January 23, 1914. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 193 ' THEJCOAL AHD IROH TRADES. Thursday, January 22. Scotland.—Itatsrn DistHct. GOAL. So far as outputs are concernec?, the trade in this district has now reached normal proportions. There is a brisk demand for export, but local business has not yet touched the position held before the holidays owing to the restricted demand from the iron works. Ell coals are well booked, the best brands being firm, while second qualities are fairly busy. Splint coal is particularly active, the first qualities commanding high prices and are practically unobtainable till after the end of the month. Business in navigations and steams is well maintained and difficulty is experienced in arranging for prompt supplies of the former for shipment. Trebles are a shade weak, and collieries could do with a few more orders for this class. There is a plentiful supply of doubles but an improvement is expected when the public works are in the market for their usual requirements. Singles on the other hand are decidedly firmer. The demand for household coal is as strong as ever, and prices are very firm. Shipments during the week amounted to 77,737 tons against 60,194 in the preceding week, and 98,265 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Prices f.o.b. Glasgow. Steam coal.. Ell ........ Splint...... Treble nuts Double do. Single do. Current prices. 13/ -14/3 13/3 13/-16/ 12/6-12/9 11/6-11/9 11/ -11/3 L’st week’s Last year’s prices, i prices. 13/ -14/ 13/6-14/ 13/6 13/ -13/6 13/6-16/ . 14/6-15/ 13/ ! 13/6-14/ 12/ -12/3 j 13/ -13/6 11/3 12/6-13/ IRON. There has been little alteration in the position of the Glasgow pig iron warrant market. The volume of business done has not been large and amounted to 15,000 tons. Although there has been an increase in Middlesbrough stocks, the effect on the market has been counterbalanced by an improvement in reports from America and also, in a lesser degree, from the Continent. At the beginning of the week transactions took place at 50s. 6Id. cash, and, after a few fluctuations, Cleveland iron closed at 50s. 5d. cash buyers, an increase of lid. per ton over the preceding week' Deliveries of pig iron have been curtailed owing to some of the works of consumers being still closed, but makers report that they are managing to dispose of outputs comparatively well, notwithstanding the adverse circumstances. While there is not a great amount of new business passing in the home market, enquiries are coming to hand in larger quantity, and the outlook is regarded as more hopeful by the producers of ordinary and steelmaking qualities. There are 66 furnaces in blast in Scotland, the same number as in the preceding week, and 26 less than the number in the corresponding period of 1913. Monkland is quoted f.a.s. at Glasgow, No. 1, 63s., No. 3, 61s. 6d.; Govan, No. L 62s., No. 3, 60s. 6d.; Carnbroe, No. 1, 68s., No. 3, 64s.; Clyde, No. 1, 69s. 6d., No. 3, 64s. 6d.; Gartsherrie, Summerlee, Calder and Langloan, Nos. 1, 70s., Nos. 3, 65s.; Glengarnock, at Ardrossan, No. 1, 71s., No. 3, 66s.; Eglinton, at Ardrossan or Troon, No. 1, 63s. 6d., No. 3, 62s. 6d.; Dalmellington, at Ayr, No. 1, 65s., No. 3,63s.; Shotts, at Leith, No. 1, 70s., No. 3, 65s.; Carron, at Grangemouth, No. 1, 70s., No. 3, 65s. per ton. The import of pig iron into Grangemouth from Middlesbrough and district reached 5,397 tons. Galvanised and black sheet makers are fairly well employed. Plants are not running at full capacity, but prospects are brighter in view of the improvement in enquiries. The position of the malleable iron trade is still most unsatisfactory. Specifications are very scarce, and makers are finding great difficulty in securing new business owing to keen foreign competition. In the wrought iron and steel tube trade conditions are much the same, the present position showing no improvement from that occupied before the holiday. Scotland.