June 4, 1915. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 1173 will be asked; but it is probable that roasted ore will be again advanced, owing to the large demand. Extra prices are being readily paid for prompt delivery. The mines in Hesse and Nassau-are asking high rates, and numerous old stocks are being disposed of at very remunerative prices, 180mk. and more being paid for prompt supplementary deliveries of red ironstone, on the basis of 50 per cent. iron. Hessian brown ironstone has been fetching 130 mk. and over; and large contracts are reported to have been placed for delivery over a twelvemonth. Minette from Lothringen and Luxem- burg is being consumed on an increasing scale at improved rates, and manganese ore from Upper Hesse is in special request. Pig Iron.—The demand is well maintained, founders being busy with large army orders, and finding some difficulty in getting' all the pig iron they need. Siegen special iron is in great request. No sales have been concluded for next quarter. The Pig Iron Union prices are as follow Puddled pig, 78 mk.; steel iron, 81 mk. and over; spiegeleisen (10-12 per cent, manganese), 91 mk.; foundry pig I., 86-50 mk.; III., 79-50 mk. per metric ton. Prices for scrap iron are in an unsettled state, and somewhat easier, at about 55-56mk. per ton for core scrap, 34-35-mk. for melting iron, and 80-82 mk. for machine scrap, delivered. Semi-Products.—In this market there is little change, and a large proportion of the output in slabs and blooms is being consumed for army purposes. Since the Steel Union advanced the price of open hearth by 15 mk. per ton, the Siegerland Steel Works, which produce only basic mild steel, are making good prices. The steel foundries are very busy with war orders. Plate.—The market is firm. The best business is that with neutrals, 155 mk. being paid for heavy plate. Inland rates are firm, and would have advanced, but for the steadying influence of the associated heavy plate mills. The number of orders for export has been grow- ing week by week, so that all the works are requiring a long time to give delivery—4-6 weeks. Medium plate also is in good demand, at a basis price of 150-160 mk. per ton, ex works, delivery in 4-6 weeks. Nearly all the fine plate mills are quite full up with orders. For some weeks the basis price for inland . orders has been 165-175 mk. per ton, ex works, ■ according to quality. Business is also very good, at high prices, with neutrals, 4-6 weeks being required for delivery. Neither buyers nor sellers are willing to place long contracts, the former chiefly because prices have reached -an unprecedented height, owing to the considerable increase in the cost of production. A large proportion of the output in fine plate is for war purposes, though steel plate, dynamo plates, tin-plate, and other fine grades are in continued good demand, and prices are going up. Complaints about.under-selling by middlemen are infrequent, though this practice still continues in respect of bars, of which dealers appear to have large quantities to dispose of cheaply. Makers are requiring middlemen to take prompt delivery of their instalments under old con- tracts, under threat of cancellation. The basis price fixed by the Bar Iron Union is still 135 mk. per ton, ex Oberhausen, though 140 mk. and more have been obtained. Welding bars also maintain their price. The depression in the building trade prevents any improve- ment in the demand for bars and sections. German Pig Iron Output in April. The total production of pig iron in the Customs Union amounted to 938,679 tons (938,438 tons in March), of which 210,488 tons (199,330 tons) were foundry pig, 14,426 tons (12,233 tons) Bessemer pig, 564,381 tons (564,179 tons) basic Bessemer, 125,023 tons (135,761 tons) steel-iron and spiegeleisen, and 24,361 tons (26,935 tons) puddling pig. Rhenish Westphalia pro- duced 410,054 tons (397,148 tons), Siegerland, Wetzlar, and Hesse-Nassau 63,665 tons (68,429 tons), Silesia 64,368 tons (67,902 tons), North Germany, 18,753 tons (20,008 tons), Mid-Germany, 30,702 tons (30,806 tons), South Germany and Thuringia, 18,361 tons (19,901 tons), the Saar district, 63,834 tons (68,432 tons), Lothringen, 143,510 tons (147,873 tons), and Luxem- burg, 125,432 tons (117,939 tons). Iron Market in Upper Silesia. Owing to the prohibition on- transit through Austria- Hungary, the considerable orders from southern countries cannot be executed, and new business has to be declined. In the home market the chief demand is for war material, private business being slack owing to the absence of activity in the building trade. The largest buyers of rolled material are wagon builders and screw makers; and the army is needing almost incredible quantities of horseshoe bars. Business in welding iron is very quiet; but the State Railways are purchasing large quantities of superstructural material, and there has been a heavy demand for