4 26 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. January 3, 1913. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ fuel, which continues in strong demand. Coke is as firm as ever, and consumers are pressing for deliveries. Prices are as follow: Prices at pit. Price. Per ton. Best house coals.......... 14/ Secondary do............. 12/6 Cobbles. ................. 12/ Nuts ..................... 11/ Slack..................... 9/ IRON. The works of^the district have all resumed operations after the holidays, and they have sufficient orders on hand to keep them fully employed for the first'six months of the year. Pig iron enquiries are numerous, and indicate an active business in all qualities. Engineers, ironfounders, and wagon-builders are extremely busy. The new year opens with excellent prospects. _______ Nottingham. GOAL. The pits in Nottinghamshire resumed work on Monday and at the time of writing business has resumed its customary activity. Following the somewhat extended holiday, the demand for household fuel has increased, though not to the extent as would have been the case had not the weather been of a comparatively mild character. In the present position of affairs, however, prices are being fully maintained for practically every class in this branch. With stocks being reduced, the collieries promise to be busy for the next three or four weeks. A good tone continues to operate in the steam coal section, in which the supply is on a somewhat limited scale, and with the general trade of the country being brisk, the demand in the industrial home market is most active. The result is that values show, if anything, a hardening tendency, and manufacturers are desirous of securing ample supplies. Slacks are in a strong position, almost every quality being in keen request. Coke is selling well, whilst gas coal is going out of hand freely. The ruling prices in this county are as follow:— Prices at pithead. Price. Per ton. Best brights.............. 12/6 to 13/6 Good house coals.......... 11/ to 12/ ......... Secondary do........... 10/6 to 11/ Best steams.............. 10/6 to 11/6 Secondary do............., 9/ to 10/ _________________ Leicestershire. COAL. Since the holidays business has opened out, on the whole, in a satisfactory manner. The less cold weather has to some extent affected the household coal enquiry, but there is a fair demand generally. The output is now not quite so full at the collieries, and there is some increase of stocks on on hand, but this lull may be regarded as temporary. Merchants were fully supplied before the holidays, and the cessation of business in the factories has caused a smaller demand for steam coals, the retail consumption being retarded by the more genial temperature. Taking things all round, the position is not discouraging, and a consider- able activity is likely to be the rule for some time to come. Though household coals are rather quiet, season orders are being sent out, and the steam coal trade will soon reach its normal level. Local merchants are generally very quiet just now. The prices current are the same as for some weeks past, and the market does not denote any probable alteration. __________________ South Staffordshire, North Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Hednesford. COAL Throughout the Cannock Chase district there continues an active demand for nearly all classes of coal, and there is every prospect of a very busy time. There was not much work done on New Year's Day, but there are plenty of orders to keep most of the collieries running full time. The demand for coal for manufacturing purposes continues very active, and slack is in good request. The house coal trade is quite as satisfactory as can be expected, considering the mildness of the weather. Birmingham COAL. The household trade is quiet, but for all qualities of manufacturing fuel there is a steady and brisk request. The following are the current quotations:— Prices at pit. Staffordshire (including Price. Cannock Chase) :— Per ton. House coal, best deep... 18/ Do. seconds deep 16/6 Do. best shallow 14/6 Do. seconds do. 13/ Best hard............. 14/ Forge coal............. 11/ Slack................. 8/ Prices at pit. Price. Warwickshire :— Per ton. House coal, best Ryder ... 17/6 Do. hand - picked cobs ................ 13/9 Best hard spires ........ 14/6 Forge (steam).......... 10/ D.S. nuts (steam) ...... 8/6 Small (do.) ...... 