—Eastern District. COAL. The coal trade of the Lothians is now very active. Both qualities of steam coal are in heavy demand and considerable notice is required for the best brand. Trebles are fairly well booked, but doubles are plentiful; singles are firmer. At Grangemouth the clearances were 28,379 tons, Granton 8,233, Leith 39,213 and Bo’ness 9,486—total 85,311 tons, compared with 43,560 in the preceding week and 95,675 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Prices f.o.b. Leith. Best screened steam coal Secondary qualities... Treble nuts .......... Double do............. Single do............. Current prices. 12/6-12/9 11/3-11/9 12/6-13/ 11/9 10/9 L’st week’s prices. 12/ -12/6 11/ -11/3 12/6 11/9-12/ 10/6 Last year’s prices. 13/3-13/6 12/3-12/6 13/6-14/ 12/9-13/ 12/ -12/6 Conditions in Fifeshire are extremely brisk. Collieries have not fixed contracts to anything like the same extent as last year, but the shipping demand is ’very heavy. Navigation coals are well booked and first-class steams are steady and third-class qualities firm. Trebles and doubles are easier, but singles are scarce. At Burntisland, 43,320 tons were shipped, Methil 63,767, Charleston 121, Tayport 245, Alloa 2,587, Dysart 1,523, Wemyss 1,415—total 112,978 tons, compared with 55,480 in the preceding week and 115,346 tons in the same week of 1913. Prices f.o.b. Methil or Burntisland. Current prices. L’st week’s prices. Last year’s prices. Best screened naviga- tion coal 16/6-17/ 15/ 12/6 10/9 12/6-12/9 11/3-11/6 10/6-10/9 17/ 16/6-17/ 14/6-15/ 13/9-14/ 12/3-12/6 13/ -14/ Unscreened do First-class steam coal... Third-class do. Treble nuts 15/ 12/9-13/ 10/9' 12/6-13/ 11/6-12/ 10/6 Double do 13/ -13/6 Single do 12/ -12/3 The Stockholm Municipality Electricity Works have placed a contract for 29,000 tons of Scottish nuts at 14s. lid. c.i.f. The total shipments from Scottish ports during the week amounted to 276,026 tons, compared with 159,234 in the preceding week and 309,286 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Newcastle-upon-Tyne. GOAL. During last week 145,123 tons of coal and 1,354 tons of coke were despatched from Tyne Dock, an increase of 7,765 tons of coal and 1,354 tons of coke when compared with the shipments for the corresponding week of last year. The Dunston clearances amounted to 56,928 tons of coal and 2,265 tons of coke, an increase of 7,949 tons of coal and a decrease of 1,204 tons of coke. The Blyth clearances totalled 96,374 tons of coal and coke, an increase of 9,866 tons. The Copenhagen Gasworks have contracted as follows for gas coal supplies for delivery over the year:—85,000 tons Wearmouth at 18s. 3d. per ton c.i.f., 85,000 tons Londonderry at 18s. 3d., 40,000 tons Hetton at 17s. 8d., 10,000 tons Thornley at 18s., 10,000 tons Holmside at 17s., and 2,500 tons Dean’s Primrose at 16s.