January 11, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN 81 Prices f.o.b. Cardiff (except where otherwise stated), plus 2s. 6d. per ton, except for shipments to France and Italy. Steam coals:— Best Admiralty steam coals ................ Superior seconds ..... Seconds .............. Ordinary ............. Steam smalls No. 1 ...1 Do. 2 .... Do. 3’.... Do. 4.... Do. 5 ... Do. 6 .... Do. ’ 7 .... Do. 8.... Best dry coals ....... Ordinary drys ........ Best washed nut ...... Seconds .............. Best washed peas...... Seconds .............. Monmouthshire— Black Veins ........ Western-valleys .... Eastern-valleys .... Inferior do......... Bituminous coals:— Best house coals (at pit) Second qualities (at pit) No. 3 Rhondda— [ Bituminous large..I Small .......... i No. 2 Rhondda— ! Large.............! Through-and-througK Small .............. Best patent fuel ...... Seconds................ Special foundry coke .. Ordinary do. ........... Furnace coke .......... Pitwood (ex-ship) ..... Current prices. 33/ 31/6 30/9 30/ 21/6 21/ 20/6 20/ 19/6 19/ 18/6 18/ 30/ 28/6 30/ 28/6 27/6 26/6 30/ 29/ 29/ 28/ 1 33/ ' 30/9 1 30/9 26/ ; 27/ 22/ -23/6 l 17/ -19/ ; 30/ | 30/ 47/6 47/6 1 47/6 ; 65/ L’st week’s prices. ! 33/ ! 31/6 ! 30/9 i 30/ i 21'6 1 21/ ) i 20/6 } 20/ ) 19/6 1 19/ J 18/6 } 18/ S 30/ 28/6 30/ 28/6 27/6 . 26/6 30/ ! 29/ j 29/ ( 28/ ; 33/ ! 30'9 | 1 30/9 i 26/ ' 27/ 22/ -23/6 17/ -19/ | 30/ 1 30/ 47/6 47/6 47/6 65/ Last year’s prices. * * ’ 30/ -31/ i 28/ -30/ i 19/ -20/ i 18/ -19/ 15/ -17/ 12/ -15/ 29/ -30/ 26/ -27/6 27/6-30/ 26/ -27/ 25/ -27/6 24/ -25/ 30/ -31/ 29/ -30/ 28/ -29/ 27/ -28/ 25/6-26/6 23/6-24/6 29/ -30/ 20/ -21/ 26/ -27/ 20/ -22/6 18/ -20/ 36/ -37/ 34/ -35/ 62/6-67/6 55/ -60/ 47/6-52/6 52/ -53/ Nominal. IRON. Although there was a slight improvement in the ship- ment of tinplates last week, the exports, which only totalled 10,289 boxes, were far below the receipts from works, the latter amounting to 27,180 boxes. Stocks in the docks warehouses and vans. have thus been increased to 145,803 boxes, against 128,912 boxes the preceding week, and 203,041 boxes at the corresponding date of last year. There has been a slight upward movement in the price of block tin, but it is considerably below the quotation ruling at the end of last year. The official price this week is .£289 to £289 10s., and the current rate for Bessemer standard cokes 14 by 20, has been adjusted accordingly on the basis of the sliding scale arrangement. There is still a heavy accumulation of oil size wasters, and no action has yet been taken by the authorities to relieve the congestion. All the iron and steel works continue to operate at maximum pressure, and the entire outputs are under control, quota- tions being nominal. In the galvanised sheet trade there is no change, and the few mills working are producing black plate, for which there is a moderate demand. Spelter remains at £54 per ton, but there is less activity at the works, owing to a falling off in the ore supplies, and some of the furnaces are not in operation. Iron ore supplies continue to be satisfactory. In scrap metals the position is unchanged. Supplies are short, and maximum rates are being obtained. Llanelly. GOAL. There is still a serious shortage in supplies of tonnage, and this is causing the market to maintain an inactive tone. Collieries are finding supplies of empty wagons difficult to secure, and are therefore forced to have idle days. Stocks of many qualities are very heavy, and the prospect of early clearance not very promising. The inland demand continues satisfactory, but the wagon question is very much interfering with execution of orders. Large anthracite qualities are not going well, and for prompt business buyers can obtain supplies of all qualities. Cobbles are also moving slowly. Nuts are not so firm as usual. Peas are not in strong demand, and supplies for prompt business easily obtainable. Culm and duff are a Prices f.o.b. Current L’st week’s Last year’s prices. prices. prices. Best malting anthracite... 30/ 30/ 29/6-32/ Seconds 29/ a 29/ 27/6-30/ Thirds 27/6 ' 27/6 Red Vein large 25/6 25/6 24/ -25/ Machine-made cobbles 42/6 42/6 37/6-40/ Seconds 41/ 41/ Thirds 39/ 39/ Red Vein cobbles . 