Opening Pages
Published Every Thursday by the DAVID WILLIAMS COMPANY 239 West 39th Street, New York Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. 5 becrigtion Price, United States and Mexico, $5.00 A to Canada, ’ $7.50 per Annum ; to Other Foreign Countries, $i0. Son dinem Single Copies, 20 Cents. W. H. Taylor, - - . - - President and Treasurer 1. A. Mekeel, - - - - - - - First Vice-President Harold S. Buttenheim, - - - - Second Vice-President and Secretary Geo. W. Cope, - - - - A. IL. Findley, - Editors W. W. Macon, - - Branch Offices Philadelphia, Real Estate Trust Building Chicago, Fisher Building Pittsburgh, Park Building Cleveland, American Trust Building Boston, Compton Building Cincinnati, 807 Andrews Building CONTENTS. is SOR Sek MEANS stig 6 Ww de odes oats ee beeen oben 1293 The Competition Rolled and Cast Material...............4.. 1294 A Proposed Machinery Exposition, .........¢.sccsccccccccens 1295 An Unexpected Addition to the Free List.............00e0008 1295 The American TeOnCee Decisions oo cic ic cece etc secesecien 1296 DOUG): POR ES See nis's 6 ce kee ie ccncMavabares ee epeSa 1296 American Society for Testing Materials................-.ee05 1297 The Iron,…
Published Every Thursday by the DAVID WILLIAMS COMPANY 239 West 39th Street, New York Entered at the New York Post Office as Second-Class Mail Matter. 5 becrigtion Price, United States and Mexico, $5.00 A to Canada, ’ $7.50 per Annum ; to Other Foreign Countries, $i0. Son dinem Single Copies, 20 Cents. W. H. Taylor, - - . - - President and Treasurer 1. A. Mekeel, - - - - - - - First Vice-President Harold S. Buttenheim, - - - - Second Vice-President and Secretary Geo. W. Cope, - - - - A. IL. Findley, - Editors W. W. Macon, - - Branch Offices Philadelphia, Real Estate Trust Building Chicago, Fisher Building Pittsburgh, Park Building Cleveland, American Trust Building Boston, Compton Building Cincinnati, 807 Andrews Building CONTENTS. is SOR Sek MEANS stig 6 Ww de odes oats ee beeen oben 1293 The Competition Rolled and Cast Material...............4.. 1294 A Proposed Machinery Exposition, .........¢.sccsccccccccens 1295 An Unexpected Addition to the Free List.............00e0008 1295 The American TeOnCee Decisions oo cic ic cece etc secesecien 1296 DOUG): POR ES See nis's 6 ce kee ie ccncMavabares ee epeSa 1296 American Society for Testing Materials................-.ee05 1297 The Iron, Steel & Heavy Hardware Association............... 1297 The American Iron and Steel Institute................00000- 1297 Same CGN: Mme UNE NO 2 aS ck kde w ceipec's ss oe eet 1298 Prices of Finished Iron and Steel f.o.b. Pittsburgh.......... 1298 The Steel Corporation Investigation.................5+: 1309 eS CAP rhe gig, 1 Sarr on, Se 1308 rhe American Society of Mechanical Engineers...........--+. 1308 Republic Iron & Steel” Company Operations...............4.. 1308 PaM Ss Wee L Set RIN oi 8945 5 So ahiceee Gouin ca cence es cee bas 1317 POROM COL CRMs ata. 2-5 o's caak AMMAR ORs bab 6s ichg os 0g 1317 The Canadian Wire Rod Trade... c.cccccccvavecscccacccscess 1317 Coal FO ee ND. LY Be beet Foe knickers ct es es tule 1317 The Orient Coke OS G 5Ni o's. 8 Oo TERR CREA G O85 so den 0 or 1317 ae SGI Te ce aeee ek 1318 Brown & Zortman Machinery Company Fire............-++.+- 1318 A Constitutional Compensation Law BR er elas ice a hee 1319 Titanium i i A O's sn nants Dibbn aah woke e ¥haee a8 se eae The Jamieson Coal & Coke Company.............0-0-eee8 1324 Distributing a I se os le aalsaou 1325 maipmienty Teams Ue Weel UNG docs. suis dma ee cccesdsccuseses 1326 %. SPOCinI - Csereeae MUON | is Sik sad pcan ds bcc cdaeaeeagn' 1327 ee GOR MEARE MR i a ig wes wa dba weldu oho 1327 The Pittsburgh POUMEES TONVOMINIIBG SS. Oo. 6 cv kee oda vi veeanes 1328 Electrically Driven FAtTitigg DERERING ec. 6 6 6 cen de wee os wes sR d% 1338 Exhibit Or SIN i Ms cas no Leu reek 4s 6 eeOaes 1338 *Gas Cavities and Shot in Iron Castings...........-..s+0ee00: 1339 NAC. FIGS ee eS La acer ck Sve Sn bees s BRERA OHO R el 1340 \ wifes ae Frame Grinding POUNDS in ec bse es operate eeden 1341 Stee | Making ny RO ON: RO ee a ce ala a's ewan ees bo ot 1341 F ir. OW ee MRMNR 2 eS eos Less 40d wpdaceeeceues 1342 Briqt CU DIRE “TIOTINGO . wos Le Wowk stint esessagevewersés 1344 : . American Museum of Safety Chartered..........++-+++:- 1346 Oil Fuel Burners es tte Pee Bio bins iidiecctwcetovesstees 1346 rhe \merican Society of Engineer Draftsmen..............++ 1346 Phe Andrews Side Frame Patent Sustained.........-+.6-000+- 1347 \ Four-Spindle Drilling Machine...........0.eeeesseeeeeenes 1347 ae GUE TN ac Ca 5 Cerca dob bo kk bowen se Seah Ceee 1348 Prog ogr ess in Heated Foundry Mixers.........cce0-sceedeedes 1349 At utomatic Saw Shajpener lk te Rn @ dun: 6 Waa 1350 Barthold Gerdau Visits this Country...........+...00eeeeees 1350 ‘oughing Tool for High-Speed Steel.....5...