February 1, 1918. THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. 235 THE COAL AND IRON TRADES. Thursday, January 31. Prices f.o.b. for prompt shipment. Scotland.—Western District. COAL. The general improvement in the Scotch coal trade con- tinues, and the situation is comparatively satisfactory all round. Steamers are still rather scarce, however, whilst railway facilities could be much more favourable. In the west of Scotland industrial qualities are in heavy demand, and the gas companies are also asking for large supplies. The Admiralty, too, is taking considerable quantities of steam coal. Shipments for the past week amounted to 92,255 tons, compared with 93,717 in the preceding week and 89,767 tons in the same week last year. Prices f .o.b. Glasgow. Steam coal.............. Ell .................... Splint.................. Treble nuts ............ Double do............... Single do............... Current L’st week’s1 Last year’s prices. prices. prices. 27/6 27/6 18/ -24/ 26/6-28/ 26/6-28/ 19/ -23/ 28/ -30/ 28/ -30/ 22/ -31/ 23/ 23/ 24/ 22/ 22/ 22/ 21/ 21/ 20/ IRON. There is no change to report in the Scotch iron trade* The demands for war material still take first place, and practically nothing of an outside nature is possible. In pig iron the pressure has become very severe and, as far as can be ascertained, only class “A” work is going through. Some rumours of a rise of 20s. per ton in home prices have been abroad, but. nothing definite has yet been announced. Despite the absence of export orders prices remain on a firm basis, and appear to be tending upward. Approximate quotations are as follow:—Monkland and Carnbroe f.a.s. at Glasgow, Nos. I, 140s., Nos. 3, 135s.; Govan, No. 1, 135s., No. 3, 130s.; Clyde, Summerlee, Calder and Langloan, Nos. 1,150s., Nos. 3,145s.; Glengarnock, at Ardrossan, No. 1,140s., No. 3,135s.; Eglin- ton, at Ardrossan or Troon, and Dalmellington, at Ayr, Nos. 1,145s., No. 3, 135s.; Shotts, at Leith, No. 1,150s., No. 3,145s. per ton. Makers of manufactured iron have much more work on hand than they can tackle. Plants are running day and night, and still arrears of deliveries appear to accumulate. At the malleable works there is a great demand for all sizes rolled, and particularly for small rounds. It is said that France is purchasing considerable quantities of miscellane- ous sizes, but otherwise exports are almost discontinued. Values are unchanged. Black sheet makers are in a similar position. Activities in other branches are fully maintained, and outputs are only curtailed by the lack of labour and raw materials. Steam coals:— Best, Blyths (D.C.B.) ... Do. Tynes (Bowers,&c.) Secondary, Blyths .... Do. Tynes (Hastings or West Hartleys) ... Unscreened ........... Small, Blyths ........ Do. Tynes........... Do. specials......... Other sorts:— Smithies.............. Best gas coals (New Pelton or Holmside) Secondary gas coals (Pelaw Main or similar) Special gas coals .... Unscreened bunkers, Durhams Do. do. N orthumbr ians Coking coals.......... Do. smalls........ House coals .......... Coke, foundry .........: Do. blast-furnace......| Do. gas ............... Current |L’stweek’s'Last year’s prices, i prices. ! prices. 30/ -32/6 i 30/ -32/6 , 30/ 29/6-32/ i 29/6-32/ ! 28/ 25/6-28/ ' 25/6-28/ * 22/ -24/ 27/ -29/6 < 27/ -29 6'22/6-25/ 23/6-27/6 [ 23/6-27/6 20/ -22/6 20/ -22/6 ' 20/ -22/6 i 18/ -19/ 18/6-21/ 18/6-21/ i 17/ -18/ 20/6-23/ 20/6-23/ | 19/ -20/ 25/ -33/6 25/ -33/6 i 20/ -22/ 25/ -27/6 23/6-26/ 26/6-28/ 26/6-32/6 26/6-27/6 24/ -27/6 24/ -27/6 28/6-32/6 42/6-45/ 42/6-45/ 35/ -40/ 25/ -27/6? 26/ -28/ 23/6-26/ ;; 20/ -22/ 26/6-29/ i 31/ -33/ 26/6-32/6 i 20/ -22/ 26/6-27/6 24/ -27/6 ! 24/ -27/6 28/6-32/6 42/6-45/ 42/6-45/ 35/ -40/ ! 19/ -21/ ; 20/ -21/ ' 18/ -20/ 27/ -30/ 42/6-45/ ? 