36/ 36/ Machine-made nuts 42/6 42/6 Seconds 41/ 41/ Thirds 39/ 39/ Red Vein nuts 36/ 36/ Machine - broken beans (best) 35/ 35/ 28/6-29/6 Seconds 34/ 34/ — Thirds 33/ 33/ Red Vein beans 31/ 31/ Peas (all qualities) 20/ 20/ 20/ -22/ Rubbly culm 13/ 13/ 12/ -12/6 Red Vein culm 11/ 11/ Breakers duff 8/ 8/ Billy duff 6/6 6/6 6/ - 6/6 Steam:— Best large steam 30/ 30/ 27/ -28/6 Seconds 27/ 27/ — Cargo through 23/6 23/6 20/ -23/6 Seconds 22/ 22/ Bunkers through 23/6 23/6 Sin alls 19/ 19/ 13/6-17/ Second smalls 17/ 17/ Bituminous:— Bituminous through ... 27/ 27/ — Smalls 24/ 24/ 17/ -19/6 Gas through 23/6 23/6 Gas smalls 21/ 21/ — poor enquiry and stocks on hand very heavy. Steam coals are also not well supported, and supplies of all qualities are available for prompt business. Heavy stocks of throughs and smalls are holding wagons up. Manufacturing coals and also house coals are in good demand. Swansea. COAL. There was an excellent attendance on ’Change, but owing to a visit from the Tank, dealing, generally speaking, was suspended. Anthracite coal conditions displayed no material change for immediate delivery. Owing to the shortage of tonnage, sellers were experiencing great difficulty in keeping the pits working. Large was freely offered, machine-made varieties were rather slow in moving off and there was no demand for rubbly culm and duff. In steam coal there was very little doing. THE LONDON COAL TRADE. Thursday, January 10. The trade has been exceptionally busy during the week, and the severely cold weather kept all the depots in full swing. Buyers have been eager to secure any extra quantity available, and as the tonnage has been fairly maintained since the commencement of the year, the volume of trade has been fairly satisfactory. The seaborne market has been well supplied considering the rough weather along the coast, and 23 vessels were returned on Monday’s market as having arrived in the River Thames and 12 for Wednesday’s market. Railborne coal has come forward very promptly, but the supplies have not equalised the demand. The market, generally, has shown a good deal of interest owing to the increased number of orders, but collieries have not been able to respond to the extra requirements. Only contract quantities have come forward, and a considerable amount of bartering has been noticeable for the small quantity of free coal available. The output has been irregular owing primarily to a shortage of empties. Hard steam coals continue unusually scarce, and whilst the pressure is so strong there is very little offering, and factories have had continual difficulty in obtaining a sufficiency to keep the works going. Many have had to fall back upon their reserves. The shipping trade is reported in a more satis- factory groove. Supplies have improved, and vessels, though still scarce, have arrived in better numbers. South Yorkshire hards are quoted at 35s. f.o.b. in the Humber and 30s. for West Yorkshire qualities. All prices are firmly held. Gas companies have issued very urgent appeals for more coal, and strenuous efforts have been made to induce the Controller to relax the stringency of the regulation as to north country coal coming into London and the neighbourhood. The difficulty here is that whilst collieries have the coal avail- able, and are prepared to send a fair quantity, the railway companies will not allow their wagons to travel so far away from home, and the Admiralty cannot spare the wagons to run in other directions from the accustomed Welsh ports. The weather this week greatly impeded all the cartage arrangements, and many of the streets and roads, especially in the hilly parts of North London, have been well nigh impassable. The report on the market is that some new arrangements are under consideration in the Con- troller’s Department, and that a schedule of amended regulations are pending as to the sale of coal. There is every prospect that in the near future all prices may be increased. The contract for the Norwegian State Railways for 18,500 tons of hard steam coal, required for delivery during February and March, has been apparently given to two Newcastle firms, 9,000 tons to one and 9,500 tons to the other. The price reported is the usual schedule price, with certain options, plus the 5 per cent, for merchants’ profit. A fair quantity of emergency coal has been brought forward lately to London, and we find also that the Controller’s Department has taken the matter in hand to the extent, of bringing coal forward to certain stations and