608 THE COLLIERY GUARDIAN. September 20, 1918. THE WELSH COAL AND IRON TRADES. Thursday, September 19. North Wales. Wrexham. COAL. As far as circumstances and man power have allowed, the output of this coal field has been well maintained during the past week, but there is still considerable dissatisfaction among some miners in regard to the food rationing. In the house coal trade local merchants are inundated with orders, and have great difficulty in coping with the demand. Several local authorities are taking steps to lay in stocks of a few hundred tons of fuel for disposal in case of emergency during the winter. There is little change in the gas coal trade; the gas works supp ied from this coal field obtain a goodly proportion of their quota. The steam coal market is somewhat unsettled. Railway companies and local industrial firms are obtaining a fair tonnage, but the action of the Mersey side coal heavers during the past week entirely upset the shipping trade at Birkenhead and Liverpool. Slack retains a steady position in the market, and there is a quick sale for all the available output. Nuts are very scarce, hardly any being quoted for in the open market. Prices are steady, and the bulk of quotations have been based on the following figures ;— Prices at pit. Current L’st week’s Lastyear’s Railborne: — prices. prices. prices. Best house coal 27/6-30/ 27/6-30/ 21/ -23/ Secondary do 25/ -27/6 27/6-30/ 25' -27/6 20/ -22/ Steam coal 27/6-30/ 19/ -22/ 19/ -21/ . Gas coal 25/ -27/6 25/ -27,6 Bunkers 27 6-30/ 25/ -30/ 19 -22/ Nuts 20/ -22/6 20/ -22 6 18/ -20/ Slack 17/6-19/6 17/6-19/6 12/ -14/6 Gas coke (at works) Landsale:— 25/ -26,8 25/ -26/8 21/8-25/ Best house coal 32/6-35/ 32/6-35/ 30/ -32/6 27/6-30/ Seconds 30/ -32/6 25/ -27/6 Kitchen coal — — — Slack 22/6-25/ 22/6-25/ 15/ -16/8 Monmouthshire, South Wales, Ac. Newport. COAL. After a great deal of stormy weather, the arrival of tonnage has considerably increased. There is also a steady improvement in the output of coal. Practically all the better classes of large steam coal continue to be com- mandeered for official purposes. There has been a little less stringency in through coals. Smalls of the best class have been in great demand, and so also have house and gas coals. Coke has been very scarce. All prices are in accord- ance with the schedule. Prices f.o.b. cash 30 days. 1 1 Current L’st week’s Last year’s Steam coals: — | prices. prices. prices. Best Black Vein large...' 37/ 37/ 30/ Wes tern-valleys, ordin’y 36/ 36/ 29/ Best Eastern-valleys ...' 36/ 36/ 29/ Secondary do. ...' 35/ 35/ : i 28/ Best small coals , 28/ 28/ 21/6 Secondary do ! 27/ 27/ ' 20/ Inferior do ' 25/ 25/ i 18/ Screenings *...... 30/ 30/ ! 23/ Through coals h. 34/ 34/ 27/ Best washed nuts 37/ 37/ 30/ Other sorts:— Best house coal, at pit... 40/ 40/ 33/ Secondary do. do. ... 38/. 38/ 30/9 Patent fuel 37/ 37/ 32/6 Furnace coke 52/ 52/ 47/6 Foundry coke 52/ 52/ 47/6 IRON. Increased activity prevails in all the iron and steel works of the district—mostly on Government account. Prices are nominal. There is a very large extension being carried out by the Ebbw Vale Company, including a new blast furnace and by-product ovens, a new tube mill, a weldless coupling plant and the acquisition of an iron ore estate in North- amptonshire. A good supply of imported iron ore has come to hand. Cardiff. COAL. There are no fresh developments in connection with the coal trade of this district. Throughout the week the attendance on ’Change has been small, and business appears to be confined to the execution of official orders. The tonnage position shows a little improvement. Delays have been inevitable owing to stormy weather, but vessels have arrived in sufficient numbers to meet immediate requirements, although there is no margin for private commercial transactions. There is a strong demand for best descriptions of coal, and the supply is well maintained. For inferior grades there is not so much enquiry, and these are more difficult to dispose of. Best smells for bunkering purposes are also in