---sseeeeesenee 1351 : New Self- Opening Die Head. ......--sececccccssseseceuses 1351 “ w Bullard Vertical Turret Lathe.......c06.06-eecsseeecee 1352 = Dry Blast Process Tested. .iic +. se ceswessnbesovesese 1354 xaty Housing Problems to Be Considered.......-. eens hee 1355 ‘he Nelson Valve Company’s New Works....... eee eets. bes 1356 '¢ American Institute of Mining Engineers to Change Its NAME ..vipenws pale Open desde e che eRe Wes epee s oeaerene 1361 Semi-Automatic Nut Tapper......-+. ‘Mig dita as «\4ctes ced 4p pel 1362 “UStOMS DecisiOM®. cc cccccsccevescocswcseseesoseeseensseses 1362 se American High Duty Lathe. .....+.--+0e-seeeeeneseecers 1363 7 eh Speed Saw with Automatic Stock Feed......-+--+++++++> 1364 everson Union EWbows........208eerserecscccseresesresees 1365 . ‘e Burt Filters for the Gary Works....... ot winvoeeorees t 1365 Unusual Stock of Swedish Steel......+..-+++eeeeeees sonv £S6S Machinery Markets ....... a th Sado Sa on noes i it sibs oo THE IRON AGE | mi York, lone 1, 1911 VoL. 87: No. 22 Some Steel Prict Prices Reduced A Very Orderly erly Marking Down No Wild Scramble for Orders Those who hark back to the happenings of Febru 1909, and expect a similar wild scramble for busi the of the past week will very probably be disappointed. ary, ness among steel manufacturers to follow events Conditions differ in many respects from those prevail- ing two years ago. Prices of stecl products have not recently been as high by several dollars a ton as those de- prevailing in 1909 before the open market was clared. We are emerging gradually but surely from the shadow of disturbing influences outside of the steel trade. The two important anti-trust cases have been decided by the United States Supreme Court and large It is believed that railroad business is banking up by reason business interests are freed from that suspense. of the long period of enforced economy among rail- road companies and that within a reasonable time buy- ing in that direction will loosen. Congress cannot re- main indefinitely in session with its agitation of the tariff question. Revision in prices began last W ednesday, May 24, with the the Republic Iron & Steel Company that it proposed to act independently and The reduc announcement by would reduce steel bar prices $3 per ton. tion was met by other leading steel bar manufacturers, and on Monday of this week a general meeting of steel manufacturers was held in this city at which prices of some other steel products were reduced for the purposs of adjusting them to some relation with the new steel Steel billets and sheet bars were reduced structural shapes and plates $1 per ton; heavy bar prices. $2 per ton; light black and galvanized sheets $4 per ton; sheets $2 no changes were made on wrought pipe, wire and tin plate. It is the opinion of leading steel manufacturers, expressed with force and evident confidence, that these reductions mark the limit of the downward movement in finished steel products. As frequently happens when reductions are made, the new prices have not stimulated buying, but on the contrary appear to have checked it for the time being. Some contracting fer steel bars was done last week by agricultural implement manufacturers and othe large consumers, but the .total, which is estimated at 100,000 tons, is much short of the quantity which should be under contract at this time. It is believed that at least a week or two must elapse for buyers to become convinced that no lower prices are now to be expected, but more normal buying conditions of busi- ness are confidently looked for by that time. It is interesting to note in this connection that the activity in the pig iron market induced by price con- cessions on Southern and Virginia irons was short- lived. The recurrence to dullness is attributed by numerous pig iron sellers to the reduction in prices of steel products, which came at a critical moment when negotiations for considerable quantities of iron per ton; 1294 were in progress. Pig iron buyers are now holding off to await more settled conditions. Basic pig iron has receded a little further and is now squarely at $14, Pittsburgh, which is $13.10 at Valley furnace. It is somewhat encouraging to note that structural steel contracting was not seriously disturbed by the cut in steel bar prices last week. The volume of business was somewhat better than the average for the past few weeks, and it is stated that contracts which were pending when the steel bar action was announced were signed without hesitation by the parties inter- ested. It is, of course, to be considered that prices on fabricated material have been relatively lower than on other steel products for some time. Canadian buying in this country is said to have ceased because of the disturbance in steel prices, as consumers on that side of the border are, of course. inclined to