then distributing the coal to certain merchants at those stations. In this way the Controller’s Department appears to be acting as factor or merchant, adding, we presume, a margin on the colliery price for profit covering the necessary clerical expenses. Trolleys have been fairly busy during this week, particu- larly in the poorer localities, but in very few cases have they taken out loads which have not been already sold to the various small buyers. The old days of trolleys going out to solicit orders seems quite a thing of the past. From Messrs. Dinham, Faweus and Company’s Report. Friday, January 4 —There was no alteration in the seaborne house coal market, which remained firm, with supplies very scarce. Arrivals, 9. Monday, January 7.—Although the weather was some- what milder, the enquiry for seaborne house coal ruled firm, but no cargoes were on offer. Arrivals, 23. Wednesday, January 9.—Owing to the return of wintry conditions, the demand for seaborne house coal was brisk, but supplies very limited. Cargoes, 12. THE TIM-PLATE TRADE. Liverpool. There has been rather more business doing the last few days, the advance in tin causing several consumers to cover their requirements. Some of the makers are short of specifications for near dates, and are willing to take something below the official maximum, which now stands at about 31s. a basis box for cokes, net, f.o.t. at works, for suitable lines. The undertone of the market is quietly steady. Permits for wasters are now coming along better, and stocks are being steadily reduced. Waste waste con- tinues in big demand. Mr. John Walshaw, for many years chief manager of the Astley and Tyldesley Coal Company’s pits in the Tyldesley and Astley districts, left estate of the value of £13,000. Victoria has rejected the coal purchase proposals accord- ing to which the New South Wales Government was to supply the States of Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia with all the coal they need during the next five years. SOUTH WALES MINING TIMBER TRADE. Government Regulations. In our last issue we reproduced the regulations relating to the fixing of maximum selling prices for pitwood. This Order was issued on December 19 by the Controller of Mines, after collaboration with the Coritroller of Timber Supplies. Although a matter of vital importance to pit- wood merchants and importers, the directions as to the sale of pitwood was issued to colliery proprietors only, with the consequence that confusion has reigned in the trade. Whilst French wood has been sold during the past week at the maximum price of 65s. per ton, there have been cases where the collieries themselves ignored the Order, and, being canght short of timber, they paid 71s. and 72s. per ton for the wood. Considerable criticism has been directed against the Government departments concerned for depriv- ing the pitwood trade of an opportunity of reading the Order. Consequently, in the interest of the trade generally, and with the object of dissipating the mild chaos which prevails, the salient features of the Order were reproduced in these columns last week. Even colliery proprietors were astounded that merchants had not received copies of the directions, and apparently the trade was completely ignored, it being deemed sufficient that the buyer alone should be in possession of the official prices and directions. The sellers have not been made parties to the arrange- ments, and the order or directions have not been published in the London Gazette. The proceeding will tend to decrease the available supply of mining timber at a time when every ton is needed, by introducing harassing and vexatious disputes, and by merchants declining to import until they are assured of doing business at a profit. At the present time the quantity of mining timber allowed to be imported from abroad to South Wales amounts to 40,000 tons per month. The licences for this amount are being fully taken np, and an excess over the stipulated quantity was granted last month. It is safe to say that an excess quantity will be needed this month and next, owing to the falling off in the deliveries of home-grown wood. The French growers and their agents, being astute business men, follow the market prices of pitwood here, and accord- ingly make their contracts with importers. It is up to the importers now to arrange future