do. ...... 11/6 to 13/ Best house nuts ........ 11/6 to 12/6 ........ ........ Secondary do........... 10/6 to 11/6 Steam coals:— Best hard coals ........... 12/6 Secondary do............... 11/6 Best washed nuts ...... 12/6 Secondary do. ...... 11/6 Best slack.............. 9/6 Rough do............... 8/3 Gas coals:— Screened gas coals ...... 10/6 to 11/6 ............ Gas nuts .............. 10/ to 10/6 Furnace coke ............... 21/ than this, an indication of the strength of the market is to be found in the fact that 15s. 6d. has been paid for delivery at Hull within the month. Generally the market is very strong, and nowhere is this seen more than in the secondary sorts. Washed doubles are quoted up to 15s., and washed smalls are quite a feature at prices which only a week or two ago were those ruling for best steams. West Yorkshire has also advanced, and house coal appears to be a little stronger than before Christmas. Derbyshire steams are on the same level as South Yorkshire, and Nottinghamshire hards are only a matter of 3d. less. The outlook is, indeed, very encouraging, and, with a good export demand following on no decrease in home consumption, the prospect is quite rosy. For the time of year, the export at the Hull docks has been very much above the normal, and even during Christmas week—when the appliances were idle fully half the time, owing to the holidays—the shipments, both foreign and coastwise, were very satisfactory, as they were also this week. The volume of coal over the rails is now increasing day by day, and will have assumed normal proportions by the end of the week. In this connection it may be mentioned that the preliminary announcement was made on the Exchange to-day that the total quantity of coal received at Hull from the collieries during 1912 created a fresh record, the amount being 7,292,400 tons, which is 460,000 tons higher than the previous record in 1910, and 736,418 tons better than in 1911. The anticipation held out in this report last week that the year’s aggregate would for the first time exceed the seven million line has thus been amply borne out. Enquiries are in the market for the supply of the Russian State Railways from April to December, and it is expected that South Yorkshire will, as usual, be able to secure a good share of it. The freight market has been quiet, and with plenty of tonnage on offer to-day rates are not so strong as they were a day or two ago. In the Baltic direction about 6s. 6d. is the figure, while for Mediterranean ports Genoa has been done at 10s. 6d. from Immingham. Prices f.o.b. Hull (prompt shipment). Price. South Yorkshire :— Per ton. Best steam hards........ 15/9 to 16/ ................ Washed double - screened nuts ...................... 15/ Un washed double- screened nuts ........ 13/6 to 14/ Washed single - screened nuts ................ 13/9 to 14/6 ................ Unwashed single-screened nuts ..................... 13/6 Washed smalls.......... 14/ to 14/6 Unwashed smalls........ 11/6 to 12/ West Yorkshire:— Hartleys .............. 13/6 to 13/9 .............. .............. Rough slack............ 11/6 to 11/9 Pea slack ............. 10/ Best Silkstone screened gas coal............... 14/9 Best Silkstone unscreened gas coal.............. 13/ to 13/3 Derbyshire and Notts:— Best steam hards ...... 15/6 to 16/ Do. (Grimsby) 15/6 Derbyshire nuts (doubles) 13/ Derbyshire nuts (doubles) (Grimsby)............ 12/9 Derbyshire large nuts ... 14/6 Do. do. (Grimsby) 14/ Nottinghamshire hards ... 15/6 to 15/9 Do. do. (Grimsby) 15/ to 15/3 Chesterfield. COAL. The coal trade of the district shows signs of renewed vigour after the stoppage of work at the pits due to the intervention of the Christmas holidays. There is a fair demand for house coal, and stocks at the collieries are low. Prices are firm, and will undoubtedly advance with a return of cold weather. Manufacturing fuel is strong, and the various qualities are much wanted. Full operations are now resumed at the large steel establishments of Sheffield, where the stoppage has been shorter than is usual at this time of the year. Cobbles and nuts for gas-producers are in specially active request, but supplies continue scarce. Slack for steam-raising is still in short supply, and consumers are put to much inconvenience owing to their inability to obtain all they need of this fuel. Steam coal for locomotive use moves freely, and deliveries are now on a heavier scale than they have been for many years. Collieries in this district are not now prepared to sell further quantities at less than 12s. per ton at the pit. There is a good demand for steam coal for prompt shipment, and there is a fair amount of activity at the Humber ports. The shipping season of 1913 promises to be a very busy one. Enquiries are already numerous, and Russia’s requirements of steam coal are likely to be exceptionally heavy, as it is well known that she is short of fuel. It is probable that this great Russian demand will have the effect of stiffening prices still more There is no change in the position with regard to washed