take the same view of such occurrences as the domestic trade. Business with Canada has been very good for a long time, and it may be expected to develop greater activity as soon as it is seen that no further reductions occur. Some good business has been done for export by the United States Steel Prod- ucts Company, which sold 8000 tons of 6olb rails to the New South Wales government, and 4000 tons of bridges to the Japanese government. The copper trade is looking somewhat better, the past week having shown an increased volume of busi- ness, principally for exports, at slightly higher prices. Pig tin continues to rise, having now reached a higher price in London than at any time since the extraor- dinary upward movement in 1906-7. The Competition Between Rolledand Cast Material It was a matter of frequent remark in the middle nineties that rolled steel was supplanting cast iron at innumerable points, and the inference was that ulti- mately the proportion of pig iron consumed in making iron castings would be relatively small. Such bas not been the outcome. In 1898, a year of very heavy pig-iron production, about 30 per cent. of the total was in foundry grades, while in 1910 the proportion was approximately 25 per cent. These estimates do not take account of pig iron used for puddling purposes, but the tonnage involved in this direction is relatively smail, and probably has not changed greatly. The slight decrease in the proportion of foundry iron means merely that, while steel production has grown very rapidly, iron founding has grown slightly less rapidly, for in the twelve years pig-iron production increased by more than 130 per cent. The reason the expectations mentioned have not been fulfilled is that the field showing the greater prog- ress has changed. In the nineties one of the lines in the iron and steel industry in which the greatest progress was made was that of rolling steel. In 1890 steel-rolling methods were primitive. Steel was being rolled much as iron had been rolled. It was perfectly natural that when steel came to supplant iron it should - at first be rolled in a similar manner and with similar equipment. The puddle ball was small and its con- tents for from homogeneous. There was no possibility of continuous mills proving efficient, because a small ball could not produce a long piece. The rolling was difficult and no method but that of hand labor could cope with the vagaries of the material. The advent of steel brought about new cenditions and advantage was promptly taken of those conditions, whereby during the nineties the cost of rolling was THE IRON AGE June 1, igi; very greatly reduced. In The Iron Age of 1890, billets were quoted at $30.50 per gross ton, Pitts. burgh, wire rods at $43 per ton and steel tank plate at 2.75 cents per pound. Steel bars were not quoted at all, but iron bars were quoted at 1.80 cents per pound and iron plates at 2.15 cents. The spreads between semi-finished and finished products were enormous, and it was the progress in rolling methods and equipment in the nineties which reduced them, whereby the ayer- age prices in 1898 were as follows: Billets, $15.20: tank plate, 1.08 cents; steel bars, 0.95 cent; structural shapes, 1.17 cents. The spread between a gross ton of billets and a net ton of finished rolled material in 1890 ranged from perhaps $15 to $25; in 1808 the spreads were $3.80 for bars, $6.40 for plates and $8.20 for structural shapes. In recent months the spread has averaged about the same as then. The large plate mills of the present time appeared in the nineties, there having been no great improvement in the past decade. The continuous merchant bar mill appeared in the late nineties and was greatly improved in the early years of the following decade. The pres- ent structural mills were born in the nineties. Alto- gether that decade belongs largely to the finishing mills, whereby the spread in selling price between crude steel and the finished rolled product was greatly re- duced. Quite naturally during that period the rapid decrease in the cost of finished rolled steel invited the extension of its use and prompted predictions that eventually the awkwardly made iron casting would find little vogue when such cheap rolled sections were avail- able and could be adapted to so many purposes. The art of iron founding made relatively little prog- ress in the nineties, and the iron casting appeared to have little future when its great competitor, the rolled steel section, had made such wonderful progress. At the end of the nineties the production of an iron cast- ing was still an expensive process, and it cost almost twice as much to produce two identical castings as it did to produce one. The position at the time may be illustrated by a prediction made in 1899 by a close ob- server. He had toured England and the Continent ob- serving the vogue