—a total of 232,000 tons. With an estimated rate of freight of 4s. 3d., these .figures leave about 14s. per ton f.o.b. for Wear specials, about 13s. 8d. for Hetton, 14s. for Thornley, 12s. 9d. for Holmside and Ils. 9d. for Dean’s Primrose. It is stated, however, that the collieries will supply their own tonnage in some cases, whilst, in other cases, tonnage is said to have been guaranteed at about the figure mentioned. The prices on an average show a decline of about 2s. 6d. per ton on those of last year. From 25,000 to 30,000 tons of ordinary Durham unsdreened bunkers are stated to have been sold for February-December delivery at 12s. 3d. per ton f.o.b. With further reference to the Paris Gasworks’ contracts noted last week, the prices agreed upon are stated to be about 13s. 6d. for Wear specials, 12s. 6d. for bests and 11s. 6d. for seconds. The Stockholm Gasworks have con- tracted for their annual supplies of gas coals as follows :— 50,000 tons Pelton at 16s. lid. per ton c.i.f., 50,000 tons Ravensworth Pelaw at 16s. 10d., 25,000 tons Lambton at 16s. 9d., 3,000 tons Consett at 16s. 8d., and 3,000 tons Boldon at 16s. lid.—a total from Durham County of 131.000 tons. The electricity works of the same municipality have arranged for 6,000 tons best Blyth steam smalls at 11s. lOd. per ton c.i.f., 10,000 tons Tyne special smalls at 12s. 6d , and 29,000 tons Scottish nuts at 14s. Id., shipment over the season. The f.o.b. figures arrived at by deducting 4s. 3d. per ton for freight are regarded as being very satisfactory. The Compagnie Generale Trans at lantique has renewed its contract for Durham bunkers over 1914 with a local firm The quantity taken is about 80,000 tons and the f.o.b. prices are stated to be in keeping with those recently paid for similar business and to show a considerable reduction on last year’s figures. The following Continental gasworks are inviting tenders of gas coal:—Helsingborg, 11,000 tons Durham bests, shipment from April next to February 1915 (offers due cn January 26); Memel, 16,000 tons bests, ship- ment over Baltic season (tenders due on Monday next), and Gefle, 5,600 tons bests, shipment over the season (tenders due to-morrow, Friday). There is a fairly good undercurrent of enquiry for forward loading. Prompt business is rather slow. Loading turns for best Blyth steams are well filled for the rest of this month, and turns for other descriptions of steams range from eight to 10 days. Turns for gas bests are reduced to about a week, and most other sorts of Durham fuel are readily obtainable for spot shipment. The tonnage supply is quite adequate. F.o.b. quotations for prompt shipment have varied as follow :—Best steams, Blyths, are easier on the week; special smalls, 3d. reduced; smithies, 6d. low; gas bests, Is. cheaper; seconds. 3d. fallen• specials, from 6d. to Is. less; unscreened bunkers, Durhams, from 3d. to 6d. down; Northumbrians, Is. decreased; foundry coke, weaker; and gas coke 6d. advanced. Other descriptions of fuel are unaltered. The Swedish State Railways invite tenders, due on February 21, of 611,000 tons of Northumberland, Durham, Scottish or Yorkshire steams, together with a small quantity of Welsh smokeless coal for delivery over the year to the usual ports under the usual conditions. Four cargoes (about 20,000 tons) of best Blyth steams have been sold for February delivery at 13s. 6d. f.o.b. Prices f.o.b. for prompt shipment. Current L’st week’? Last year’s Steam coals:— prices. prices. prices. Best,Blyths (D.C.B.) ... 13/6-14/ 13/9-14/ 15/6 Do. Tynes (Bowers,&c.) 14/6 14/6 15/6-15/9 Secondary, Blyths Do. Tynes (Hastings 11/9 11/9 14/ -14/3 or West Hartleys) ... 