steady request, but other kinds are accumulating to an uncomfortable extent, and are being heavily banked at the collieries. This is rendered necessary by the fact that wagons are not so readily available as they were a few weeks ago. In order to counteract the tonnage shortage producers were requested to supply the needs of inland consumers even outside the scheduled area, and whilst these consignments have been readily absorbed and speedily stocked, the return of the empties has been unduly prolonged. Efforts are being made to overcome this diffi- culty, but the real trouble is the shortage of engine power on the railways. Now that tonnage is arriving more freely, the necessity for long journeys will be obviated, and the position will automatically adjust itself to circumstances. Household coals are not equal to the demand, and consumers under the rationing scheme have to be content with the supply of a portion of their requirements. Still a genuine effort is being made to carry on, and it is hoped that the • winter season will pass over without any very serious inconvenience. Gas coals are scarce, and coke producers are working at high pressure in order to cope with the demands for their outputs. Patent fuel makers continue busy, and are well supplied with orders for some time ahead. Cardiff prices f.o.b. (except where otherwise stated). Current Steam coals:— prices. Best Admiralty steam coals .. 40/ Superior seconds .. 38/6 Seconds I 37/9 Ordinary 37/ Steam smalls No. 1 28/6 Do. 2 . ’ 28/ Do. 3 27/6 Do. 4 27/ Do. 5 26/6 Do. 6 26/ Do. 7 25 6 Do. 8 25/ Best dry coals 37/ Ordinary drys 35/6 Best washed nuts 37/ Seconds 35 6 Best washed peas 34/6 Seconds ... 33/6 Monmouthshire— Black Veins i 37/ Western-valleys 36/ Eastern-valleys : 36/ Inferior do. 35/ Bituminous coals:— Best house coals (at pit) : 40/ Second qualities (at pit) ■ 37/9 No. 3 Rhondda— Bituminous large 37/9 Small 33/ No. 2 Rhondda — Large 34/ Through-and-through 29/ -30/6 Small .. ; 24/ -26/ Best patent fuel 37/ Seconds 37/ Special foundry coke | 54/6 Ordinary do. .1 54/6 Furnace coke 54/6 Pitwood (ex-ship) j 65/ L’st week’s |Last year’s i prices. ! prices. 40/ ! 33/ 38/6 1 31/6 37/9 i 30,9 37/ ’ 30/ 28/6 28/ j 23/ 27/6 27/ ) i 21/6 26/6 26/ ) ; 20/ 25/6 25/ j 18/ 37/ 30/ 35/ 28/6 37/ 30/ 35/6 28/6 34,'6 27/6 33/6 26/6 37/ 1 30/ 29/ 36/ 36/ 29/ 35/ ; 28/ 40/ i 33/ 37/9 30.9 37/9 i 30 9 33/ 1 26/ ' 34/ 29/ -30/6 • 24/ -26-' 37/ 37/ 54/6 54/6 54/6 65/ 27/ 25/ 20/ 30/ 30/ 47/6 47/6 47/6 58/ -60/ IRON. Tin-plate makers continue to be very busy and there are more buyers than sellers. Most of the works are well booked with orders for several months ahead, and new business is difficult to negotiate. Receipts from works last week amounted to 33,391 boxes. Shipments were on a low scale, probably due to the shortage of tonnage, and only totalled 3,474 boxes, leaving 118,169 boxes in stock in the docks warehouses and vans, compared with 82,252 boxes the previous week, and 71,306 boxes at the corresponding date of last year. The price of block tin has remained steady at <£343 to £344 for cash and three months, but the opinion prevails that a further decline in price will take place in the near future. Bessemer standard cokes are offering on the basis of 32s. 6d. per box, with other grades in pro- portion. Large sizes are scarce and difficult to obtain. All the iron and steel works are busy, and maximum outputs are being obtained both from the blast furnaces, and the rail, sheet and bar mills. In the galvanised sheet trade there is no change, and all works are well occupied in the production of black plate and painted sheets. Spelter works are better situated, and ore supplies have been more regular. Quotations are unchanged at £54 per ton. Scrap metals are in short supply, and suitable descriptions are readily taken at maximum scheduled rates. Llanelly. COAL. The tonnage position does not show any great improve- ment, so that the position of the general market is not much changed. Collieries are not all working full time owing to the heavy stocks