238 _____________________________________ THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. _______________________________________________ January 29, 1915. _______ Eleven months, ended Nov. 1914. Tons. Madagascar........ 19,814 ... Reunion .......... 10,647 ... Portugal __.......... 634,380 ... Azores ............ 26,620 ... Madeira ............__ 64,489 ... Spain ............1,119,072 ... Canary Islands .... 378,896 ... Italy..............4,560,508 ... Italian East Africa 16,861 ... Austria-Hungary ... 127,749 ... Greece __............ 285,390 ... Bulgaria .......... 63,238 ... Roumania ........ 183,535 ... Turkey — European 107,765 ... „ Asiatic ... 170,710 ... Egypt ............ 1,522,721 ... ............ Tripoli............... 8,035 ... Tunis ............ 138,123 ... .............. Morocco .......... 1,022 ... Siam.................. 5,667 ... China ...............____ 9,932 ... Japan ............ 5,362 ... Cuba............... 7,785 ... .............. Mexico............ 1,326 ... Peru................. 12,967 ... Chile............. 237,119 ... Brazil ............ 892,463 ... Uruguay ................. 448,413 ... Argentine Republic2,355,816 ... Channel Islands.... 60,201 ... Gibraltar.......... 181,977 ... Malta and Gozo.... 249,438 ... .......... Cape of Good Hope 26,234 ... Anglo - Egyptian Sudan ............ 36,589 ... Mauritius and De- pendencies ...... 19,325 ... Aden and Dependen- cies ............ 130,631 ... British India ...... 110,864 ... Straits Settlements 17,238 ... Ceylon and Depen- dencies ........ 228,188 ... ........ Wei-hai-Wei ...... — Hong Kong.......... 10,366 ... Canada............ 13,069 ... Bermudas ...........__ 10,530 ... British West India Islands.......... 16,525 ... Falkland Islands ... 6,720 ... Increase. Tons. 1,182 . 3,240 . 9,982 . 11,560 . 50,383 . 7,775 . 102 . 54,501 . 5,025 . 2,748 . 1,710 ’ 3,270 . 1,477 ’ 36,589 . 5,112 . 27,449 . 2,781 . 5,223 . Decrease. Tons. 82,194 51,046 84,607 258,522 552,272 184,912 77,887 272,482 99,630 4,680 15,647 2,552 18,191 177,481 590,121 111,055 497,815 32,951 262,219 10,911 13,733 23,909 1,212 12,016 40,937 3,581 5,643 remained steady, and there is no tendency towards relaxa- tion in figures, which, if anything, are even higher than they were a week ago. Best bunkers are 14s. 3d., ordinary 13s. 9d. to 14s., and cargo qualities 11s. to 12s. No. 3 Rhondda large is 17s. 6d., but this is closely followed by through and through at 16s. 6d., and the No. 3 small is being negotiated at as much as 15s. 6d. No. 2 qualities are also relatively high, in consequence of the scarcity of supplies and the good demand which prevails. Coke is inclined to be firmer, and for best qualities there has been an advance of Is. all round. There have been a few enquiries on the market for odd cargoes of patent fuel, chiefly for French destinations, but no contracts of import- ance have been entered into. Best brands command 21s., and second grades about 19s. to 20s. Pitwood is nominally about 28s., with a margin of 3d. either side, according to circumstances. IRON. The improvement recently noticed in the tin-plate trade has been more than maintained, and prices are considerably higher than they were a week ago. This is due not only to the increasing demand which is taking place, but also to the high cost of raw materials, which are going up by leaps and bounds. For instance, ’Welsh steel bars which a month ago were offering at £4 15s. per ton, are now being done at £5 15s., or an advance of £1; and Welsh pig iron, which a few weeks since was almost unsaleable at 67s. 6d., is now eagerly sought after at 90s. f.o.t. Bessemer standard cokes are 14s. to 14s. 6d., and oil sizes are also quoted at 14s. to 14s. fid. and 20s. to 20s. 6d. respectively. Shipments last week amounted to 48,962 boxes, against 81,626 boxes received from works, and there is no doubt that but for the high freights prevailing, the exports would have been con- siderably more. Stocks in docks warehouses and vans now remain at 332,578 boxes, compared with 299,914 boxes the previous week, and 381,838 boxes at the corresponding date of last year. The increased cost of plates, and the advance in spelter, which is new quoted at £33 7s. 6d. per ton, has