12/ 12/ 14/3 Unscreened 11/ -12/ 11/ -12/ 13/ -13/6 Small, Blyths 6/9-7/ 6/ -7/ 11/ Do. Tynes 6/ 6/ 10/9-11/ Do. specials Other sorts:— 7/6 7/6-7/9 12/6 Smithies Best gas coals (New 13/ 13/6 15/ -15/6 Pelton or Holmside) Secondary gas coals 13/3-13/6 14/3-14/6 15/ (Pelaw Main or similar) 12/6-12/9 12/9-13/ 14/9 Special gas coals Unscreened bunkers, 14/ -14/6 15/6 15/6 Durhams Do. do. 11/9-13/ 12/ -13/6 14/6-15/6 Northumbrians 10/ -11/ 11/ -12/ 13/ -13/6 Coking coals 12/6-13/ 12/6-13/ 15/ -15/6 Do. smalls 12/ -12/6 12/ -12/6 14/6-15/ House coals 15/6-16/ 15/6-16/ 15/6-16/ Coke, foundry 20/ -22/ 21/ -22/ 31/ Do. blast-furnace 18/ -19/ 18/ -19/ 27/ Do. gas 13/ -13/6 13/ 20/ Sunderland. GGAL. The exports from Sunderland last week amounted to 103,075 tons of coal and 2,215 tons of coke, as compared with 94,605 tons of coal and 275 tons of coke for the corres- ponding period of 1913, being an increase of 8,470 tons of coal and 1,940 tons of coke. The Copenhagen gasworks contract has now been closed—the total quantity is 232,500 tons, chiefly for Wear special qualities. The quantities and c.i.f. prices are as follow:—85,000 tons Wear mouth, 18s. 3d.; 85,000 tons Londonderry, 18s. 3d.; 40,000 tons Hetton, 17s. 8d.; 10,000 tons Thornley, 18s.; 10,000 tons Holmside, 17s.; 2,500 tons Dean’s Primrose, 16s. The above prices on an average show a decline of about 2s. 6d. a ton on those of last year. It is reported that the Stockholm gasworks con- tract has been allotted as follows:—50,000 tons of Pelton, 16s. lid. c.i.f.; 50,000 tons of Ravensworth Pelaw, 16s. lOd. c.i.f.; 25,000 tons of Lambton, 16s. 9d. c.i.f.; 3,000 tons of Consett, 16s. 8d. c.i.f.; 3,000 tons of Boldon, 16s. lid. c.i.f. The prices are considered satisfactory. The following enquiries are also in the market:—Gefle Gasworks for 5,600 tons best gas; Helsingborg Gasworks for 11,000 tons, and Memel Gasworks for 16,000 tons best Durham. Many collieries are well booked ahead, but there is very little new enquiry, and buyers appear to be following a hand-to- mouth policy in view of a possible fall in prices. All descriptions are more freely offered. Quotations are appreximately as follow:— Prices f.o.b. Sunderland. Current L’st week’s Last year’s Gas coals:— prices. prices. prices. Special Wear gas coals 14/ 15/ 16/ Secondary do. House coals:— 12/9-13/ 14/ 14/9-15/ Best house coals 18/ 17/6 17/ Ordinary do Other sorts:— 17/ 16/6 16/ Lambton screened 14/3 15/3 — South Hetton do 14/3 15/ — Lambton unscreened ... 12/9 13/6 — South Hetton do. 13/ 13/6 — Do. treble nuts 16/ 16/3 — Coking coals unscreened 13/ 13/ 14/9-15/6 Do. smalls 12/9 12/6 14/9-15/6 Smithies 15/6 15/6 15/ Peas and nuts 16/ 16/ 16/ -17/ Best bunkers 13/9 13/9 13/ 15/3 Ordinary bunkers Coke:— 13/ 14/6 Foundry coke Blast-furnace coke (did. 21/ 22/ 30/ -31/6 Teesside furnaces) ... 19/6 20/ 27/ Gas coke 17/ 17/6 19/6-21/6 The outward freight market retains its steadiness, parti- cularly for the Bay and Mediterranean. Recent fixtures include.—Coasting: London 3s. 3d., Dieppe 4s. 3d., Havre 4s. 6d., Boulogne 3s. 10|d., Hamburg 3s. 9d. Bay ' Bordeaux 5s., St. Nazaire 4s. 9d. Baltic : Landscrona 4s. 4^d., Reval 5s. 6d. Mediterranean : Genoa 7s. 9d., Cette 7s. 9d., Oran 6s., Malta 7s,, Constantinople 8s. 6d., Venice 8s. 9d., Marseilles 7s., Port Said 8s., Patras 9s. Middlosbrough-GBi-T®®®. GOAL. There is a quieter feeling in the fuel trade. Coal shows a downward tendency. While many of the North Eastern collieries are well sold ahead, there is little new enquiry, and buyers are apparently following a hand-to-mouth policy in view of possible