388 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. February 22, 1918. Prices at pit. Current L’st week’s Last year’s Staffordshire (including prices. prices. prices. Cannock Chase) :— House coal, best deep ... 24/6 24/6 22/ Do. seconds deep 22/6 22/6 20/ Do. best shallow 21/6 21/6 19/ Do. seconds do. 20/6 20 6 18,' Best hard 21/ 21/ 18/6 Forge coal 18/6 18/6 16/ Slack 13/6 13/6 11/6 Warwickshire:— House coal, best Ryder.. 21/6 ' 21/6 ' 19/ Do. hand-picked cobs 20/6 i 20/6 18/ Best hard spires 22/6 ! 22/6 20/ Forge (steam) 18/6 : 18/6 16/ D.S. nuts (steam) 17/ 17/ 14/6 Small (do.) 17/ 17/ 14/6 IRON. The official announcement has been made this week of the long-expected adjustment in the price for unmarked bars, which has been raised from <£13 15s. to £13 17s. 6d., f.o.t., at makers* works. The former price has ruled since April 1916. Cost of production has risen materially since then, and the recent advance of 12£ per cent, sanctioned by the Government, together with the 2£ per cent, granted under the Wages Board sliding scale, brought matters to a head. The market for bars keeps very strong, and it is only occasionally that the insistent claims of private cus- tomers can receive attention owing to the continuous demands of certified war work. Millowners concentrate as much as possible on those lines that involve the least rearrangement of rolls, and the big orders which are coming in on official account favour this policy. Nut and bolt bars are at a firm minimum of £14 10s., and the price of puddled iron is under consideration. Buyers are still offering £12 15s., and express the view that the subsidy should prevent any advance in the market quotation. Makers say that they cannot sell under £13. This branch has not been brought under official control. Pig iron remains very much in the old position. A fair amount of business is done in 100 and 200 ton lots, the majority of sellers being reluctant to accept heavier obligations. Some “off” iron is still on offer. It has a high manganese content, and brings the same price as the basic iron, namely, 97s. 6d. This iron, too, is independent of control. Some activity is shown in the collection of scrap in country districts, and there is a ready market for all that can be found. The rolling mills avail themselves of supplies of plate shearings, which are firm at the controlled price of £10 7s 6d., which is the limit prescribed for sheet bars. The shortage of steel remains unrelieved for anything outside direct Government work. Producers can only make sales in accordance with the official allocation. The dearth of semis is very pro- nounced, and American material is practically unobtain- able. Copper sheets remain at £147 a ton, and there seems to be rather less pressure so far as new business is con- cerned. Forest of Dean. Lydney. COAL. Household coal remains scarce, and there is little alteration to record in the position of business since last writing. The production at the pits is a good average, but all is readily absorbed, and although full time is worked every week, double the output could be easily placed. The demand for all qualities of steam coal is still exceptionally strong, and the pits have a number of orders awaiting attention. Prices at pithead. 1 Current L’st week’s Last year's House coals:— j prices. prices. prices. Block i <24/ Forest (L Bubble 1 barge - 26/ 26/ \ 23/ } 23/3 Nuts ) (.21/6 Rough slack 15/6 15/6 13/ Steam coal:— Large ................. 22/6-23/6 22/6-23/6 I 20/ -21/ Small.................. 18/ -19/ 18/ -19/ | 16/ Prices 2s. extra f.o.b. Lydney or Sharpness. THE IRISH COAL TRADE. Thursday, February 21. Dublin. Business in the coal trade shows an improvement, but prices remain very high for any qualities there are to be had. Present quotations are as follow :—Best Wigan, 50s. per ton; kitchen coal, 47s. 6d. ; English slack, 44s.—all less Is. per ton discount for cash. Coke, 49s. per ton delivered. The total quantity of coal discharged upon the quays during the past week from cross-Channel ports was 25,000 tons, as compared with 26,445 tons the week pre- viously. At the Castlecomer Collieries, co. Kilkenny, present prices at the pithead are :—Best small coal, 30s. per ton; best large coal, 28s. 4d. ; bottom coal, 25s. ; breakage, 16s. 8d. ; culm, 13s. 4d. At the Wolfhill Collieries, Queen’s County, all coal raising is stopped for the present owing to the flooding of a mine through the leakage from an old pit, but it is- expected that opera- tions will be resumed in about two months’ time. Belfast. Business in the coal trade generally is about normal, and supplies are arriving more regularly, average stocks being held by the local merchants. There is no improve- ment as regards the supply of railway wagons for inland orders, and deliveries are much delayed in consequence. Current prices for household coal, as arranged by the Coal Committee of the Corporation, are :—Best English coal, 51s. per ton; English nuts, 50s. ; English kitchen coal, 50s. ; best English slack, 47s. ; Scotch house coal, 45s.