had the effect of raising the price of galvanised sheets, the rate for 24 gauge corrugateds now being from £12 to £12 10s. The industry, however, is still in a very depressed condition, owing to lack of new business, and even should there be a rush of orders, it is believed there would be a difficulty in coping with the work, owing to the large number of men who have joined the Colours. The steel rail industry is quiet, and some of the mills have only been working short time. In scrap metals, prices are going up, and there is a good demand. Cast scrap is 57s. 6d., steel 67s. 6d., heavy wrought 60s., light wrought 40s., double- headed iron rails 72s. 6d., steel ditto 70s., and mixed sections 65s. The iron ore market shows signs of more activity than for many months past. As much as 10s. per ton has been paid for freight from Bilbao to Newport, and best Rubio ore is selling at 24s. to 25s. per ton, seconds 22s., and Almeria 22s. owing to the long time taken in transit. Often some wagons are away over a month. The anthracite market is keeping very firm. Large, cobbles, nuts, beans, and peas are all going well, but culm and duff show no improvement. Steam and bituminous kinds are also going strong, and the future prospects are good. Quotations this week approximately are :—■ Prices f.o.b. Current Anthracite:— prices. Best malting large ... 21/ -24/ Secondary do........ 20/6-22/ ........ Big Vein large.......i 19/ -21/ ......... ......... Red Vein do..........' 16/ -17/ Machine-made cobbles... 27/ -29/ German nuts.......... 31/ -34/ French do............ 31/ -35/ Paris do...........i 31/ -35/ ................ Machine-made beans ...! 19/ -21/ Do. peas....i 13/ -13/6 ................. Culm ................• 3/6— 4/ Duff................. 2/9- 3/ Other sorts :— ; Large steam coal..... 18/ -20/ Through-and-through...: 13/6-14/6 Small ............... 8/ - 9/ Bituminous small coal... 10/ -11/ iL'st week's i prices. ’ 21/ -24/ 20/6-21/ ' 19/ -21/ ! 16/ -17/ ; 27/ -29/ i 31/ -34/ i 31/ -35/ ! 31/ -35/ j IS/ -21/ 1 13/ -13/6 ’ 3/6- 4/ 2/9- 3/ 18/ -20/ ' 13/6-14/6 : 8/ -9/ 10/ -11/ Last year’s prices. 21/6-23/6 20/ -21/ 18/ -19/ 15/ -16/ 20/ -22/' 23/ -26/ 23/ -26/' 23/ -26/ 18/ -22/ 12/6-13/6 5/6- 6/ 41 - 6/ 17/ -18/ 11/6-13/ 9/ -10/ 11/ -12/ The Custom House returns for the past twelve months show that the total exports of coal to foreign countries and British possessions from the Bristol Channel amounted to 24,475,551 tons, against 29,875,916 tons in 1913, and 26,125,744 tons in 1912. In the former year, however, the coal taken for Admiralty purposes is not included. Coast- wise shipments from the Channel during December amounted to 106,572 tons, compared with 230,087 tons in December 1913. From Cardiff alone there were shipped 42,757 tons, of which London took 10,492 tons, and Bristol 9,968 tons. Liverpool and Southampton returns were nil. From Newport 48,250 tons were despatched, of which Dublin received 10,007 tons, Avonmouth 8,865 tons, and Cork 5,870 tons. Port Talbot shipped 6,575 tons, Briton Ferry 8,805 tons, and Swansea 14,937 tons, of which 8,720 tons went to London. The following table shows the amount exported from the principal Bristol Channel ports during the past month, compared with the corresponding month of the previous year :— Swansea. COAL. During the past week the returns of the port were more favourable. The coal trade was brisk, and an improvement was shown in the exports of patent fuel. The shipments of coal and patent fuel amounted to 90,214 tons. There was a capital attendance on ’Change, but there was no material alteration to report in the general condition of the anthracite coal market. Owing to shortage of ready tonnage, there was very little enquiry for Swansea Valley large. Red Vein large, however, continued strong. Machine-made nuts and cobbles were in excellent request, and were difficult to obtain, even at the high prices ruling. Both rubbly culm and duff were 'weak. In steam coals a healthy tone was in evidence. Smalls were a shade firmer, whilst large and bunker varieties fully maintained last week’s position. Prices f.o.b. (cash in 30 days). December December 1914. 1913. Tons. Tons. Russia — 8,356 Sweden 16,128 L 8,604 Norway 4,889 ... 