rails, points, etc., for immediate delivery to the eastern theatre of Avar. Plate has been in good request for the home market, especi- ally high grades of fine plate; and in some cases orders have to be refused, and longer periods stipulated for delivery. The plate is chiefly required for field kitchens, pails, and bottles. Tin-plate is very scarce, and black plate is being substituted for it Avherever possible; and tinned hoop steel is being used for preserved food cans. Dynamo plates are in better request, though still rather quiet. Orders for heavy plate are plentiful, mainly for tube plate, petroleum tanks, and shipbuilding purposes; and prices have advanced. In Avrought iron pipes there has been little doing, but prices have risen in confor- mity Avith the general situation, gas pipes being 2-3 per cent., galvanised 11 per cent., and boiler and flanged tubes 3 per cent, dearer, though several makers are still selling at the old rates. On this account, buyers are holding back, so far as large purchases are concerned, in the belief that prices Avill come doAvn again. The steel Avorks are moderately busy, with plenty or orders for semi-manufactured products for the rolling mills, especially high-grade material to be rolled for muni- tions. Scrap iron is abundant, prices for the various qualities being:—Ordinary broken iron 65 mk., turn- ings 50 mk., molting iron 47 mk. per ton delivered. Iron and steel founders, the latter especially, are very busy Avith orders for shells, and a number of firms in various branches of industry, Avho possess lathes — engineering Avorks in particular—have taken up the production of munitions. It is therefore difficult to place orders for steel castings, even at the high prices now offered. German Output of Ingot Steel in March. According to the report of the German Iron and Steel Manufacturers’ Association, the output of ingot steel in the Customs Union during March amounted to 1,098,273 tons (946,191 tons in February), of xvliich 553,156 tons (479,860 tons) Avere basic steel, 44,808 tons (9,681 tons) Bessemer steel 451,796 tons (389,941 tons) basic open hearth steel, 15,875 tons (15,398 tons) acid open hearth steel, 34,507 tons (26,742 tons) basic steel castings, 10,771 tons (8,053 tons) acid steel castings, 8,105 tons (7,462 tons) crucible steel, and 9,255 tons (8,902 tons) electro steel. Production in the various districts :— Rhenish Westphalia, 630,230 tons (546,875 tons); Silesia, 96,211 tons (82,011 tons); Siegerland and Hesse- Nassau, 23,725 tons (19,275 tons); North, East and Mid Germany, 45,612 tons (39,911 tons); Saxony, 21,424 tons (18,253 tons); South Germany, 12,288 tons (10,727 tons); Saar and Rheinpfalz, 95,290 tons (82,827 tons); EIsass-Lothringen, 100,568 tons (84,198 tons); Luxem- burg, 72,925 tons (62,114 tons). TRADE AMD THE WAR. The Central Railway of Brazil (Estrada de Ferro Central do Brasil), a Government line, has recently approached an American concern at Rio with .a proposition to purchase 20,000 tons of American Pocahontas coal. The price paid is said to be 15’09 dels, per ton. The Central Railway has had special permission from the Government to make its purchases of coal for cash, and to meet payments therefor out of its actual cash receipts, month by month. The directors of the road state that it consumes 300,000 tons of coal per year. The British restrictions upon the export of coal have had the immediate effect of stimulating the demand for New River 'and Pocahontas grades, and advices from Boston report that prices have stiffened considerably of late, although the actual number of contracts placed on foreign account is still small. A current price is 2’80 dols. f.o.b. Hampton Roads. At Baltimore, several charters have been fixed at 9’60 dols. for the River Plate, and 10 dols. to Italy. Rates for Spanish ports are about 10 dols. To Marseilles, rates are about 10’20 dols. for single trips, or 9'60 dols. for a number of trips. The Valparaiso rate is 6’72 dols. The Newcastle Commercial Advisory Committee has been informed by Mr. Herbert Shaw, secretary of Newcastle Chamber of Commerce, that he (Mr. Shaw) expects very soon to be able to announce that the Coal Export Control Committee has agreed to consider applications for licences to export coal without the name of either a definite steamer by which the coal is to be shipped or a substitute. As the result of strong representations regarding the delay in the granting of licences, the Committee has informed Mr. Shaw that arrangements have now been made to expedite matters to such an extent that certain applications will be disposed of by 11 a.m., instead of 3 p.m., as at present. Another concession granted is that, where it is necessary to increase the named quantities of cargoes, the Committee will allow an increased margin of 10 per cent., not to exceed 200 tons for any one cargo. It is stated by prominent members of the coal trade in Glasgow that