of many qualities which are accumulating, and empty wagons are therefore on the short side. The inland demand is very firm for many grades, and colliery order books are well filled, but the difficulty of getting supplies forward is very great. Anthracite coals are irregular, with Red Vein qualities well enquired for from home consumers. Machine-made qualities are in demand, but cobbles are the easiest quality on the market. Peas are in strong demand, but supplies are difficult to secure. Culm and duff are both easy, and stocks available are still heavy. Steam coal throughs are going well, but smalls are sluggish, with heavy stocks accumu- lating. Bituminous large. is in heavy demand, but orders are difficult to place. There is no easing off in the demand for suitable coals for local works, and spare parcels are not freely offered. Prices f.o.b. Current L’st week’s Last year’s Anthracite;— prices. prices. prices. Best malting large 37/ 37/ 30/ Seconds 36/ 36/ 29/ Thirds 34/6 34/6 27/6 Red Vein large 32/6 32/6 * 25/6 Machine-made cobbles... 49/6 49/6 42/6 Seconds 48/ 48/ 41/ Thirds 46/ 46/ 39/ Red Vein cobbles 43/ 43/ 36/ Machine-made nuts 49/6 49/6 42/6 Seconds 48/ 48/ 41/ Thirds 46/ 46/ 39/ Red Vein nuts 43/ 43/ 36/ Machine - broken beans (best) 42/ 41/ 42/ 35/ Seconds 41/ 34/ Thirds 40‘ 40/ 33/ Red Vein beans 38/ 38/ 31/ Peas (all qualities) ..... 37/ 27/ 20/ Rubbly culm 20/ 20/ 13/ Red Vein culm 18/ 18/ 11/ Breaker duff 15/ 15/ 8/ Billy duff 13/6 13/6 6/6 Steam:— Best large steams 37/ 37/ 30/ Seconds 34/ 34/ 27/ Cargo through 23,6 Seconds 22/ Bunker through ... 30'6 30/6 23/6 Smalls 26/ 26/ 19' Second smalls 17/ Bituminous:— Bituminous through ... 34/ 34/ 27/. Smalls... 31/ 31/ 24/ Gas through 23/6 Gas smalls 21/ (Coke-oven) coke 54/6 54/6 Swansea. COAL. There was a capital attendance on ’Change, but both anthracite and steam coal were quiet. The week-end arrivals of tonnage were rather poor on account of the heavy weather. Anthracite large was in less active demand, and rather plentiful, except Red Vein kinds, which have been moving off steadily. Of the machine-made sizes French nuts were in rather better demand. Rubbly culm and duff continue to be very slow. THE LONDON COAL TRADE. Thursday, September 19. The London coal market (although to a certain extent prepared for it) was somewhat startled on Monday by the notice from the Controller’s Department of an advance of Is. 6d. per ton extra on all the delivery prices of household coal in the Metropolitan area. No alteration has been announced in connection with the colliery prices, but the advance is considered as covering the extra cost of carting and delivery for the winter months, and to anticipate the rise of Is. per ton in the contract arrangements with the collieries on October 1. No alteration will take place in the delivery price of gas coke or in the trolley prices of coal. This will bring the top price to 43s. 6d. per ton for best coal, which was 33s. per ton when the Coal Controller was first appointed The economy campaign is proceeding very strongly on the London market. The pit prices are stationary at present, but last October the Controller authorised an increase of 2s. 6d. per ton to meet the cost of the war wage granted in the preceding month. On June 24 this year a further 2s. 6d. was granted, owing to the increased cost of production. Another advance of Is. 6d. was granted on July 8 to cover the war wage conceded on June 30. Loaded wagons are coming forward with better despatch by the various railway companies, but the delay to empty wagons on the way back to the collieries is causing a good deal of friction. The seaborne market is very short, as the large steamers have been withdrawn for Government use, and the boats coming forward do not bring nearly so much coal as in former months. On Monday, 15 vessels were returned as entering the River Thames, and 16 for Wednesday’s market. Nothing was offering on the open market, however. The London gas companies practically claim all the seaborne coal just now, but so far this month the