860 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. May 4, 1917. owners can command. The heavy inland call upon the Yorkshire output prevents anything like a surplus causing pressure to sell, and the consequence is that quotations are firmly held all round. Best South Yorkshire hards are quoted 28s. 6d. to 29s., according to date and accom- modation, while Derbyshire hards are fully steady at 27s. 6d. to 28s. 6d. for shipment at Grimsby or Immingham; washed nuts are scarce and firm round 24s. 6d. to 25s. 6d. ; washed small coal firm at 20s., and rough slack 17s. to 17s. 6d.; Parkgates, 26s. 6d., screened gas 26s., and West Yorkshire Hartleys, 27s. 6d. (at Goole). Nothing is reported in the freight market beyond one or two allocations to Allied ports at limitation rates. There is some enquiry for West Italy, and 160s. or more is mentioned as a basis of negotiation. Other quotations are Copenhagen or Stock- holm 150 kr. and Barcelona 160s. Chesterfield. COAL. There is a sustained demand for coal from all quarters and collieries experience great difficulty in dealing with consumers’ requirements. House coal orders are still seriously in arrear, and it will be several weeks before these can be disposed of. Scarcity of railway wagons and lack of carting facilities are factors which add considerably to the difficulties of the situation. Coal for munition works is urgently called for, and is in more pressing demand than ever. In nuts there is practically a famine, while cobbles are most difficult to obtain. It is impossible to maintain deliveries of these qualities at the rate stipulated in con- tracts already made. Slacks of every grade are in brisk demand for boiler firing, and the washed sorts are scarce. Great pressure is put upon collieries to keep the railways adequately supplied with locomotive coal, but it is not possible to obtain the fuel in sufficient quantities from the collieries, and the railway companies are compelled to draw upon their reserve stocks. Gas coal is in equally strong demand, with supplies below the needs of the gas industry. The export trade remains in a quiet condition generally. Shipments to France are better, as steamers are returning more expeditiously from the French ports, where there is apparently less congestion than of late. There is, however, very little business passing with neutral countries owing to the continued shortage of shipping tonnage. The coke market is active in respect of all qualities, and prices are firm. Coking fuel continues in good request. Prices at pit. proportion of the output is strictly reserved for Government purposes. The big London and district demand for all classes of household is unabated. Deep and main cobbles and nuts as well as small nuts for mechanical stokers are cleared off very rapidly. Country coal yards are swept clean. Prices at pit. Best household coal ..... Second, hand picked ..... Deep screened cobbles ... Deep large nuts ......... Bakers’ nuts............. Small nuts............... Deep breeze ............. Peas .................... Small dust .............. Main nuts for London kitcheners............ Steams, best hand picked Steams, seconds ......... Main cobbles for kitcheners Main breeze.............. Current prices. 17/ -19/ 15/6-17/6 16/6-17/6 16/ -17/ 15/ -16/ 14/6-15/6 12/9-13/6 12/ -12/3 6/ - 7/ 14/ -15/ 14/6-15/6 13/6-15/ 14/ -15/ 12/6-13/6 L’st week’s prices. 17/ -19/ 15/6-17/6 16/6-17/6 16/ -17/ 15/ -16/ 14/6-15/6 12/9-13/6 12/ -12/3 6/ - 7/ 14/ -15/ 14/6-15/6 13/6-15/ 14/ -15/ 12/6-13/6 Last year’s prices. 16/6-18/ 15/6-16/ 16/6-17/ 16/ -16/6 15/ -15/6 14/6-15/ 12/9-13/6 12/ -12/3 6/ - 7/ 13/ -13/6 14/ -14/6 13/ -13/6 13/6-14/ 12/6-13/6 Prices at pithead. Current L’st week’s Last year’ House coals:— prices. prices. prices. Block 24/ 24/ 21/6 Forest 23/ 23/ 20/6 Rubble 23/3 23 3 20/9 Nuts 21/6 21/6 19/ Rough slack 13/ 13/ 11/6 Steam coal — Large 20/ -21/ 20/ -21/ 18/ -19/ Small 16/ 16/ 13/6-14/ Prices 2s. extra f.o.b. Lydney or Sharpness. Best house coals Secondary do Current prices. 17/ ■ 16/6 L’st week’s prices. 17/ 16/6 Last year’s prices. 