7/6 IRON. The attendance was below the average, and in view of the quarterly meeting next Thursday business was rather quiet. Stocktaking and repairs have been going on for 10 days, and specifications have not resumed their normal flow. Some of the mills resumed on Sunday night, and the whole of the works in the district were in full operation on Monday morning. The blast furnaces were, of course, kept going during Christmas, and any surplus supplies of pigs turned out have been quickly snapped up. There is still difficulty in getting adequate supplies, and the output of the district is sold for at least four months ahead. Prices have not advanced further since the week before Christmas, and some people are inclined to think they are now as high as can be maintained. South Staffordshire common forge is 63s. a ton, compared with 50s. at the end of December 1911; ditto part-mine forge is 70s. to 71s., compared with 52s. to 53s.; ditto cold-blast is 130s., compared with 115s.; Northamptonshire forge 68s. 6d. to 70s., compared with 51s. to 52s.; and Derbyshire forge 71s. to 72s., compared with 52s. 6d. to 53s. 6d. The rise in selling prices in finished iron has not been in quite the same ratio as in pigs, though they have been fairly substantial. The average selling price of merchant bars is £8 10s. at works, and makers are sold two months ahead. Best bar makers are doing well, and are rapidly working off contracts taken at the price before the recent advance. Makers of common iron have got two or three weeks' work in hand, and are getting .£8 2s. 6d. delivered Darlaston district for nut and bolt iron. No change is recorded in gas strip. Galvanised corrugated sheets are fetching .£12 5s. to .£12 10s. a ton f.o.b. Liverpool, and in a few cases .£12 15s. has been obtained for the home trade. Black sheets are in fair demand at prices ranging from .£8 10s. for doubles to .£9 2s. 6d. for lattens. Makers cannot get their sheet bars under .£6 2s. 6d. to £6 5s., and there is no prospect of any immediate supplies coming from America. Hoop iron is firm at £8 10s. to .£8 15s. For the finer quality of steel strip quotations are .£8 15s. to £9, and for heavy gauges for hinge work they are 5s. to 7s. 6d. less. There is no slackening in the steel trade, and some local makers of sections have enough work in hand to carry them to the end of June. _________________ Forest ot Dean. Lydney. COAL. Business for the house coals of this district is still exceedingly dull and lifeless. The weather conditions during the past few weeks have been most unfavourable to the consumption of qualities suitable for domestic purposes, and the requirements of merchants are only sufficient to keep the pits at work about four days this week. Shipments especially are slow, very few vessels having docked since Christmas. Orders for the railborne trade show a falling-off this week. The steam coal collieries, on the other hand, are fully sold, and deliveries in most cases are in arrears. Prices at pithead. Price. House coals :— Per ton. Block.................. 16/6 Forest ................ 15/6 Rubble ................ 15/9 Nuts .................. 14/ Rough slack............ 8/ Steam coal:— Large ................ 12/ Small.................. 8/ Prices Is. 9d. extra f.o.b. Lydney or Sharpness. THE IRISH 80AL TRADE. Thursday, January 2. Dublin. The coal trade is opening up well now that holiday influences are disappearing, and merchants are busily engaged both in the household and other branches, although prices generally remain unchanged. The cross- Channel trade has been interrupted by the holidays, and the imports for the past week are only on a small scale. Quotations for coals in the city are :—Best Orrell, 27s. per ton; best Arley,26s.; best Whitehaven, 25s.; best Wigan, 25s.; best kitchen, 23s. ; best Orrell slack, 21s.; steam coals from about 20s. per ton upwards; house coal, retail, from Is. 5d. to Is. 7d. per sack; best coke, 23s. per ton, or 18s. per chaldron. Prices of the Arigna coals, county Leitrim, are 20s. per ton net for six-ton loads free on rail at the Dublin terminus. At the pit mouth : Coal, 14s. 2d. per ton ; nuts, 10s. per ton; culm, 7s. 6d. The coaling vessels arriving during the week were chiefly from Girvan, Whitehaven, Garston, Liverpool, Ayr, Swansea, Ellesmere Port, Troon, Campbel- town, Irvine, Partington and Ardrossan. Some of the local merchants are not purchasing Scotch coal at present, owing to the higher prices at the other side. A coal-laden vessel arrived in this port at the end of last week from Ardrossan, and owing, it is stated, to the cargo having been loaded at the Scotch port by non-union men, the men employed at the quays here refused to discharge it. Belfast. Business remained quiet up till the end of last week, but is once more fairly active all round, although the absence of any severe cold keeps prices at the same level for household qualities. Scotch coals are somewhat difficult to obtain, and prices are tending upwards, although the local market is scarcely affected. City prices are :—Best English coal, 26s. 6d. per ton ; Orrell nuts, 25s. 6d.; best Scotch, 22s. 6d. > best Orrell slack, 22s. 6d. Quotations ex-quay :—Arley house coal, 22s. 8d. per ton; Scotch house coal, 19s. 6d. ; Scotch steam coal, 16s. 6d. to 17s. 6d. per ton ; navigation steam, 16s. 6d. to 17s. 6d.; Welsh steam coal, 17s. to 18s. per ton. There is an average supply in this port, cargoes arriving during the week being chiefly from Troon, Newport, Sharpness, Ardrossan, Whitehaven, Garston, Partington,. Glasgow, Ayr, Manchester, Maryport, Ellesmere Port, Point of Aire, and Girvan. __________________________________ THE WELSH COAL AND IRON TRADES. Thursday, January 2. ... North Wales. Wrexham. COAL. The output during the last week has been restricted owing to the holidays, and the fact that it was not possible to get all the men promptly to work again, and that New Year's Day is practically a general holiday here, and all. the collieries closed. Enclosed are the ruling prices :— Price. Prices at pit:— Per ton. Best house coal ........ 15/6 to 17/ Secondary do........... 14/6 to 15/6 Steam coal ..... ........... 12/6 to 13/6 Gas coal .............. 12/ to 13/6 .................. Bunkers................ 11/6 to 12/6 Nuts .................. 11/ to 12/ Slack..................... 7/ to 9/6 Gas coke (at works) .... 16/ to 18/ Prices landsale:— Best house coal ........ 18/4 to 20/ Seconds................ 16/8 to 17/6 Slack.................. 10/ to 11/8 ______________ Monmouthshire, South Wales, Ac. Newport. COAL. The new year began with a half holiday in business circles, a Scottish custom of which but little has been seen here, but which just now illustrates admirably the tone of the coal market, how to take matters easily. Tonnage is now present in less quantity, the fierce gales having a delaying effect, especially upon light boats. Chartering has, however, been fairly favourable, a considerable amount of tonnage being reported fixed, rates showing but the slightest variation from last week. Colliery stems are now filling up well for this month, causing a’gfirmness about sellers' figures which seem to indicate that no better terms will be obtainable for some little time with the exception that here and there the necessity of obtaining a supply of empty wagons induces an easier feeling. Smalls continue in scarce supply, although the demand now is considerably easier. Pit wood remains steady around 21s. 6d. for good wood ex-ship. House coal shows no alteration, the absence of severe weather having undoubtedly wet-blanketed to some extent this market sc • far. The following will be found reliable figures:— Prices f.o.b. cash 30 days, less 2| per cent. Price. Steam coals:— Per ton. Best Black Vein large ... 16/9 to 17/ Western-valleys, ordinary 16/3 to 16/9 Best Eastern-valleys .... 15/9 to 16/ Secondary do. .... 15/3 to 15/9 Best small ccals ........ 13/ to 13/3 Secondary do.......... 11/9 to 12/ Inferior do.......... 11/ to 11/6 Screenings ............ 13/ to 13/6 Through coals.......... 14/3 to 14/9 Best washed nuts ...... 14/9 to 15/ Other sorts :— Best house coal ........ 18/6 to 19/ Secondary do........... 17/6 to 18/ Patent fuel ............ 19/6 to 20/6 Furnace coke .......... 22/ to 23/ Foundry coke.......... 27/ to 30/ Cardiff. GOAL. Though the holidays arranged last week were only for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, large numbers of men absented themselves from work on the two following days, with the result that a great deal of inconvenience was occasioned to collieries Really it seems a farce for the masters and miners' delegates to arrange these holidays, for the men persistently ignore them and take the matier into their own hands. The shipments for the week were only about half the usual quantity, though the number of vessels in port was never under 2C0. With the New Year's holiday intervening, it is scarcely likely that the outputs will be up to the normal level even for this week, but they will no doubt be sufficient for whatever tonnage is docked. A large number of vessels inward-bound have been delayed by the weather, but it is feared that many of them, when they do arrive, will have to go into dry dock for repairs for damage caused by the gales. Chartering is very slow, but this is not surprising, as many shippers had, some time ago, arranged for the whole cf their requirements to the end of the year. Last week the number of vessels taken up only showed a register of about 60,000 tons, being a decrease of at least 100,000 tons as compared with the preceding six days. Considering the holidays, enquiries for coal are fairly numerous, and freights have a hardening tendency. Most of the collieries are well stemmed, but the order books of not a few are of a patchy character, with the result that prices are somewhat irregular. The principal firms ask 18s. 6d. to 18s. 9d. for best steams, but in some cases sales have been made at 6d. below those figures, but