contracts with thd French growers at from 5s. to 8s. per ton less than expiring contracts, otherwise the pitwood cannot be sold at the maximum price of 65s. per ton to realise a profit. This is where the scheme of the Controllers of Mines and of Timber may be wrecked. For unless the French Government is approached to fix f.o.b. prices for pitwood in accordance with the arrangements here, pitwood imports will decline. They will decline at a time when the deliveries of home- grown wood are at zero, as during the winter the deliveries will fall off owing to lack of skilled labour, the difficulty of transport, and the cold, inclement weather. To fell and transport wood in this country during a winter such as we are experiencing will. test the hardihood of an expert Canadian lumberman, a number of whom are complaining of the conditions here. Even in Canada, where the climatic conditions are less severe, it is known that the only people who can continue to work in the forests through the winter are the Russians. Importations of Pit Props from Scandinavia. The Controller of Timber Supplies has announced that he is now prepared to consider applications for import licences for pit props from Scandinavia. This announce- ment has been received with criticism, for it comes at a time when shipping tonnage is much scarcer, and when weather conditions are against the facile shipment of the commodity. Such licences, in the opinion of importers and shipowners, should have been allowed in the summer of last year, and arrangements made for the storing of a supply against the coming winter, when weather conditions would militate against shipments and when shipping tonnage would have been more scarce. In pre-war years a good supply of mining timber was taken by South Wales from Scandinavia. At the same time, a wiser policy would have been to allow much larger supplies of French timber to be imported. This can be assembled without interfering with the efficiency of shipping, as the small vessels plying from South Wales to the near French ports with coal, if they cannot bring pitwood back as a homeward cargo, are forced to perform costly ballast voyages. ____ Home-Grown Timber Supplies. There is a general shortage of labour in the forests of this country, and the fact has to be faced by the authorities that the prospect of working in the forests in the winter is not attractive. Labour migrates to where the wages are highest, and at the present time the remuneration in ship- building, ship-repairing, iron and steel and munition works is so high that difficulty has been found, and will continue to be found, in securing the right class of labour in our forests and woods. The scheme for attracting the colliery workmen of South Wales to labour in the woods, introduced in the early part of last year, can be regarded as a failure despite the good terms and conditions which were offered. It has been found necessary to arrange a scheme of priority so that work of great national importance may have the first claim on the labour available at the employment exchanges. Inexperienced men engaged in felling and hauling have proved to be not only inefficient but also costly. Butts have been rent in twain in the felling, and spoiled entirely for the purpose for which they were pro- posed. Much wood has been lost by sawing at too high a level, and men have to be constantly watched to ensure the butt being cut at ground level—a back-aching job which C 3 group men are incapable of continuing. The delivery of timber is so slow that purchasers are wary of buying unless they are assured that supplies will be delivered in reasonable time. There are cases where delivery was asked for when purchases were made, and the wood bought last summer is still lying on the ground, which illustrates the dearth of labour. Foreign Imports. The imports of foreign mining timber for the week ending January 4 amounted to 8,640 loads, of which 4,620 loads were for the Admiralty Committee and the remainder for approved importers. The following are the details of shipments:— Cardiff (Barry and Penarth):— Date. Consignee. Loads. Dec. 31 Lysberg Limited............. 4,620 „ 31 Budd and Co................. 840 „ 31 Vivian Kelly and Co....... 1,080 „ 31 W. H. Williams and Co........ 840 Jan. 2 Budd and Co. Limited ........ 60 „ 4 Vivian Kelly and Co....... 1,200 Total...... 8,640