August 4, 1916. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 217 Northumberland, Durham and Cleveland. Newcastle-upon-Tyne. COAL. During last week 104,563 tons of coal and 6,276 tons of coke were despatched from Tyne Dock, a decrease of 13,134 tons of coal and an increase of 4,925 tons of coke when compared with the shipments for the corresponding week of last year. The Dunston clearances amounted to 42,883 tons of coal and 9,920 tons of coke, a decrease of 9,651 tons of coal and an increase of 8,392 tons of coke. The Blyth shipments aggregated 69,767 tons of coal and coke, a decrease of 2,562 tons. Thus, the clearances from the three places totalled 233,409 tons of coal and coke, an increase of 7,253 tons when compared with those for the previous week, but a decrease of 12,030 tons when compared with those for the corresponding week of last year. The prompt market has developed considerably greater firmness during the week. The Danish State Railways have invited immediate tenders of from 15,000 to 18,000 tons of the usual qualities of steam coals for delivery at stipulated ports during August and September, business which, it is expected, will be secured by merchants on an f.o.b. basis. This enquiry, coupled with the fact that tonnage arrivals have been rather better, thereby enabling heavy prompt bookings to be made, has greatly stimulated the market. At the time of writing, there has been some disappoint- ment as to the arrival of expected collier vessels, and this has resulted in the throwing of a few booked cargoes on the open market, thus weakening steam coal prices again to a slight extent. On the week, however, quotations have advanced very materially, as the following statement of f.o.b. prices for spot loading, as compared with thoe of a week ago, will demonstrate : —Best Blyth steams are from 7s. 6d. to 10s. advanced; Tynes, 2s. 6d. dearer; Blyth seconds, 2s. 6d. to 5s. more ; Tynes, stronger ; unscreened, 2s. 6d. increased ; Blyth smalls, firmer; Tynes, in sellers’ favour; gas bests, Is. more; specials, 2s. 6d. higher; Northumbrian unscreened bunkers, similarly advanced ; coking smalls, Is. risen; and blastfurnace coke, 2s. 6d. improved. Other descriptions of fuel are unaltered. Coke is in good demand, although licences for export are still restricted in issue. The coal-exporting community has learned with pleasure of the decision of M. Weiss, French Minister of Mines, that the July licences for the export of coal, coke or manufactured fuel to France, French colonies or French dependencies shall be allowed to hold good for all vessels which commence to load for any of these destinations before midnight on August 5. This con- cession will enable shippers to avail themselves of permits issued in respect of boats which should have arrived in the late days of July, but which, owing to great'congestion at French discharging ports, are only now arriving at the Tyne and at Blyth. Prices f.o.b. for prompt shipment. | Current Steam coalsj prices. Best, Blyths (D.C.B.) ...i Do. Tynes (Bowers,&c.)' Secondary, Blyths ....• Do. Tynes (Hastings! or West Hartleys) ...j Unscreened ............ Small, Blyths ....;... Do. Tynes............ Do. specials......... Other sorts:— 47/6-50/ 47/6 ' 40/ -45/ 40/ -45/ 32/6-40/ 30/ 27/6 30/ -32/6 Smithies........ ... Best gas coals (New Pelton or Holmside) Secondary gas coals (Pelaw Main or similar) Special gas coals ... Unscreened bunkers, Durhams Do. do. 35/ 35/ -36/ 33/ -34/ 37/6-40/ 33/ -36/ Northumbrians Coking coals.......... Do. smalls ....... House coals .......... Coke, foundry .......... Do. blast-furnace...... Do. gas ............... 32/6-37/6 33/ -34/ 33/ 45/ —50/ 45/ -47/6 40/ -47/6 32/ -34/ 1 L’st week’s Last year’i prices. prices. ; 40/ 21/ -21/6 ! 45/ '19/6-20/ 37/6-40/ ! 