41/ -42/6 32/ -33/ Sunderland. COAL. The coal market has again opened with a decidedly dull tone, and with admittedly poor prospects. The supply of boats is inadequate to requirements, and the collieries are again in straits for prompt tonnage, much time being lost. The neutral enquiry is extremely dull, and official requisi- tioning is also slow, but the home trade demands for all classes of coal are well sustained, particularly for peas, nuts, and special manufacturing brands. Steam coals are quiet, smalls a drug, and bunkers dull. Coke, however, is in good request, with fair exports and heavy shipments to home consumers. Prices all round are nominal and unchanged as follow:— Prices f.o.b. Sunderland. Scotland.—Eastern District. COAL. Collieries in the Lothians are doing a fair amount of business, and the outlook is brighter at present. Local orders are more plentiful, and stocks have ceased to accumu- late with the same regularity as was the case for some considerable time. Shipments amounted to 17,542 tons against 15,450 in the preceding week and 17,972 tons in the samejveek Jast *y ear. Prices f.o.b. Leith. Best screened steam coal... Secondary qualities..... Treble nuts ............ Double do............... Single do............... Current L’st week’s Last year’s prices. prices. prices 26/6 26/6 26/ 25/6 25/6 24/6 23/ 23/ 25/ 22/ 22/ 22/6 21/ 21/ 20/ Current L’st week’s Last year’s Gas coals:— prices. prices. j prices. Special Wear gas coals 29/ -32/6 29/ -32/6 \ 27/6 * Secondary do. House coals:— 25/ -27/6 25/ -27/6 1 20/ Best house coals 32/6 32/6 30/ Ordinary do Other sorts:— 30/6 30/6 24/ Lambton screened 31/ -32/6 31/ -32/6 29/ South Hetton do 31/ -32/6 31/ -32/6 29/ Lambton unscreened ... 26/6 26/6 , 19/6 South Hetton do. 26/6 26/6 19/6 Do. treble nuts 22/6 - 22/6 — Coking coals unscreened 27/6 27/6 20/ Do. smalls 27/6 27/6 19/ Smithies 27/6 27/6 19/6 Peas and nuts 27/ -28/6 27/ -28/6 26/ Best bunkers 27/6 27/6 21/6-22/ Ordinary bunkers Coke:— 26/6 26/6 19/3 Foundry coke Blast-furnace coke (did. 42/6-45/ 42/6-45/ 45/ Teesside furnaces) ... 42/6-45/ 42/6-45/ 28/ Gas coke 35/ -40/ 35/ -40/ 32/6 In Fifeshire the improvement is also sustained, and the collieries are disposing of their outputs with greater facility. Clearances were 32,977 tons against 28,344 in the preceding week and 44,385 tons in the same week last year. Prices f.o.b. Methil or Burntisland. Best screened navigation coal Current prices. 29/ -31/ 24/ -25/ 28/ 24/ 23/ 22/ 21/ L’st week’s prices. 29/ -31/ 24/ -25/ 28/ 24/ 23/ 22/ 21/ Last year’s prices. 30/ -33/ 24/6-26/6 27/ -28/ 20/ 24/ 22/ 19/ Unscreened do First-class steam coal Third-class do Treble nuts Double do Single do All prices quoted only apply to French and Italian business ; for other orders 2s. 6d. per ton must be added. The aggregate shipments from Scottish ports during the . past week amounted to 142,771 tons, compared with 137,511 in the preceding week and 152,124 tons in the corresponding week of last year. Northumberland, Durham and Cleveland. Newcastle-on-Tyna. COAL. The volume of coal shipment done during the week under review has been unsatisfactorily small. To some extent, this has been due to a lessened demand on official account but, in the main, to the acute shortage of tonnage on offer. Collieries mainly dependent for employment upon export business have been hard put to it to keep going and, whilst some few have been able to maintain full and regular production, most such pits have been obliged to curtail their output. Steam coals, gas sorts and bunkers “of all denominations” save special sorts are offering considerably in excess of the rate at which they can be taken up and are at rock-bottom scheduled figures. Smithies, coking coals and households are in healthy request for home require- ments and are well taken up on that account, besides which households and coking sorts are in good enquiry for shipment to near Allied destinations. Coke of all grades is in active demand, mainly for home consumption and the output cannot keep pace with the inquiry. The t contract to supply the Norwegian State Railways with 18,500 tons of Northumberland and / or Durham best steam coals for delivery over March-April at stipulated ports has been divided between two Newcastle merchant firms at the scheduled