—all less Is. per ton discount. A public meeting under the auspices of the Belfast Trades Council was held last week, for the purpose of considering the question of the present high price of coal in the city, and a resolution was passed demanding that the present scale of retail prices be lowered by eliminating all excess profits from the coal mine to the consumer. A suggestion was made that the Belfast Corporation should purchase a traction engine to bring coals to Belfast from Arigna and Portrush collieries. THE WELSH COAL AND IRON TRADES. Thursday, February 21. Monmouthshire, South Wales, Ac. Newport. COAL. There has been a slightly better tone about the local coal market this week. The arrival of tonnage was larger, and cargoes were shipped with celerity, which resulted in wagons being released rather more freely, but some heavy stocks, notably small and the inferior classes of large, remained. Best steam large was in great demand, and so also was house coal (the call for which was heavier) and gas coal. Patent fuel and cokes were unchanged in price, but were strong in the market. Prices f.o.b. cash 30 days. I Current Steam coals:— | prices. Best Black Vein large...; 32/6 Western-valleys, ordin’y 31/6 Best Eastern-valleys ... 31/6 Secondary do. ... 30/6 Best small coals .....i 23/6 Secondary do..........! 22/6 Inferior do...........■ 20/6 Screenings ...........' 25/6 Through coals ........ 29/6 Best washed nuts......j 32/6 Other sorts:— j Best house coal, at pit... j 35/6 Secondary do. do. ...[ 33/3 Patent fuel ..........‘ 32/6 Furnace coke..........| 47/6 Foundry coke .........| 47/6 L st week’s Bast year’s prices. 32/6 31/6 31/6 i 30/6 : 23/6 l 22/6 I 20/6 i 25/6 i 29/6 32/6 ! 35/6 33/3 32/6 47/6 47/6 j prices. I 24/ -25/ ' 23/ -24/ : 22/ -23/ . 20/6-21/6 : 15/ -16/ | 9/6-13/6 i 7/6- 9/6 : 15/6-17/ i 20/ -21/6 I / 24/6-25/6 I 22/ -23/6 ; 30/ -32/6 I 47/6-52/ ; 57/6-60/ IRON. No change has occurred in the iron and steel works position. An increasing output is maintained from all the works, chiefly on Government account. Prices are nominal. There is now a better supply of iron ore, and the anxiety which was felt some time ago has disappeared. In spite of advances in raw materials the tin-plate trade continued an upward tendency. Pitwood arrivals are rather scanty. Cardiff. COAL. A slight improvement has occurred and tonnage arrived more freely over the week-end, with the result that work was more regular at the beginning of the week. Prospects were not hopeful, and many collieries are badly in need of prompt steamers, especially in the Monmouthshire area. Little new business is being done, and all operations are mainly confined to the execution of Government and official orders. The rates for small sailing vessels to Ireland have been increased by 25 per cent., but beyond this there is very little of interest to report. The miners are persisting in their demand for the establishment of a working week of five days, but the Coal Controller has expressed himself in opposition to the suggestion, not merely that it may inter- fere with the productivity of the coalfield in the future, but also that such a measure is not likely to bring about an improvement in the existing conditions. In order to over- come the difficulty of slack time and irregularity of working, a still further suggestion is made that the number of men employed at the collieries shall be reduced until more ample transport facilities can be provided. This is a deli- cate question to handle and is bound to meet with consider- able opposition from the men’s leaders. There is no doubt if the men could be induced to agree to such a course the position would be materially improved, because it is admitted that the output that can be handled with comfort at the present time can be produced in 4| to 5 days a week. In the meantime stocks are excessive everywhere and there is the greatest difficulty in getting a sufficient number of empty wagons returned in order to keep the pits going. Most grades of coal are in abundant supply and in the case of smalls the excess is so great that their accumulation is causing owners considerable inconvenience. The demand Cardiff Prices f.o.b. (except where otherwise stated), plus 2s. 6d. per ton, except for shipments to France and Italy. Current iL’st week’s Steam coals:— prices. prices. Best Admiralty steam coals 35/6 35/6 Superior seconds 34/ 34/ Seconds 33/3 33/3 Ordinary 32/6 32/6 24/ 1 1 Steam smalls No. 1 24/ Do. 2 23/6 23/6 j ! Do. 3 23/ 2