licences for export to neutral countries are being refused by the War Trade Department in some cases because of the local price being so high. In regard to the question of refusals, there is considerable perplexity among exporters. Applications for licence have been fairly numerous both in England and Scotland, and the number not granted is considerable. The policy pursued in regard to these refusals, it is complained, is very difficult to understand, and is a matter which has given the exporters in Glasgow' much concern. An explanation seems forthcoming in a reply received from the War Trade Department in reponse to an enquiry as to the reason for refusal to issue a licence to a city exporter. The Depart- ment indicated that the high price of coal locally is the explanation. It is further understood that the Coal Exports Committee have stated to a prominent member of the coal trade in Glasgow that until prices were lowered for local purposes licences for export would not be freely granted. As an outcome of representations by Cleveland and Scottish ironmasters to the Admiralty regarding the embargo upon the export of foundry pig iron, arrangements have now been completed for the constitution of local committees at Middlesbrough, who will have the authority to issue cer- tificates to ironmasters and ‘exporters where they are satisfied that the iron is for a neutral destination. The issue of certificates, it is believed, will considerably facilitate the local export trade. The local committee to act in con- junction with the Customs officials in granting permits is Mr. Geo. Scoby-Smith, of Messrs.' Bolckow, Vaughan and Company Limited ;Mr. J. J. Burton, who for many years was associated with the Cargo Fleet Iron Company Limited; Mr. C. Hood, of Messrs. Bell Bros. Limited; and Mr. T. Belk, of the firm of Messrs. Belk and Cochrane, solicitors; Avith.Mr. J. T. Atkinson, secretary of the Cleveland Iron- masters’ Association, as secretary. At the annual meeting of the Institution of Gas Engi- neers, held in London on Tuesday, the president, Mr. John Bond (engineer and manager of the Southport Corporation Gas Department), said that during this war crisis it had been realised that the gas industry plays an important part in the welfare of the nation, by providing residual products for the manufacture of dyes, disinfectants, drugs, high explosives, etc., and by the production of solid and gaseous fuel for the manufacture of all classes of war material and other articles too numerous to mention. Indeed, he said, the gas industry may be looked upon as one of the chief mainstays of the nation. Touching upon the coal crisis, he .said the question of present and future coal supplies was a serious one for the gas industry. The effect of the enlist- ment of one-fifth of the total number of miners in • the country was a diminution in the output of coal, and prices had done up. The Government ought to have taken measures to restrict these excessive advances, and exports should have been prohibited earlier. It was pleasing to know that a joint committee representative of gas and electrical undertakings would shortly approach the Govern- ment with a vieAA^ of obtaining better and cheaper deliveries. He urged the need for effecting economies in gas production and distribution, and suggested the establishment of research laboratories.—Mr. E. Allen (Liverpool), in sub- mitting a motion expressing satisfaction with the action of the council in arranging joint action with the electrical organisations on the matter of coal supplies, said the two main points of their demand were that the transit of coal should be facilitated, and that the prices of coal should be reasonable. He contended that if the gas undertakings had taken up the matter with the colliery owners in July last, the increase in price would not have exceeded 2s. 6d. per ton. The difficulty of getting coal to London and the South of England, in consequence of the interruption of sea sail- ings, had caused a rush of south country orders, which had disturbed the whole market, and had raised prices by 6s. and 7s., and in Scotland, he believed, by Ils. He depre- cated gas undertakings competing one with another for coal instead of acting together.—One speaker said many York- shire collieries had now no stocks of gas coal on hand, and among these was one large colliery near Doncaster, which at this time of the year had usually from 250,000 to 300,000 tions on hand.