figures, plus 5 per cent, for merchants'’ profit. No other forward business of any note is mentioned. Mlddlesbrough-on-TMS. COAL. The situation in the fuel trade shows very little change. Collieries, generally, are working none too well, and pros- pects of improvement are not encouraging. Official absorp- tion of coal is slower than it has been for some time past. Ordinary home demand is very strong, and is met as well as circumstances permit, the call for nuts and special manu- facturing smalls being very heavy. Steam smalls, however, are quiet and unimproved. Enquiries on behalf of neutrals are not large. Ordinary steams are 28s; and smalls 21s. t© 23s. Best Durham gas coals are 27s. 6d.; seconds, 26s.; and Wear Specials, 29s. Bunkers are slow of sale. Un- screened Durhams run from 26s. 6d. to 27s. 6d. Coking coals are fairly taken up at round about 27s. 6d. There is a good demand for coke both for home use and for shipment, but exports are not heavy. For home consumption foundry cokes are 38s.; blast-furnace kinds, 33s. at the ovens; and low phosphorus sorts 35s. 6d. at the ovens; whilst for ship- ments to neutrals, foundry descriptions are 45s. f.o.b., and gas-house product 38s. to 40s., f.o.b. IRON. There is a fair amount of activity in pig iron. With the issue of February allocations there has been resumption of home buying of Cleveland pig on a rather extensive scale, and some little expansion of foreign business is reported, notwithstanding the tonnage situation. For home con- sumption No. 3 Cleveland pig, No. 4 foundry and No. 4 forge all_ stand at 95s., and for shipment to France and Italy these qualities are quoted 114s., whilst No. 1 is 99s. for home use, and 119s. for export to the Allies. The East Coast haematite department presents no new feature of moment. Conditions continue stringent and it is only by very careful distribution, under strict official supervision, that deliveries to home customers are maintained on a scale sufficient to meet minimum needs, and a little iron is left over for disposal among buyers abroad. Nos. 1, 2 and 3 are 122s. 6d. for home use, and 147s. 6d. for export to France and Italy. Supplies of foreign ore are coming to hand fairly satis- factorily. Prices have been advanced by 2s. 6d. per ton. All branches of the finished iron and steel industries are characterised by much activity, but as output is still mono- polised by Government requirements, and shipyard needs, there is little opportunity of transacting ordinary commer- coal business. Prices are very strong.^ Cumberland. Mary port. COAL. Local disputes and breakdowns have been responsible for a big drop in the output in both the eastern and western portions of the coalfield, with the result that requirements are now more than ever in excess of the supply. Supplies both for land sale and shipping are very scarce, and important local needs are now almost sufficient to tax resources. Supplies for export are lower than they have been for the past 12 months, and the collieries have now so much business on hand locally that the amount of coal available for shipment during the next few weeks is likely to be exceedingly limited. Some of the pits which were formerly able to send upwards of 2,000 tons to the docks are now unable to spare more than 200 or 300 tons weekly for shipment to the Irish market. Gas coal for local use is very firm, and engine fuels for the local railways are in very strong request. The home market is healthy. The shipments for the week have amounted to 2,400 tons, compared with 3,310 tons for the previous week and 1,800 tons at the corresponding period of last year. Coke makers are busy, and all the plants except Clifton and Oughterside are in full operation. Best Cumberl’nd coal at pit Best washed nuts at pit... Seconds at pit Washed nuts at pit Do. smalls „ Do. peas „ Buckhill best coal at pit... Do. double-scmed washed nuts at pit Oughterside best coal at pit Oughterside best washed nuts at pit St. Helens (Siddick) best coal at pit St. Helens best house nuts at pit Best Cumberl’nd coal, f.o.b. Best washed nuts, f.o.b. ... Best bunkers (coastwise) Do. (for foreign-going steamers) Best works fuel Best coal for gasworks ... Best washed nuts for gas- works Current prices. 