there of the steel casting, and re- turned to the United States with the conviction that the castings of the future, such tonnage as would be cast at all, would be of steel and not of iron. In 1899 and 1900 the production of steel in the United States exceeded 10,000,000 tons, while the production of steel castings was slightly under 2 per cent. of the total steel made. In 1910 the proportion of steel castings to total steel was slightly under 4 per cent. The predic- tion, then, was not borne out, but from one viewpoint it was made on a rational basis. The idea evidently was that it cost so much to change the unformed pig iron into an iron casting that one might as well use the much stronger material, steel, to start with. The prediction failed of realization partly because in the past decade the cost of changing the unformed pig iron into the finished casting has been greatly reduced. The weight of a casting cannot be reduced in direct ratio to the increase in tensile strength of the material, because one loses in stiffness; the stresses are not S° well borne when the section is smaller. As the decade of the nineties belonged largely to the operations of rolling steel, so the past decade has belonged largely to the foundry art. Tremendous progress has been made whereby the cost of producing castings in point of time and effort extended has been enormously reduced. Last week’s foundry convention at Pittsburgh illustrated the progress of a single yet, [, 1911 progress of a decade is simply astonishing, for | everything the foundry now has is the product decade, ic line of demarcation between the cast material rolled material was not drawn at all twenty years io one knew where it should lie. Ten years later rogress in steel rolling indicated a place where ould be drawn, but wrongly. To-day the two ds of fabrication have been fairly well tried out. Neither has reached perfection, but each has made t progress, and the line between the fields of the two forms of material is not likely to be shifted greatly the future. The iron casting is here to stay. The casting may gain somewhat more rapidly than iron casting or than rolled material, but every application of it indicates afresh that it is a ns for accomplishing particular results only. (he trends toward the use of certain materials as cainst other materials are the resultants of numerous rces. One influence of importance making for the rmanence of the iron casting is that of the geogra- cal origin of raw material. ills were scattered. In the old days iron Their scrap originated at vari- is points, pig iron was produced over wider areas n now, and then as always nearness to markets was factor. The day of the iron mill has been passing. Even though the steel plant, whether making castings r rolled product, uses large quantities of scrap, no one isually thinks of locating such a plant near a source of scrap supply, if the point is far from pig iron. The iron foundry is different. Many foundaries are held in their present locations because there is a steady sup- ply of scrap to be obtained cheaply, whereas it costs onsiderably to move it to the great centers of con- sumption. The old material must be utilized and in any cases the iron foundry furnishes the most de- sirable means, A Proposed Machinery Exposition (he magnificent exposition of foundry equipment ind machine tools, which was an important feature of convention of the American Foundrymen’s \ssociation at Pittsburgh, last week, has led te a move- ent for an annual exhibition on a larger scale. Briefly stated, the idea is to bring together under a single roof all classes of equipment which enters into the machine shop as well as the foundry. The plan is merely in its incipiency. Complications of meeting places, dependent upon available exhibition space, hotel ‘commodations and accessibility to the greatest num- ' of interested persons, are yet to be considered. he foundrymen’s exhibition is a large nucleus. The mercial success of the exhibitors last week, in the orm of orders booked, will doubtless cause next year’s xposition at Buffalo to be even larger, perhaps to the mit of hall capacity. he machine tool builders are becoming more keenly lert to this opportunity. A large percentage of foun- ies are adjuncts to machine shops and factories, and sociation members are important buyers of machine Is as well as foundry equipment. The normal srowth of the exhibition will undoubtedly be large, en if no attempt be made to create a greater enter- ise. In regard to suitable quarters for a general exposi- n. aS associations increase in sizes they are com- lled to confine their meeting places to large centers here accommodations are ample and good. The ‘aster Mechanics and Car Builders afford a striking THE IRON AGE 1295 illustration of this, for their conventions grew to such proportions that it became