17/ 16/6 Cobbles 16/ 16/ 16/ Nuts 15/ 15/ 15/ Slack 12/6 12/6 12/6 IRON. There is continued activity in every branch of the iron trade, and there are indications here and there of an early increase in the production of pig iron, for which there is a strong demand. South Staffordshire, North Worcestershire and Warwickshire. Birmingham. COAL. No sign of any change in the general condition of the coal trade is apparent, though it is expected that the arrival of warmer weather will relieve the stringency to some extent. The collieries both in Staffordshire and Warwickshire are pressed for larger supplies. The men are reported to be working well, but even then demand easily overlaps supply. Merchants, stocks of house coal are meagre. As soon as a wagon arrives it is promptly unloaded and returned to the colliery, and at some collieries the sidings are reported to be blocked with empties. In the matter of wagons the general assumption is that one third of the supply is waiting at the collieries, another third is on rail, and the remaining third at the wharves, but this proportion is just now altogether upset. New enquiries have little chance of much attention just now, owing to the arrears awaiting to be wiped off. Smalls of all kinds are extremely scarce, and larger sorts are accepted. The heavy call for fuel for munition and general engineering works is being fairly met. Prices at pit. THE WELSH COAL AND IRON TRADES. Thursday, May 3. North Wales. Wrexham. COAL. The coal trade of this district during the past week can fairly be described as steady in all departments. Masters and men apparently are doing their utmost to keep the output up to as large a tonnage as possible. Orders are plentiful enough for steam coal for various purposes. Buyers of locomotive fuel and coal for industrial purposes are open to purchase all they can get. There is no change in the gas coal section, the business chiefly relating to arrears and the fixing up of new contracts. There is still a ready demand for gas coke, and none of the gas companies hold any large stocks. Nuts are scarce, but slack is fairly plentiful. Prices are stationary. Best large house 'coal is listed at 21s. to 23s. per ton at pit, seconds quality at 20s. to 22s. per ton, while at the landsale depots the same grades realise 27s. 6d. to 30s. and 25s. to 27s. 6d. per ton respec- tively. Steam and gas coal is quoted at 19s. to 21s. at pit, nuts, 18s. to 20s., and rough slack gas coke is making 21s. 8d. to, 23s. 4d. per ton. Slack 12s. to 14s. 6d. per ton. The following is a list of the week’s quotations :— Nottingham. COAL. The tone of the trade in this county remains brisk. A slight falling off in the demand by householders of domestic fuel is being felt by merchants as a result of the more favourable weather, and the tonnage required by dealers from the landsale depots is less weighty. Still, the pressure on collieries by merchants generally for supplies on contract accounts has shown little alteration, for merchants are without any stock, and in order to more fully comply with customers’ needs, they readily accept whatever class of fuel is available. In the steam coal branch there is still a strong demand. Best qualities are readily disposed of and second-grade fuel is having a good sale. Nuts continue a feature of this branch, the supply being altogether inadequate to meet all requirements, and ordinary consumers are having to take other classes of fuel in substitution. There is a fair supply of slacks with the exception of those grades used in coke-making, and of the latter the output is not sufficient to keep the ovens adequately supplied. Inland works are taking practically all the gas fuel obtainable, and there is little opportunity of getting supplies except on contract accounts. Prices at pithead. Current L’st week’s Last year’s Staffordshire (including Cannock Chase) :— prices. prices. prices. House coal, best deep ... 