25/10 24/2 23/4 23/4 19/2 17/6 25/ 23/6 25/ 23/6 25/ 23/6 22/ 20/ 31/ 31/ 22/6 22/6 21/6 L’st week’s prices. 25/10 24/2 23/4 23/4 19/2 17/6 25/ 23/6 25/ 23/6 25/ 23/6 22/ 20/ 31/ 31/ 22/6 22/6 21/6 Last year’s prices. 23/4 21/8 20/10 20/10 16/8 15/ 22/6 21/ 22/6 21/ 22/6 . 21/ 19/6 17/6 25/ 30/ 20/ 20/ 19/ IRON. The situation in the Cumberland and North Lancashire hsematite pig iron trade is unchanged, There is still very great Activity in both West Cumberland and the Furness district, and makers are doing their utmost to secure as large an output as possible. The prospects of securing an expansion of production are now brighter than they have been since the autumn. Some big consignments of foreign iron ore have come to hand this week. Local supplies are increasing and smelters will soon be in a position to light one or two additional furnaces. Any diminution in the output of steel has been due to the shortage of iron. Billets and plates are in firm demand, but rails are quiet. The imports of foreign iron ore for the past fortnight have amounted to 9,400 tons. South-West Lancashire. COAL. The tonnage going into consumption fdr the inland household trade is below the average generally, and this is helping the coal merchant to bring his arrears within reasonable compass. Full supplies of screened coal con- tinue to be called for by the users of this class of fuel for forge and manufacturing purposes, and constantly increasing supplies of graded large nuts are required for power production. Shipping has not varied much since last report, the increased requirements of steam coal both for bunkering and export being maintained. At the same time supplies do not improve to any extent to speak of, and at the moment they are hardly equal to demand. Prices are according to schedule rates, with the addition, in most cases, of extra railway rates where these may be charged. The coastwise and cross-channel trade is in much the same condition that it has been in for months. The coal is required and is always acceptable to the merchant, assuming he can get it and a suitable vessel to convey it. It is with difficulty that the demand for rough steam slacks can be met. The consumption is steadily growing, and the output barely maintained. Prices at pit (except where otherwise stated). I Current L’st week’s Last year’s House coal:— prices. prices. prices. Best I 23/6-24/6 23/6-24/6 21/ —22/ Do. (f.o.b. Garston, net) 25/ -26/. 25/ -26/ 25/6 Medium 21/6-22/6 21/6-22/6 19/ -20/ Do. (f.o.b. Garston, net) 24/6-25/ 24/6-25/ 24/6 Kitchen 20/6 20/6 18/ Com. (f.o.b. Garston, net) 23/ -24/ 23/ -24/ 23/ upwds Screened forge coal 20/6 20/6 18/ Best scrnd. steam coal f.o.b. 30/* 30/ 22/6-23/6 Best slack 18/6 18/6 16/ Secondary slack 17/6 17/6 15/ Common do 16/6 16/6 14/ * And extra railway rate where required. South Lancashire and Cheshire. COAL. The Manchester Coal Exchange was well attended on Tuesday. There is no change in the situation. The demand is still keen for all qualities of house and manufac- turing fuel, and little is obtainable outside contracts. There is a good call for shipment, but little offered on open supply. Prices at pit (except where otherwise stated). Current L’st week’s Last year’s House coal:— prices. prices. prices. Best 24/6 24/6 22/ -23/ Medium 22/ -23/ 22/ -23/ 19/6-21/ Common 20/6-21/ 20/6-21/ 18/ —18/6 Furnace coal 20/ -20/6 20/-20/6 17/6-18/ Bunker (f.o.b. Partington) * * 25/ —26/ Best slack 18/6 upwds 18/6 upwds 16/ upwds Common slack 17/ upwds 17/ upwds 14/6 upwds * As per official list. Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Leeds. COAL. The attendance on the Coal Exchange on Tuesday was both large and representative. In addition to the custo- mary assembly of colliery representatives and local factors and merchants, there was a fair number of London traders