January 26, 1917. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 183 of Britishcoal to Norway remains very stringent. With reference to this matter,. it is reported that a few licences to ship coal to Norway have been granted in special cases. These, however, are inconsiderable, and news from Norway reveals a very remarkable and embarrassing famine of fuel supplies, the Christiania Coal Importers* Association, for example, being reported to have stated that they had only 5,000 tons of coal and 4,000 tons in hand, and that they are absolutely devoid of cinders. From the point of view, of bringing the necessary political and economic pressure upon our Norwegian friends this is good news and should aid in bringing about the state of affairs requisite for the removal of the veto. Meanwhile, however, the Northumberland coal .market, in particular, is suffering by the deprivation of Norwegian custom. It is reported that a few orders for coal for shipment to Norway when the present embargo has been removed have been booked. Let us hope that these will not be indefinitely hung up as were those shipping fixtures which were arranged many months ago for “ f.d.w. Black Se&.?* The embargo appears to be affecting business with other Scandinavian countries. Thus, it is stated that the Danish State Railways have postponed allotment of their contract for 20,000 tons of best steams for delivery over February in consequence of the Norwegian situation. On the other hand, it is affirmed that licences for Sweden and Denmark are being granted more freely than has recently been the case, and that business with Sweden is looked upon as more promising. A scrutiny of the chartering operations conducted on New- castle market certainly appears to bear out this latter view, inasmuch as a Considerable portion of the limited amount of tonnage fixed is for Swedish and Danish destin- ations. Nevertheless, it is painfully obvious that all these aforementioned difficulties are making a sad hash of the coal trade for the nonce. Just now collierie-—especially those in Northumberland—are losing a great deal of time, and stocks of coal are accumulating at a disagreeably rapid rate. On Newcastle Commercial Exchange, one of the principal topics of conversation is the bombshell which has just been dropped by the military authorities in the shape of a very strong hint that, very shortly, several classes of mine-workers will be called up for military service, a topic discussed elsewhere in this issue. The Swedish State Railways* enquiry, briefly mentioned in last week’s issue, is for 200,000 tons of best steams for delivery over six months. Best Blyths, Tyne primes and Durhams are asked for. The enquiry is the largest that has been in circulation in the local market, so far as neutral business is concerned, since the war commenced. Forward business generally is being quoted for at very steady figures, and producers are evidently hopeful that many of the present bars to business ? will disappear at an early date. Prices f.o.b. for prompt shipment. Current L*stweek’s Last year’s Steam coals prices. prices. 1 prices. Best, Blyths (D.C.B.).... 29/ -30/ 29/ -30/ 25/ -27/6 Do. Tynes (Bowers,&c.) 28/ -30/ .28/ -30/ ' 25/ -27/6 .. Secondary, Blyths 22/ -24/ ■ 22/ -24/ 1 23/ , Do. Tynes (Hastings 23/ -24/ or West Hartleys) ... 22/6-25/ 22/6—25/ . (Jnscreened 20/ —22/6 20/ -22/6 20/ -22/ Smfl.ll, Blyths 18/ —19/ .18/ -19/ 14/ -15/ Do. Tynes 17/ -18/ 17/ -18/ ! 12/6-13/ Do. specials 20/ 20/ 15/ -16/ Other sorts:— Smithies 20/ -22/ 20/ -22/ 21/ -22/ Best gas coals (New Pelton or Holmside) 26/ -28/ 26/ -28/ J 1 - 23/ Secondary gas coals (Pelaw Main or similar) 20/ -22/ 20/ -22/ 21/ Special gas coals 31/ -33/ 31/ -33/ 24/ Unscreened bunkers, Durhams 20/ -22/ 20/ -22/ i 21/ -23/ Do. do. Northumbrians 19/ -21/ 19/ -21/ ' 20/ -22/ Coking coals 20/ -22/ 20/ -22/ ! 22/ Do. smalls 18/ -20/ 18/ -20/ | 21/ House coals 27/6-30/ 27/6-30/ i 23/ -25/ Coke, foundry 42/6-45/ ! 42/6-45/ : 40/ -42/6 Do. blast-furnace 41/ -42/6 41/ -42/6 : 37/6-40/ Do. gas . 32/ -33/ 32/ -33/ ! 