16/6 i 37/6-45/ 1 16/6-17/ 1 30/ -37/6 i 15/ -16/ j 27/6-30/ 13/6-14/ ■ 25/ -27/6 13/ 30/ -32/6 15/ -15/6 85/ 16/ -17/ 35/ 20/ -21/ 33/ -34/ 17/ -17/6 37/6 22/ -23/ 33/ -36/ 16/6-18/6 32/6-35/ 15/ -16/ 33/ -34/ 16/6-17/6 j 32/ 15/6-16/ | 45/ -50/ 21/ : 45/ -47/6 32/6-35/ ■■ 40/ -45/ 30/ 32/ -34/ 26/ -27/ Sunderland. COAL. The exports from Sunderland last week amounted to 58,660 tons of coal, as compared with 78,765 tons of coal and 1,035 tons of coke for the corresponding period of 1915, being a decrease of 20,105 tons of coal and 1,035 tons of coke. Tonnage is offered only sparingly, and in consequence limitation business has proceeded only slowly. Some of the collieries find their turns more or less disarranged. Coals, therefore, are obtainable without any difficulty for early August shipment, and prices are simply maintained at late figures with a rather quiet tendency, and fresh business is limited. Steam coals are quiet so far as the market is concerned, but Government requisitioning is supporting the collieries, and prices have a firm tone, especially for forward delivery. Gas and coking fuel is firmer, with special Wear gas quoted at 37s. 6d. and secondary at 34s. to 35s. The Admiralty continue to monopolise the larger portion of these brands. Bunkers are improving, with bests at 35s. and ordinary at round about 32s. 6d. Coke is firm and scarce. The Danish State railways are asking for immediate offers of 18,000 tons of best steam descriptions for shipment to named ports in August and September. Prices f.o.b. Sunderland. Current L’st week’s Last year’s Gas coals:— prices. prices. j prices. Special Wear gas coals 37/6 37/6 21/ Secondary do. 34/ 33,6 17/6 House coals:— Best house coals 50/ 45/ 20/ Ordinary do Other sorts:— 37/6 35/ ! 18/ Lambton screened 45/ 42/6 I 22/6 South Hetton do 45/ 42/6 34/ 22/ Lambton unscreened ... 34/ I 17/6-18/ South Hetton do 34/ 33/6 17/6-18/ Do. treble nuts 35/6 35/ 19/6 17/6 16/ Coking coals unscreened 33/ 32/ 33/ Do. smalls 32/ 34'6 Smithies 33/6 18/6-19/ 22/ Peas and nuts 37/6 36/ i Best bunkers ’ 35/ 36/ 32/6 18/6-19/ Ordinary bunkers 32/6 16/ -16/6 Coke Foundry coke 47/6 47/6 35/ Blast-furnace coke (did. Teesside furnaces) ... 28/ 28/ 28/ Gas coke 32/6-35/ 35/ 21/ In the freight market, as tonnage continues to be very scarce, the tone remains very firm. Orders for the Mediterranean are few, but those on French account are numerous. Apart from French limitation fixtures, chartering includes :—Palma, 60s.; Gibraltar, 35s.; Palermo, 70s.; Leghorn, 70s.; Spezzia, 70s.; Genoa, 70s.; Barcelona, 61s.; Marseilles, 67s.; Porto Ferraio, option Bagnoli, 70s.; London, 12s.; and Gothenburg, 30 kr. Middlesbrough-on-Tees. COAL. The fuel trade keeps steady, with a considerable amount of business passing. Recent active charterings for France have placed many Durham collieries in a good position, though delay in the arrival of tonnage deranges turns to some extent. Demand for gas coal is good, and new busi- ness is limited only by the short supplies of free coal. Best gas coal ranges from 35s. to 36s., and second qualities from 33s. to 34s. Bunker coal is in good request at round about 34s. for ordinary Durhams, while best sorts are quoted up to 35s. 6d. Coking coal is fully taken up. Quotations vary from 32s. 6d. to 36s., but sales have occurred at 34s. for both unscreened and smalls. Coke is in large and growing demand for local consumption, with the result that there are reports of likelihood of some of the old beehive ovens being put into operation again. Average blast- furnace qualities rather readily realise 28s. at the ovens, and up to 30s. 6d. at the ovens is named for kinds low in phosphorus. Foundry coke is in good request, and best kinds run from 47s. 6d. to 50s., while patent coke is 40s. to 4 Is. Gas coke is stated to be slightly easier, but as much as 34s. is asked for it. IRON. A start is promised this week with the expected increase of production of pig iron by blowing-in a furnace at the Redcar Ironworks to manufacture haematite. This will make 30 furnaces running on haematite*. The number blowing on Cleveland is 28, and 13 are manufacturing special kinds of iron. Business is on a moderate scale, and would be much heavier if the demands of buyers of pig iron could be complied with. As it is, the distributing com- mittee is allocating supplies in a manner that leaves little room for complaint under existing conditions. Deliveries to local consumers are regular, and shipments to France are well maintained. No. 3 Cleveland pig, No. 4 foundry and No. 4 forge all stand at 87s. 6d., and No. 1 at 91s. 6d. for home consumption. For general export No. 3 is quite 