22/ 22/ 22/ Do. seconds deep 20/ 20/ 20/ Do. best shallow 19/ 19/ 19/ 18/ Do. seconds do. 18/ 18/ Best hard 18/6 18/6 18/6 Forge coal 16/ 16/ 16/ Slack Warwickshire:— 11/6 11/6 11/6 House coal, best Ryder.. Do. hand-picked 19/ 19/ 19/ cobs 18/ 18/ 18/ 20/ Best hard spires 20/ 20/ Forge (steam) 16/ 16/ 16/ D.S. nuts (steam) 14/6 14/6 14/6 Small (do.) 14/6 14/6 14/6 Current L’st week’s Last years’ Prices at pit f.o.r.:— prices. prices. prices. Best house coal 21/ -23/ 21/ -23/ — Secondary do 20/ -22/ 20/ -22/ 19/ -21/ — Steam coal 19/ -21/ — Gas coal 19/ -21/ 19/ -21/ — Bunkers 19/ -21/ 19/ -21/ i — Nuts 18/ -20/ 18/ -20/ ( — Slack 12/ -14/6 12/ -14/6 — Gas coke (at works) Prices landsale:— 21/8-23/4 21/8-25/ — Best house coal 27/6-30/ 27/6-30/ — Seconds 25/ -27/6 25/ -27/6 — Slack 15/ -16/8 15/ -16/8 — Hand-picked brights ..... Good house coals......... Secondary do............. Best hard coals.......... Secondary do ............ Slacks (best hards) ..... Do. (second) .......... Do. (soft)............. Current prices. 19/ -19/6 18/ -18/6 17/ -18/ 17/ -17/6 16/ -17/ 12/ -13/ 10/6-11/6 11/ L’st week’s prices. 19/ -19/6 18/ -18/6 17/ -18/ 17/ -17/6 16/ -17/ 12/ -13/ 10/6-11/6 ■ 11/ | Gast year’s prices. 18/6-19/6 16/6-17/6 15/6-16/ 16/6-17/6 15/ -16/ 11/9-13/ 10/6-11/ n/ Leicestershire. COAL. The long continued strain on the administrative depart- ments of collieries is beginning to be very severely felt, and breakdowns in the health of the staffs are becoming more frequent and more serious. In many instances, owing to the depletion of the staffs, one person has to do more than the work of two officials under normal conditions. In addition to all this there is an enormous increase in the amount of clerical work of a non-productive character. Special returns, for instance, have to be prepared week by week of the total output for the corresponding week last year, with details of the deliveries to London and other centres, as well as the figures for this year. The officials have to make weekly returns of the earnings of all workers, together with the deductions, for the information of the income tax authorities, Side by side there is the compulsory insurance scheme with its card stamping to be carried through. These are heavy duties when superim- posed on the exceptional conditions of subdividing the daily output to meet urgent requirements. Hundreds of orders have to be sent back because it is physically impossible to deal with them. Many collieries are over two months behind with deliveries for general trade and domestic purposes. The sidings are overcrowded with empty wagons, which have to be removed as there is no coal available to fill them. The warm weather is affording most welcome relief in the domestic consumption, but in spite of this the arrears are very serious. An enormous IRON. No prospect of abatement presents itself regarding the stringent conditions which have now prevailed for a considerable time. At each weekly market buyers are in a big majority, and producers have little to sell them, the allocation of supplies being under close control. In the early pare of the week an interview took place at the Ministry of Munitions with reference to the application for increased prices for pig iron in the supply districts of Staffordshire, Northamptonshire, and Derbyshire. It is understood the applicants were required to adduce evidence from their books in support of their claim. Some difference of opinion exists as to the outcome. In some quarters hopes run high that a concession will be granted, in others it is thought that the effect of increased prices of raw material on the finished branches will make the Ministry hesitate before making any substantial alteration. A decision one way or the other will be welcomed by all parties. Wrought scrap is difficult to get, but a certain amount of cast iron scrap is available, and scrap steel is a little better. The sheet trade continues to suffer through lack of sheet bars, and merchants report that orders are refused by their principals. The export trade for galva- nised sheets has dwindled to almost nothing. Plate shearings to roll down into sheets are bought at about <£11 10s., but supplies are limited. The bulk of the output of bar iron, large and small sizes, is for Government requirements, either directly or indirectly. The demand for small rounds, squares, and flats, down as low as three- sixteenths, is particularly heavy, and business is done on the basis of £16 10s. The following prices rule for finished iron: marked bars, £15 10s., less 2| per cent. (Earl of Dudley’s brand £16 2s. 