27/ -28/ Sunderland. COAL. The exports from Sunderland last week amounted to 44,735 tons of coal as compared with 68,710 tons of coal and 1,135 tons of coke for the corresponding period of 1916, being a decrease of 23,975 tons of coal and 1,135 tons of coke. The extreme’ difficulty of securing tonnage has made transactions almost impossible to effect. All descrip- tions of coal; are offering fairly freely, but Government demands take the bulk of the output. For surplus lots buyers are in evidence, but the difficulty of stemming actual tonnage checks business. On forward account the tone is somewhat steadier, there being a brisk enquiry for steam and gas qualities for delivery next month, and sellers Prices f.o.b. Sunderland. Gas coals:— Current prices. L* s t week ’ s Las t y ear ’ s prices. ! prices. Special Wear gas coals 30/ 30/ 23/ Secondary do. ■ 22/ 20/ 1 22/■ House coals:— Best house coals 30/ ' 30/ C 27/6 Ordinary do. ......... 24/ 24/ 24/6 Other sorts .— Lambton screened 30/ 30/ 27/6 Soilth Hetton do. ...... 30/ 5 30/ 27/6 Lambton unscreened ... 30/ 19/ 22/6 South Hetton do ' '21/ 19/6 22/ .. - Do.. . treble, nuts / Coking coals unscreened .26/ 25/6 28/6 22/ 20/ 22/ . Do. smalls 20/6 18/6 21/6 Smithies • •• . 23/6 : 20/ 23/6 Peas and nuts. .............. 26/ . 26/ - 28/ . Best bunkers. 22/ . •. .: 2i/- . 23/ ' 21/ ... ,. Ordinary bunkers.......... . .. , 20/ ., ■ 19/6 Coke:— Foundry coke 42 /6 " / 42/6 ' ... 40/6 Blast-furnace coke. (did. Teesside furnaces) ... 28/ < 28/ . 36/ " : Gas coke. . 31/.: 30/ -31/ .. 28/ • . hold steadily, but here again the doubtful tonnage supply makes operators hesitate Bunkers are in ample supply, and held for steady figures. Coke continues in strong demand With all grades very scarce and prices tend higher. Freight -operators continue to be hampered by the dearth of boats, which is.really acute in all directions and results in chartering being almost at a standstill. Rates mean- while are strong for neutral and fully steady for limitation ports. Recent fixtures are : London, 16s. 6d. ; Port Said, 85s.; Gothenburg, 48 kr.; Korsoer, 50 kr.; Copenhagen, 54 kr.; East Coast Denmark, 70 kr. Middlesbrough-on-Tees. COAL. The fuel trade on the whole is steady. Durham collieries are fairly well placed, and a moderate business in most descriptions of Durham coal is passing. A goodly number of time-charter boats are engaged in the gas coal trade, and it is understood that many steamers engaged in the Scandinavian steam coal branch have been re-chartered. Best Durham gas coals run from 26s. to 27s. 6d., and 20s. is a fair quotation for average seconds. There is rather more activity- in the bunkering department. Ordinary Durhams are 20s. to 20s. 6d., and best kinds 22s. 6d. House- hold coal continues' in good demand, and values are well maintained. Coking coals are well taken up at 19s. to 20s. Coke is in good request. Local needs are heavy, and promise to increase, with the result that no difficulty is experienced in obtaining for furnace descriptions the fixed maximum prices that have ruled for some months past. Thus, average blastfurnace kinds readily realise 28s. at the ovens, and 30s. 6d. at the ovens is the quotation for qualities low in phosphorus. Best foundry coke ranges from 42s. 6d. to 47s. 6d.; patent coke is in the neighbourhood of 41s.; and gas coke is round about 32s. IRON. Firmness continues to characterise the pig iron market. So far as Cleveland kinds are concerned the home demand is quiet just now, consumers having made their arrange- ments for early supplies. Some firms, however, are prepared to buy over the first half of the year, but producers, as a rule, will not commit themselves forward to any extent. There is pressure to buy for export demand coming from several neutral countries as well as our Allies, but licences for shipment are still difficult to secure. For home con- sumption No. 3 Cleveland pig, No. 4 foundry and No. 4 forge all stand at 87s. 6d., and No. 1 is 91s. 6d.; whilst for despatch to our Allies No. 3 is 97s. 6d. to 98s.; No. 4 foundry 96s. 6d., No. 4 forge 95s. 6d., and No. 1 102s. 6d. ; and for shipment to neutral countries the minimum prices named are 105s. for No. 3 and 110s. for No. 1. As regards east coast haematite iron, consumers are receiving full supplies regularly, and rather more iron is available for shipment. Further sales to Italy are reported, but export licences for new business are granted sparingly, as there are still arrears of shipments to make up on contracts made some time ago. Nos. 1, 2, and 3 are 122s. 6d. for home use, 137s. 6d. for shipments to France, and 142s. 6d. for export to Italy. Good supplies of foreign ore are coming steadily to hand, and the unloadings at the port of Middlesbrough