necessary to seek one per- manent meeting place and Atlantic City was chosen. In the general discussion of the proposed exposition the suggestion is made that other associations, such as the National Machine Tool Builders, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Master Mechanics and Master Car Builders might be induced to arrange theeir meetings to be coincident in time and place with the exposition, or for succeeding weeks or days. Undoubtedly many buyers of machinery who are not members of any association would be attracted by the opportunity to study new types of equipment which, in most cases, would be seen operating under commer- cial conditions. The tendency would be eventually to cover a still broader field of equipment, including man- ufacturing tools which enter into factories as distin- guished from machine shops. Foreign houses might find it worth while to send representatives, availing themselves of an opportunity which would greatly sim- plify the quest for new ideas. The objection may be raised by some of the men interested in® directing association affairs that the ex- hibition would become so important a factor that it would detract from the interest in the meetings. An- other criticism is that the exposition would become too large for a proper appreciation of its contents on the part of the visitors. However, there is attraction in any plan which would advance interest in the products of American shops. An Unexpected Addition to the Free List Every new tariff act furnishes surprises. Slight changes in phraseology from previous acts may be found to have an important bearing that had been completely overlooked even by those who carefully scrutinize bills and amendments as they are passing through the Ways and Means Committee or through Congress. When the completed act goes into effect, tests are made by importers all along the line, and here and there a loophole is discovered through which some foreign manufactured article can be brought into this country at a much lower rate of duty than had been expected by domestic manufacturers in the same branch of trade. An instance of this kind has just occurred which affects the manufacturers of lawn mowers. The Board of United States General Ap- praisers has decided that lawn mowers imported into this country from England are free of duty under paragraph 476 of the tariff act of 1909, which reads as follows: Plows, tooth and disk harrows, harvesters, reapers, agricultural drills and planters, mowers, horserakes, culti- vators, threshing machines, and cotton gins 15 per centum ad valorem; provided, that any of the foregoing, when im- ported from any country, dependency, province or colony which imposes no tax or duty on like articles imported from the United States, shall be imported free of duty. No distinction is made by the appraisers between the smallest kind of a mower used by a gardener and the largest horse-drawn mowing machines used on farms. The term “mower” is held to apply to all such articles indiscriminately. As England imposes no duty on mowers when imported from this country, it is held that such mowers when imported from England are free. There are likely to be other surprises in the new tariff act as further opportunities develop for testing it. 1296 Beating Down Machinery Prices In times of keen competition for any business that may be in sight, the process known in the vernacular of salesmen as “sweating the bidders” is frequently employed by purchasing agents when placing large machinery orders. The process consists chiefly of playing one bidder against another in successive inter- views, to get the original quotations lowered. An im- portant manufacturer recently inquired for quotations on a machine of a certain type, and on the day the proposals were opened all the companies bidding were represented by their salesmen. The purchasing agent interviewed the salesmen one at a time, and after get- ting from each what was declared to be his lowest price told him to wait in an anteroom for the decision. Later he recalled a few of them, to whom he 1m- pressively said that the contract lay among them and would go to the one who could make the largest reduc- tion in price. There was some hurried telegraphing, and in each case the home office wired a lower figure. The man who secured the contract admitted that his price was ridiculously low and that the job would re- sult in little or no profit to his company. Such buying methods are clearly reprehensible, and those who resort to sharp practices of this kind com- mit a serious offense against general business ethics. They lower the tone of commercial dealings. This oc- currence brought about spirited price-cutting among sellers of a certain class of machinery and upset their confidence in each other. It would be difficult to sug- gest a preventive for such cases, but it may be said that the machinery maker who always quotes the low- est figure consistent with his business policy and sticks to it is not bothered by “sweating” ‘tactics. He does not accept business at a sacrifice to keep it away from his competitors. 