97s. 6d., but can be bought for France at 95s. No. 1 is 102s. 6d., No. 4 foundry 96s. 6d., and No. 4 forge 95s. 6d. for shipment abroad. Very little new is ascertainable con- cerning east coast haematite iron. With producers fully sold over the next month or two, there is next to no iron on the market for early delivery. For home use, and for shipment to France, Nos. 1, 2 and 3 remain at 122s. 6d., and for general export the quotation is 140s. and upward. The very heavy deliveries of foreign ore against contracts made some time ago, and the consequent steady additions to the already considerable stocks held by consumers has no detrimental influence on values. The trade is characterised by inactivity, but sellers continue to take a firm stand. Nothing below 38s. ex-ship Tees is named for rubio of 50 per cent, quality. That price is based on the official 17s. Bilbao-Middles- brough freight, the figure at which controlled consumers are still privileged to arrange the conveyance of ore. In the open market, however, the freight from Bilbao is 19s., making the ex-ship Tees price of best rubio 40s. Imports of foreign ore to the port of Middlesbrough during July amounted to no less than 246,877 tons. As regards finished iron and steel, manufacturers continue so busily engaged on Government work that they pay little attention to the rather numerous ordinary commercial enquiries in the market. Prices of all descriptions are very strong. Cumberland. Maryport. COAL. Great activity continues to characterise the operations in the coal, coke and by-product industries of West Cumber- land. Although this is generally regarded as the quietest season of the year, the demand for fuel is almost as keen as in mid winter, and requirements in nearly all the main branches are still in excess of the supply. The demand for all classes of coal is growing stronger, more particularly on export account, and there has rarely been such a clamour for coal at this time of the year. Gas coal for shipment and home use is a steady trade, and engine fuels for local consumers are in firm request. As far as manufac- turing fuel is concerned, the demand is keener than ever this week. Owing to the dry weather, the needs of the iron ore mines have not been so heavy during the past few weeks, but requirements of industrial coal for the local iron and steel works are still increasing, and they are likely to be larger when more furnaces are put into blast in the district. The pits are all working six days a week, and every effort is being made to keep the output as high as possible. The cross-Channel trade is tremendously brisk, and although more coal has of late been released for shipping, Irish needs are extremely difficult to meet. There is a phenomenal demand for best steam and manufacturing fuel for Ireland, and orders are coming in to the collieries more quickly than they can be dealt with. The tonnage to Ireland is increasing at all the Cumberland ports, and more coal is now going to nearly all parts of Ireland, but in some cases consumers are still unable to secure more than twc- thirds of what they actually require. Supplies of industrial fuel are still rather scarce, but the collieries are doing their utmost to satisfy the needs of their Irish customers, and at present they are sending all the coal they possibly can to the docks. Since the fine weather set in all the coasting steamers have been sailing more regularly to Irish ports, and of late quite a number of small schooners, which before the war were doing very little, are now reaping a rich harvest, and are sailing almost as regularly as some of the steamers, when they are able to secure the coal. During the week 17 vessels have sailed from Maryport with coals for Irish ports, and the shipments have amounted to 5,130 tons, compared with 3,340 tons at the corresponding period of last year, or an increase of 25 tons compared with last week. The largest cargoes have been * consigned to Londonderry, Belfast, Waterford and Cork. The ship- ments for July have been 20,010 tons, compared with 17,020 tons for June, and 21,490 tons this time last year. Coke is in very firm demand, and all the by-product ovens in West Cumberland are in full blast. The whole