this month promise to reach 200,000 tons. Producers of finished iron and steel are as busily employed as ever, and it is gratifying to be assured that, notwith- standing pressure for delivery of other descriptions, output of material for mercantile shipbuilding is now heavy, and is still steadily increasing. Quotations are unaltered. Cumberland. Maryport. GOAL. Liveliness continues in the Cumberland coal trade, and business is exceedingly well maintained in all branches of the industry. The situation has improved since last week, and, with a bigger output, the collieries have had more to offer, but there is still a shortage on land sale and shipping. There is a strong and growing demand for house and works fuel in both the home and Irish markets, and all branches are experiencing the greatest pressure. On home account the demand is growing keener, and the, collieries are so heavily engaged locally that they are at present unable to deal with any business for outside districts. One or two of the pits are so busy in meeting the needs of local users, that it may be two or three months before they are able to send any coal to' the export market. Requirements for home consumption have increased since Christmas, and they are likely to be very much heavier during the next two months. All the collieries in the county are working regularly, and production is probably better than it was some time ago, but it is not yet by any means as large as it ought to be. With such a clamour for coal on all hands, a substantial increase in production would be extremely welcome just now, not only to local, but Irish customers, and there is no doubt that a bigger output could be secured if the miners could be prevailed upon to work more regularly. There has been a decided improvement in the attendance of the men in the Maryport and Aspatria district of late, but some of the pits in the western portion of the coal field are still hampered by the irregular working of a number of the miners during the first two days of the week. The cold weather of the past few days has given a further impetus to the house coal trade. Both nuts and best round coal are in keen demand for household purposes, and merchants are still unable to cope with all the business that is coming to hand. Some of the depots have been so busy lately that a number of orders, booked nearly a month ago, are just being delivered this week. Gas coal is in firm demand, and engine fuels are in strong request all over the county, but at the moment consumers are only receiving sufficient to satisfy their more immediate requirements. The position with regard to works fuel has undergone no change. The iron and steel works, the iron ore mines, and other factories in the district are taking the bulk of the manufacturing fuel, and it is still necessary to import large quantities of smalls from other districts to keep the coke ovens in full swing. The shipping trade at the Elizabeth dock is as busy as it can be under the circumstances. The demand for all varieties of fuel for Ireland is undiminishedj but supplies are very scarce, and it is still impossible to deal with more than one-half of the business on ekport account. During the week 10 vessels have sailed from Maryport with coals for Irish ports, and the shipments have amounted to 2,685 tons, compared with 2,930 tons at the corresponding period of last year, or 25 tons fewer than last week. The largest cargoes were for Belfast, Londonderry, Carrickfergus, and Donaghadee. Coke is in heavy demand, and all the by-product coke ovens in this district are in full operation. The entire make is going into immediate use at the iron works in West Cumberland. There is continued activity in the by-products trade, and all the plants in this neighbourhood are working at their full capacity. There has been a big shipment of creosote oil this week from the local benzol works. Prices of all varieties are firm, but unchanged. Best Cumberland coal at the pit is quoted at from 22s 6d. to 23s. 4d. per ton, with best washed nuts at from 20s. lOd. to 21s. 3d. per ton. Best export coal is 19s. 6d. per ton f.o.b. at Maryport, with best washed nuts at 17s. 6d. per ton. Best gas coal is 20s. per ton, with nuts at 19s. per ton, delivered in the district. Bunkers are in strong demand at from 25s. to 30s. per. ton for best sorts, with mixed sorts at from 21s. 6d. to 25s. per ton. Best house coal delivered at Maryport is quoted at from Is. 54d. to Is. 6d. per cwt., or from 27s. 6d. to 28s. 4d. per ton; with best washed nuts at 25s. lOd. per ton, and seconds 24s. 2d. per ton. At Workington, best house coal delivered is quoted at from Is. 3d. to Is. 4d. per cwt., or from 24s. 2d. to 25s. lOd. per ton. Other current quota- tions are as follow :— ' Best CumbeiTnd coal at pit Best washed nuts at pit... Buckhill best coal „ Do. double-scrned washed nuts at pit ...... Oughterside best coal at F’t 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 2i/ 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/q 19/; 17/ -17/6 17/ -17/6 . 