13,699 Denmark (including Faroe Islands) 5,409 ... 3,175 Germany — 14,878 Java — 11,867 Belgium — 31,937 France 692,511 ... 590,759 Algeria 14,664 ... 47,913 Portugal 45,813 ... 65,638 Madeira — 11,890 Portuguese West Africa ... 22,526 17,084 Spain 55,088 ... 106,236 Canary Islands 22,332 59,926 Italy 431,637 ... 452,585 Austria-Hungary — 9,582 Greece 20,584 ... 44,499 Bulgaria — 6.839 Roumania — 25,722 Turkey (European) — 15,853 „ (Asiatic) — 20,323 Egypt 110,530 ... 187,293 . Tunis 20,236 Chili 2,169 29,678 Brazil 63,104 ... 136,756 Uruguay 9,458 49,280 Argentine Republic 170,702 ... 341,130 Channel Islands 1,440 ... 6,013 Gibraltar 29,571 ... 16,497 Malta and Gozo 4,925 ... 67,900 Aden and Dependencies 4,004 ... 26,664 British India 6,255 ... 25,676 Straits Settlements and Dependencies (including Labuan) 1,644 ... 11,411 Ceylon and Dependencies... 5,256 ... 26,115 French West Africa 1,977 ... 6,303 Anthracite:— Best malting large (hand picked) (net)... Secondary do. Big Vein large (less 2| per cent.) .......... Red Vein large do. ... Machine-made cobbles (net) __.............. Paris nuts (net) .... French do. do........ German do. do........ Beans (net) ......... Machine - made large peas (net) ..-....... Do. fine peas (net) Rubbly culm (less 2| p.c.) Duff (net) .......... Steam coals:— Best large (less 2|p.c.) Seconds do. Bunkers (net) ....... Small (less 2i p.c.) ___ Bituminous coals:— No. 3 Rhondda-— Large (less p.c.) ... Through-and-through (less 2| p.c.) _____ Small (less 2| p.c.) ... Patent fuel do........____ Current prices. 22/6-24/6 20/6-22/6 18/6-22/ 17/3-17/9 25/6-30/ 29/6-35/ 29/6-33/6 18/6-22/ 13/6-15/ 3/9- 4/6 2/9— 3/6 18/9-21/6 16/6-17/6 13/6-14/6 6/6- 8/9 L'st week’s Last year's prices. prices. 22/6-24/6 21/6-24/' 20/6-22/6 19/6-21/ 18/6-22/ 17/3-17/9 25/6-30/ 29/6-35/ 29/6-33/6 18/6-22/ 13/6-15/ 3/9- 4/6 2/9- 3/6 18/9-21/6 16/6-17/6 13/6-14/6 6/6— 8/9 Best Admiralty coal is still quoted at 21s., but outside Government business there is little doing. Second qualities are firm, at 20s.; and ordinary qualities command 18s. to 18s. 6d., with a firming tendency. Monmouthshires continue in good demand, and but for the tonnage difficulty, would realise considerably higher prices. Black Veins are 18s. 9d., western valleys 18s. 3d., and the best of the easterns 17s. 9d. to 18s., in each case f.o.b. Cardiff. Washed coals are not quite so high as they were, but there is still a good enquiry for French railway purposes. The small coal market has 18/6-19/6 15/ -16/ 21/6-24/6 23/6-26/ 23/6-26/ 23/6-25/6 16/9-18/9 13/6-14/6 5/9- 6/3 4/3- 4/9 19/6-21/ 14/9-15/9 11/ -12/ 7/ -8/ 18/6-19/6 18/6-19/6 18/ -19/ — — 14/ -14/9 10/ -10/9 10/ -10/9 10/3-11/3 15/ -16/6 19/6-20/6 17/3-17 9 IRON. The pig iron trade last week was good; the blastfurnaces were working full time. A brighter tone was exhibited also at the tin-plate works, and a fair amount of business was done in the various departments. The galvanised sheet trade was still slack, and it is difficult to recall a time when so many mills were at a complete standstill. There was a good call for home-rolled tin-plate bars, and the output was above that of the previous period. The shipments of tin- plates were 48,962 boxes, receipts from works 81,626 boxes, and stocks in the dock warehouses and vans 332,578 boxes. Llanelly. COAL. The coal market locally shows no sign of falling off, and the position is still exceedingly firm. Owing to the smaller outputs, sufficient coal cannot be got, and there is often con- siderable delay in getting orders attended to. The high freights are ‘ having a detrimental effect on prices, as customers will not pay figures which are prohibitive, as is often the case, when boats are reaching such absurd rates. The wagon question, too, is a serious one, and some collieries are seriously contemplating refusing orders from inland _________________________________________________ THE LONDON COAL TRADE. Thursday, January 28. _________________________________________________ The London coal trade for the past week continues brisk, but the shortage of supplies is making itself distinctly felt. Colliery prices are for the most part withdrawn, and the buying is restricted to very limited proportions, whilst