9 +e The American Tobacco Decision Corporations Now Have a Rule of Procedure Large The United States Supreme Court handed down its decision in the suit against the American Tobacco Com- pany on Monday. The decision, which clarifies the situa- tion even more than the Standard Oil decision, declares that the company has deliberately and willfully violated the Sherman anti-trust law and orders it to reorganize so as to bring itself within the law. Chief Justice White in discussing the remedy to be applied by the court. said it might be one of two things, either an injunction order- ing its dissolution, and prohibiting it from doing any further interstate business; or the appointment of a re- ceiver to take over its vast business and bring it within the law. Both of these remedies he dismissed upon con- sideration, chiefly because of the danger either would be almost certain to work upon innocent outsiders. Then he delivered the decree of the court, which points out the way in which the organization is to be ‘effected. The decree consists of four points, as follows: 1. That the combination in and of itself as well as each and all of the elements composing it, whether cor- porate or individual, whether. considered collectivel or sepa- rately, be decreed to be in restraint of trade and an at- tempt to monopolize and a monopolization within the first and second sections of the anti-trust act. 2. That the court below, in order to give effective force to our decree in this regard, be directed to hear the parties, by evidence or otherwise, as it may be deemed proper, for the purpose of ascertaining and determining upon some plan or method of dissolving the combination and of recreating out of the elements now composing it a new condition which shall be honestly in harmony with and not repugnant to the law. 3. That for the accomplishment of these purposes, tak- THE IRON AGE June I, IQII ing into view the difficulty of the situation, a period o; six months is allowed from the receipt of our 1 andate with leave, however, in the event, in the judgment 0; the court below, the necessities of the situation requir: tend such period to a further time not to exceed sixty days 4. That, in the event before the expiration of the perjog thus fixed a condition of disintegration in harmony with the law is not brought about, either as the consequence oj the action of the court in determining an issue on thie syb- ject or in accepting a plan agreed upon, it shall be the dyr of the court, either by way of am injunction restraining th movement of the products of the combination in the chan. nels of interstate or foreign commerce, or by the appoint- ment of a receiver, to give effect to the requirements 0; the statute. Thus the tobacco company gets eight months in which to complete a reorganization under the immediate super- vision of the New York circuit court. It has full liberty to devise its own plan, but the plan must be satisfactory to the circuit court before it can be adopted, and the company has warning that if a satisfactory plan is not found within eight months there may be issued an in- junction stopping all its interstate business or it may be thrown into the hands of a receiver. Its new plan must be in full harmony with the law, but the circuit court is there to tell it just how to obtain that harmony. The contention of big business that there was nowhere under the government any agency that could tell it authoritatively what it could do under the law, and what it could not do, finds its answer here. There can be no question that the reorganization of this company will be taken as the model set up by the courts of the form in which big business may proceed without fear of being in violation of the law. tO ex. Steel Prices Reduced The United States Steel Corporation, with its subsid- iaries and practically all of the independent steel manu- facturers of the country, decided on Monday, says the New York Times, to meet the cut in prices made last week by the Republic Iron & Steel Company. The chief prod- uct of the Republic Company is bars, and its reduction on that line was met last week by several of the subsid- iaries and independents individually, including the Car- negie Steel Company. The trade was allowed to under- stand that this reduction from $1.40 per 100 Ib. to $1.25 would be met in taking orders, but Monday’s action went beyond that of the Republic Company by including other products than bars in the cut. It did not, however, affect rails, wire or tin plate. It was at a conference at the Metropolitan Club, New York, that the decision to make this