6d.) ; unmarked bars, £13 15s. net, at works; North Staffordshire iron, £13 15s. net, at works ; steel joists and sections, £11 2s. 6d. net, at works. Uncontrolled prices are: gas strip, £15 to £15 10s.; steel strip, £17 15s. to £18 ; black sheets, £19 10s.; galvanised sheets, £28 10s. Steel mills generally have a heavy accumulation of orders, and American supplies of semi-raw material to assist the home supply are scarce. Forest of Dean. Lydney. COAL. A very buoyant tone continues in 'the house coal trade of this coal field, the situation generally being one of extreme firmness, in spite of the sunny weather of the past week or two. The collieries are all fully engaged, and outputs are cleared daily without any going to stock Shipments are heavier this week and stems much longer. Orders from the railborne districts are still very numerous, and delay in execution is unavoidable. The pressure on the steam coal collieries for supplies is exceptionally heavy still, and little hope is entertained of any relief for some time to come. The enormous numb , r of preferential claims for supplies leave very little fuel available for distribution in other directions. Monmouthshire, South Wales, &c. Newport. COAL. The improvement in the coal market reported last week was much more than maintained when business opened in the early part of the present week. Tonnage arrivals were much more satisfactory. Stocks reduced, short time almost disappeared, and there was not much free coal on the market. The better classes of Admiralty coal were all commandeered. With conditions such as these prevailing, prices not only hardened, but took considerable upward tendencies, and sellers were careful not to commit them- selves too far ahead. Prices f.o.b. cash 30 days. | Current Steam coals:— I prices. Best Black Vein large...J 28/ -30/ Western-valleys, ordin’y 28/ -30/ Best Eastern-valleys Secondary do. Best small coals .. Secondary do....... Inferior Screenings Through coals ...... Best washed nuts..... Other sorts:— Best house coal, at pit. Secondary do. do. . Patent fuel ........ Furnace coke......... Foundry coke ....... ! 27/ -28/ do. 25/ -26/ 16/ -18/ 14/ -16/ 9/ -10/6 18/ -19/6 22/ -23/ 23/6-24/6 25/ -26/6 22/6-24/ 27/6-30/ __* L’st week’s ^Last year’s prices. 26/ -27/ 26/ -27/ 25/ -26/ 23/ -25/ 15/ -16/ 10/ -13/ 7/6—9/6 17/ 21/ -22/ 25/ -26/ 22/6-24/ 27/6-30/ I prices. 51/ -53/ 50/ -51/ 45/ -47/6 44/ -45/ 27/ -30/ 25/ -26/ 22/ -24/ 28/ -30/ 36/ -37/6 37/6-38/ 23/ -24/ 22/ -23/ 47/6-50/ 47/6-50/ 57/6-62/6 * Nominal. IRON. There is a very satisfactory tone in all sections of the iron and steel trade markets. The local works are main- taining an excellent output, but as most of the work is on Government account, prices are nominal. The tin-plate trade shows signs of improvement. A large import of pitwood has not affected the market price, as there is a great demand, and best fir still holds at 75s. Cardiff. COAL. The arrivals of tonnage over the week-end more than justified expectations, with the result that all the docks were well employed, and at Barry there was even a waiting list for berths—an event which has not occurred during the past 12 months. The demands of the Admiralty have been fully maintained, and these, together with the require- ments of the Allied Governments, have practically absorbed all the vessels that were waiting to receive cargo. This increased activity has given a stimulus to the market, and instead of being quiescent, the tone is more buoyant and hopeful than for many months past. The spurt which has taken place since Easter has been livelier than anything experienced lately. Many coal owners are fully booked, especially those supplying the best descriptions, and their chief anxiety has been to obtain the necessary loading facilities. With the extra demand, however, attention was turned to the coals less in general request, and these have commanded a ready sale at enhanced prices. For ordinary steams, quotations have generally ruled at limita- tion figures, and, but for the Government restrictions, there is little doubt that much higher rates could easily have been obtained. At the time of writing it is difficult to secure steam coals at all, and holders