of the make of local coke is going to the blastfurnaces in the district. Business is brisk in the by-products trade, and all the plants in the county are actively engaged. There has been no change in prices. All varieties of bunkers are in keen demand. Bunkers for foreign-going vessels are from 25s. to 30s. per ton, and for coastwise steamers from 21s, 6d. to 25s. per ton. Best house coal delivered in Maryport is from Is. 5|d. to Is. 6d. per cwt., or from 27s. 6d. to 28s. 4d. per ton. At Workington, best house coal delivered is quoted at Is. 4d. per cwt., or 25s. lOd. per ton, with best washed nuts at Is. 3d. per cwt., or 24s. 2d. per ton. Other current quotations are as follow:— Best Cumberl’nd coal at pit Best washed nuts at pit... Buckhill best coal „ Do. double-scrned washed nuts at pit Oughterside best coal at Fit Oughterside best washed nuts at pit St. Helens (Siddick) best coal at pit St. Helens best house nuts at pit Best dry small at pit Best steam nuts „ BestCumberl’nd coal, f.o.b. Best washed nuts, f.o.b. ... Best bunkers (coastwise) Do. (for foreign-going steamers) Bunkers (mixed nuts and steam coal) (coastwise) Do. (foreign) Best coal for gasworks ... Best washed nuts for gas- works Current prices. 23/4 21/3 22/6 21/ - 22/6 21/ 22/6 21/ 12/6 19/ 19/6 17/6 25/ 30/ 21/6 25/ 20/ 19/ L’st week’s prices. 23/4 21/3 22/6 21/ 22/6 21/ 22/6 21/ 12/6 19/ 19/6 17/6 25/ 30/ 21/6 25/ 20/ 19/ Last year’s prices. 23/4 21/3 22/6 21/ 22/6 21/ 22,6 21/ 12/ 19/ 19/6 17/6 19/ 19/ 17/ -17/6 17/ -17/6 20/ 19/ IRON. Briskness continues in the Cumberland and North Lancashire haematite iron trade, and makers are tremen- dously busy in all branches of the industry. Smelters have still considerably more business on hand than they can cope with. For a long time the bulk of the require- ments of both special and ordinary iron have mainly come from users engaged exclusively on Government work, but during the last week or two there has been a strong and growing demand for Bessemer iron for ordinary com- mercial purposes. Requirements of both local and outside consumers are larger than can be satisfied, and there is still a very pressing need for a further increase in produc- tion. Preparations are being made at Millom, Maryport and Workington for the lighting of more furnaces. Last week, the Workington Iron and Steel Company com- menced to make a third furnace ready at the Solway iron works at Maryport, and it is fully expected that another furnace will be put in blast at Workington in the course of a few weeks. It is stated that the Millom and Askam Company will soon have a 4 ft. furnace ready for lighting at Millom, and it may also be possible to put one of the furnaces at Askam in draught before the autumn. All the make of iron is going into immediate consumption. The bulk of the ordinary Bessemer is being absorbed locally at the steel works, and a large proportion of the special and semi-special iron is going to consumers in Scotland and the Midlands. Prices are unchanged at the maximum, and Bessemer mixed numbers are again quoted at 127s. 6d. per ton, f.o.t., with warrants at cash at 115s. per ton. Special iron is at 140s. per ton and semi-special at 135s. 6d. per ton, f.o.t. Ferro-manganese is in steady request at «£25 per ton. There are 29 furnaces in blast, 19 in Cumberland and 10 in the Furness district. One furnace is on speigel, another is on ferro-manganese, and the remainder are on Bessemer, special and semi-special iron. The steel trade is busy, and both Barrow and Workington are briskly engaged on Government work. The Cumberland iron ore industry is in a flourishing condition. The mines in the district are working regularly, and nearly the whole of the production is going to the local blastfurnaces. There has been no change in prices. Good ordinary sorts are quoted at from 21s. to 30s. per ton, better qualities are from 31s. to 36s. 6d. per ton, and best sorts are quoted at 38s. per ton net at the mines. South-West Lancashire. COAL. In household coals, particularly of the better qualities, there is still a good demand, as stocking is being resorted to by the merchant and the consumer wherever practicable. Forges continue to take also full supplies of screened round