—The resolution was agreed to. Absolute contraband of war now includes toluol and mix- tures of toluol, whether derived from coal tar, petroleum, or any other source; and also lathes and other machines or machine tools capable of being employed in the manufacture of munitions of war. In connection with the London Chamber of Commerce and the Belgian Committee for Trade with the Allies, addresses were delivered in London on Thursday of last week, with the object of bringing together British electrical supplies manufacturers and Belgian buyers for the mutual consider- ation of practical ways and means, so as to establish business relations immediately the invaded territories are free from the German invasion. It was decided to hold a further meeting at an early date. It is stated that the “ Nebraskan,” which was torpedoed, was under contract with the Navy Department to transport coal from Norfolk (Virginia) to San Diego, for use by the American fleet on the West Coast of Mexico, and that if the German submarine officer complied with the international law as to examination he could have learned this fact from the “Nebraskan.” The Bradley Pulverizer Company advise us that they have received a repeat order for a 30 in. Griffin mill for grinding stone dust from the United National Collieries Limited, which is to be installed at this firm’s . National Collieries, Wattstown, near Forth, South Wales. The United National Collieries Limited have had one of these 30 in. Griffin mills working at their Risca Collieries for the past 12 months, which has given every satisfaction. Syndication in the United States Coal Trade.—During the month of April a committee of Indiana coal operators approached President Wilson on the condition of the industry in that State, and endeavoured to attain s'ome relief, as well as secure a sanction of their central selling agency. They placed before the President the following general state- ments concerning the bituminous coal mining industry at large, ’as a preliminary to the more concise reference to the Indiana situation :— 11) More than 500,000 workmen engaged in the bitu- minous coal industry are necessarily idle more than 100 daws each year. (2) More than 900,000,000 dols. of the capital engaged in the bituminous coal industry is idle more than 100 days yearly. (3) 200,000,000 tons of the nation’s fuel supply is being wasted each year. (4) 100,000 acres of coal lands are being exhausted each, year, Avhile, wTith proper conservation, 65,000 acres could be made to furnish the fuel now used by the nation. t It was stated that for the last five years the average selling price of bituminous coal at the mine has approximated 1-12 dols. per ton. wffiile the cost of labour and supplies for each ton produced has approximated 96c., leaving but 16c. per ton to pay for the mine, the depreciation of machinery, selling charges, overhead expenses, and the risk which always exists of a mine disaster through wTbich the whole capital involved in the enterprise might be destroyed. The Indiana committee presented this matter to the Federal Trade Commission. The Commission expressed full sympathy, and its desire to lend any possible assistance, but stated that under the law it had no authority to take any affirmative action in the premises. President Wilson, in his replv. has promised to consult with bis associates, and, if possible, to help the operators. The latter, referring particularly to the Indiana coalfield, assert that they are suffering from over-production and intense unrestrained com- petition, with the result that a number of the operators have been forced into the hands of receivers, and a large number of the balance are suffering seriously from the situation. The condition affects the labourer equally with the operator, because of intermittent work. During the year 1914 they only secured 148 working days. The result is the entire absence of conservation. On the contrary, it promotes a waste of coal in the ground, because it requires the cheapest and easiest method of getting coal out, to meet the price at which it has to be sold. On a conservative estimate, not more than 50 per cent, of the coal is recovered. .There are 114 companies in the State of Indiana producing 16 million tons of coal each year—a little over 2 per cent, of the total production in the United States—and in the largest market they do not control over 16 per cent, of the tonnage of that market. In order to maintain this position, they are obliged •to maintain something like 300 selling offices and 900 sales- men. They are competing within the boundary of their own State with the non-union States of Kentucky and West Virginia, and the union employee States of Ohio, Penn- sylvania, and Illinois. Outside of their own State they are competing with Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and Iowa. The tentative plan suggested consists of a single selling company, which would decrease the selling cost several cents per Jon, and would enable them to standardise the business, and by intelligent distri- bution of orders, establishing of storage facilities for fine coal —for which there is an erratic demand —they could increase the present earning fully 10c. per ton without in any way disturbing the present price. The position taken by the Indiana operators is that they prefer bankruptcy to a criminal prosecution for violation of the law.