reductions in prices. Best gas coal is in the neighbourhood of 14s., and second class Durhams are a little easier, as low as 12s. 6d. being quoted. It is reported that customers abroad who bought second-class Durham gas coal over the year at Ils. 9d. to 12s. are now prepared to re-sell at a loss. Prospects in this branch are thus anything but encouraging. Special Wear gas coal is quoted 15s. 6d. Bunker coal continues in fairly good request. Ordinary Durhams run from 12s. to 12s. 3d. f.o.b.; best sorts are 13s. 3d. to 13s. 9d.; and specials, 14s. 6d. to 15s. Coking coal is in moderate demand. Unscreened kinds; range from 12s. 6d. to 13s. 6d., and coking smalls from 12s. 6d. to 13s. Coke is more plentiful, and easier in price. Average blastfurnace kinds are now on sale at 18s. delivered at Teesside works, and consumers consider the quotation still too high. Foundry coke for shipment ranges from 21s. to 22s. f.o.b., and gashouse coke is in the neighbourhood of 13s. 7|d. ira. There is a fair amount of business passing in Cleveland and haematite pig iron, and values are moving upward. Production is now well absorbed, and there is some talk of blowing in furnaces. Messrs. Bell Bros, are changing a furnace at their Clarence works from Cleveland on to a special iron. At the Carlton Ironworks the manufacture of ferro-manganese is about to be commenced. Hitherto the only firms in this district to produce this description of iron have been Messrs. Bolckow, Vaughan and Co., and the Linthorpe-Dinsdale Smelting Company. The price of ferro-manganese to home consumers has recently been reduced by £1 per ton, and the market quotation now stands at £9, less 2% per cent. The export quotation is .£9 5s. net f.o.b. The number of blastfurnaces blowing on the North East coast now stands at 77. Of these 40 are manufacturing Cleveland pig iron, 25 are producing hsematite, and 12 are making special kinds of iron. Several sales of No. 3 g.m.b. Cleveland pig have occurred at 51s. 3d. f.o.b., and that is now the general market quotation; whilst No. 1 is 53s. 9d.; No. 4 foundry, 50s. 9d.; No. 4 forge, 50s. 6d.; mottled and white iron each 50s. 3d.; and Nos. 1, 2, and 3 east coast haematite pig 62s.—all for early delivery, 6d. above these figures being named on forward account. There is very little business passing in foreign ore, but sellers express, the belief that buyers will have to come forward before long. Nominally market rates are based on 18s. 6d. ex-ship Tees for rubio of 50 per cent, quality, but consumers report that they could make contracts on the basis of 18s. Rubio is very scarce just now owing to suspension of work at the Bilbao mines through snowstorms. Freights Bilbao-Middlesbrough stand at 4s. 3d. There is little new to report concerning manufactured iron and steel. Orders are coming in slowly, but producers are fairly busy on contracts made some time ago. Quotations, although they show an upward tendency, are unaltered. Common iron bars are £7 10s.; best bars, £7 17s. 6d.; best best bars, £8 5s.; packing iron, .£6; iron ship plates, £7 10s.; iron ship rivets, .£8 10s.; iron girder plates, £7 5s.; steel bars (basic), £6 15s.; steel bars (Siemens), .£6 15s.; steel ship plates, £6 10s.; steel ship angles, £6 2s. 6d.; steel boiler plates, £7 15s.; steel joints, £6 12s. 6d.; steel strip, <£6 15s.; steel hoops, £7; cast iron columns, £7 7s. 6d.; cast iron railway chairs, £4 5s.; light iron rails, £7; heavy steel rails, £6 10s.; steel railway sleepers, £7 5s.; galvanised.