tonnage has been better than last month. The output at the various collieries is stated to be of a more satis- factory character, but the arrears are still extensive. So much coal has been withdrawn from the ordinary open markets to keep pace with the heavy tonnage called up by the Admiralty and the Allies, together with the increasing demand for the munition works, that the restriction in the London area, and particularly along the southern lines, is giving rise to a serious anxiety for the winter. Happily the general public has awakened to the need of securing a good proportion of their yearly supply earlier than usual this year, and the rationing scheme has led to so much economy that the outlook is not so bad as it might be. Still, the serious problem of getting a fair amount in stock at the various depots has to a large extent been given up. Manufacturing fuel is suffering most, and the pressure is very keen. In the Metropolitan area house coal supplies are still inadequate, and on all sides merchants are com- plaining of the shortage. The new Order dealing with timber for firewood (one million tons altogether) will be of advantage in helping to cover the coal shortage; 40s. per ton is fixed as the maximum rate, but the price will in all probability be lower at the nearer points where the wood is lying. Each district will sell its own wood, and long-distance traffic will be carefully eliminated. From Messrs. Dinham, Fawcus and Company’s Report. Friday, Sept. 13.—There was again a fair supply of seaborne coal, but no house coal cargoes were on offer, the demand for which, however, still keeps good. Arrivals, 14. Monday, Sept. 16.—The supply of seaborne cargoes was again fairly good, but house coal was very scarce, none being on offer. The demand, however, still keeps brisk, with a poor prospect at present of any coming forward. Arrivals, 15. Wednesday, Sept. 18.—There was a fair supply of sea- borne coals again at to-day’s market, but house coal was very limited. A firm tone was noticeable. No sales were reported. Cargoes, 16. THE TIN-PLATE TRADE. Liverpool. There is no change to report on the week ; 32s. 6d. is still the basis price, official maximum, for coke tins, net cash, f.o.t at works, and as tin is fairly steady at the moment, makers seem more disposed to sell forward. A fair amount of business for January onwards was reported for home trade. Wasters command top prices and are in good request; large sizes are exceedingly scarce. Terneplates are also in demand, but orders are difficult to place, works being so heavily booked; £30 basis net cash, f o.t. at works, has been freely paid. New Method of Testing Recruits.—Relative to the calling up of the older men, the problem of measuring the recruits’ physical capabilities so as to be able to ascer- tain with reasonable exactitude the duty he is most fitted to perform in the Army has been solved by Dr. Henry Briggs, of the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh. The first account of the method has recently been published in the annual report of the Department of Scientific and Indus- trial Research, from which it appears that it developed out of an equiry into the suitability of men enrolled as members of mine rescue teams. The principle of the method may be gathered from the report alluded to, which states: “It having become evident, in the course of a long series of respiration experiments, that a man’s respiratory behaviour when oxygen is administered during manual work is dependent on his physical con- dition, Dr. Briggs has been able to devise a method of measuring physical fitness and stamina. It has been approved for that purpose by the War Office, and at the time of writing (July 26) the first physical testing station on Dr. Briggs’s system is being equipped in Edinburgh, where it will be run by a military staff attached to the Scottish Command.” The university authorities granted the use of excellent premises to the War Department, and the station is now engaged in testing recruits and others drawn from Scottish units.