19/3 ' 18/3 IRON. No change of importance has occurred during the last few days in the condition of the west coast hsematite iron trade. All the industries in the district are engaged at their fullest capacity, and the production of both iron and steel is now very large, but there is every indication that it will be very much larger in the early spring, when more furnaces are lighted, and when all the new plant in the steel and other industries are put into full operation. In Cumberland and North Lancashire the haematite pig iron trade continues to exhibit marked strength. , The demand for metal is growing stronger, and it is still impossible to smelt sufficient iron to meet the ever- increasing needs of both local and outside consumers. The pressure of orders is tremendous, and requirements of nearly all consumers were never sb large as they are at present. Makers are inundated with orders, but they are so heavily sold that at the moment they are unable to accept more than a very small margin of the business which is now being offered. Stocks of pig iron in public storing yards on the west coast are still very low. Prices are unchanged, and Bessemer mixed numbers are again quoted at 127s. 6d. per ton f.o.t., with special iron at 140s. per ton and semi-special iron at 135s. per ton f.o.t. Warrants at cash are unaltered at 115s. per ton. Ferro-manganese is rather quiet, but quotations are unchanged. There has been no further increase in pro- duction, and the number of furnaces blowing in the district is 30; of which 21 are in Cumberland and nine in the Furness area. All the output of both special and ordinary Bessemer iron is going into immediate use. A large proportion of the make of ordinary iron is going into consumption at the steel works in the district, and the bulk of the special and semi-special iron is being consigned to consumers engaged in Government work in Scotland and the Midlands. The steel trade continues in a very active condition, and all the mills at both Barrow and Workington are as busy as they can possibly be on special work for the Government. Steel rails, heavy sections, are quoted at from .£10 17s. 6d. to<£ll lOs. per toil, light from <£12 to <£12 10s. per ton, with heavy tram rails at <£12 5s. per ton Billets are in firm demand at <£12 per ton. The engineering shops throughout the district are exceed- ingly busy^ most of the work being for the Government. The Cumberland iron ore business is still remarkably brisk. There is a very keen demand for all grades of native ore, and all the mines are phenomenally busy in dealing with the needs of local smelters. The bulk of the output is going to the ironworks in Cumberland and North Lanca- shire. Prices of all grades are firm but unchanged. Best sorts are quoted at 38s. per ton; ordinary grades are from 21s. to 30s. per ton; and better sorts are froin 31s. to 36s. 6d. per ton net at the mines. The imports of iron ore at the Senhouse dock this week amounted to 4,500 tons. South-West Lancashire. COAL. Little change in the conditions have occurred. House coal orders of every description are in arrear, and it is with difficulty that customers are able to get supplies in time; Shipping remains comparatively quiet. Contract quantities of steam coal are hardly being taken, and Open sale enquiry cannot be said to show any improvement. This is of course due to the scarcity of shipping tonnage, which tends to become more marked. At the same time there is not much surplus coal on the market, though supplies are coming forward rather better. Quotations for Lancashire steam coals rule from 22s. 6d. to 23s, 6d. f.o.b., with possible slight reductions in special cases to clear wagons. In the coast-: wise and cross-Channel trade for household fuels more 1