little coal is available for prompt delivery. Very few collieries are able to do more than keep the contract quantities going, and in nearly every case a claim has been lodged for a reduction of from 10 to 25 per cent, from the monthly quantities on account of the diminution in the- output arising from the war, primarily from the fact of so* many of the workmen having enlisted. It is therefore very little wonder that prices are constantly rising. Some of the- Derby brights quality have beenknown tofetch 20s. per ton at pit during this week. This, however, is not the only reason for the rise in price, for hundreds of men from the London wharves and depots have joined the Army, and the dearth of labour is getting acute. Whilst the snow was about, the difficulty of cartage and delivery, and the danger to the- horses added to the general disability, on top of which the delay by rail of the loaded wagons was a constant source of trouble, and in normal times one-half of the- London supply is brought by sea, but the high freight charges, and the serious difficulty of finding suitable vessels even at these high freights and insurances has made the London market almost entirely dependent now upon railborne coal. Special attention has been drawn during the week to the generous offer of Sir Arthur Markham to place at the disposal of the Government 350,000 tons of his coal for the poor of London at 24s. per ton north of the Thames and 25s. per ton south of the- Thames, as up to the present time very little of this advantageous offer has been taken advantage of. The market is now very fully attended, and the eagerness dis- played in buying up the small quantity offering shows how short many of the merchants are in stocks and the strong desire to refill supplies to meet the extra demand. The seaborne market continues nominal. Twenty-eight contract cargoes were reported in the Thames for Monday's market, and only six for Wednesday, but all were previously sold. The- prices for South Yorkshire hards from the Humber ports are still quoted fairly reasonable, viz., 16s. to 16s. 6d. f.o.b., but the extra freightage charges and the danger to shipping makes the demand somewhat slow. Current quotations are given at 13s. 6d. to 14s. per ton at pit for South Yorkshire hards, and 13s. to 13s. 6d. for Derbyshire hards, but for house coal the majority of collieries have but one answer to all enquiries. "We have none to sell.'5 Small nuts and slacks are selling very freely, and the prices have con-< siderably advanced. On Friday, largely owing to the scarcity of the common qualities of stove. coal, kitchen coal and bakers’ nuts, the London merchants decided to withdraw all the advertised public prices for the lower qualities and to. bring them into line at one fixed rate, so that since that date all these classes of fuel have been quoted at 30s. per ton. No change was made in the better qualities, these remain as before—viz., Derby brights 31s., best Silkstone 32s., and best Wallsend 32s., and on Wednesday a special meeting of the Coal Merchants’ Society was convened in order to meet the pressing urgency of an advance in the. rate of pay for the loaders and carmen, and it was decided to at once increase the pay 2d. per ton from the 28th. It. was felt that the undercurrent in this matter was likely to lead to a strike. The miners’ ballot in connection with the West Yorkshire minimum wage dispute has arrived at a very acute stage, and is a source of grave anxiety to the. London market. _________________________ From Messrs. Dinham, Fawcus and Co.’s Report. Friday, January 22.—The sudden change in the weather caused a slight improvement in tone of the seaborne house coal market to-day, but no cargoes on offer. Cargoes 4. Monday, January 25.—There were no seaborne house coal cargoes on offer at to-day's market, which continued steady, with no sales reported, owing to the scarcity of supplies coming forward. Cargoes 28. Wednesday, January 27.—There was a good demand for seaborne house coal at to-day’s market, but no cargoes at present on offer, no sales being reported. Cargoes 6. ____________________________ The late Sir William Shaw Wright, left unsettled property <£60,284 gross and £52,767 net.