general reduction was reached. A luncheon given by Judge Elbert H. Gary, chairman of the United States Steel Corporation, began there at 1.30 and concluded at 5.30. It was attended by between 50 and 60 steel manufacturers. Judge Gary an- nounced the result of the meeting as follows: Representatives of the leading manufacturers of finished steel (except the Republic) met at luncheon at the Met- ropolitan Club to-day and existing conditions were fully discussed. It was the tnanimous opinion that co-operation, as heretofore fully explained, should be continued. Opinions were expressed that recent developments seein to require some changes in prices. Subsidiary companies of the United States Steel Corporation have decided to inake adjustments to become ‘effective June 1, and it 's believed that these will be generally followed. The com- modities affected, with the new prices, are as follows: Steel bars (15 cents per 100 lb. off), $1.25 base. cs Plates and structural shapes (5 cents per 100 Ib. off) $1.35 base. Black sheets (20 cents per 100 lb. off), 2 cents per Ib. for No. 28 gauge. Galvanized sheets, 3 cents per Ib. for No. 28 gauge. Blue annealed sheets (10 cents per 100 Ib, off), 15° cents per lb. for No. 10 gauge. . Steel billets, 4 in. square and larger, $21 per gross to” Sheet bars, $22 per gross ton. : All free on board Pittsburgh, effective June 1, 191!, °° shipment prior to Oct. 1. Judge Gary said that he discussed conditions at length in his address at the meeting, but would add nothing © his formal statement at this time. His speech, he said, would be available for publication as soon as 't Was transcribed by the stenographers. IQII American Society for Testing Materials Programme for the Annual Convention at Atlantic City, June 27—July 1 Tune programme for the fourteenth annual meeting of rican Society for Testing Materials, to be held at Traymore, Atlantic City, N. J., June 27-July 1, is as FIRST SESSION—TUESDAY, June 27, 3 P. M. report of the executive committee. f Committee A-3, on standard specifications for cast iron | castings. Walter Wood, chairman. f Committee B-1, on standard specifications for hard per wire. J. A. Capp, chairman. »f Comnfittee C-4, on standard specifications and i cement sewer pipes. Rudolph Hering, chairman. f Committee C-3, on standard specifications for paving ng brick. D. E, Douty, chairman. of officers. ineous business. SECOND SESSION—TUESDAY, June 27, 8 P. M. iddress by the president, American Society for tests Testing inufacture of pure irons in open-hearth furnaces. Allerton strains on engineering structures, James E. Howard. of the heat treatment of some low-carbon nickel steels, and John M. Bierer. t cinders, cause of formation in locomotives, Robert Job. rHIRD SESSION—WEDNESDAY, June 28,10 A. M. ON STEEL. Committee A-1, on standard R. Webster, chairman. t of Committee A-4, on heat treatment of iron and steel M. Howe, chairman. ze, a function of both time and temperature. specifications for steel. Henry M. e heat treatment of a nickel steelh Wm. Campbell and H. irison of the properties of an acid and a basic open teel of similar composition. Henry Fay. n steel tires. Robert Job and Milton L. Hersey. tility in rail steel. P, H. Dudley. \FTERNOON OF WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, WILL BE RESERVED FOR GENERAL RECREATION. FOURTH SESSTON—WEDNESDAY, June 28, 8 P. M. ON PRESERVATIVE COATINGS. t of Committee D-1, on preservative coatings for structural S. S. Voorhees, chairman, rt of Committee A-5, on the corrosion of iron and steel. S. Cushman, chairman. results of the Westinghouse, Church, Kerr & Co. paint M, Chapman, lue of the sulphuric acid corrosion test. C. M. Chapman. ractical testing of drying and semi-drying paint oils. Henry net . method of detecting resin oi] and mineral oil in other E. Outerbridge, Jr. FIFTH SESSION—THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 10 A. M. ON CEMENT AND CONCRETE. al tests of sand and gravel proposed for use in concrete. S. Greenman. Some experiments on the incrustation and absorption of concrete. O. Anderson, letermination of stresses in a reinforced concrete member axial load in flexure. S, Ingberg. ; nsion and contraction of concrete while hardening. Al- (a Idbeck. roperties of magnesium cement, mortars and concretes. C. Ir, and A. C, Alvarez. tegration of concrete. Alfred H. White. | P fiect of high-pressure steam on the crushing strength of con- Rudolph J. Wig. SIXTH SESSION—THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 3 P. M. ON STEEL. f Committee A-7, on the tempering and testing of steel ind standard specifications for spring steel. Henry Souther, ess tests. Bradley Stoughton and J. S. Macgregor. in its relation to other physical properties. D. E, Douty. rison of five methods of hardness measurement. D. E. metals and materials. Albert F E. L. Hancock. erty of hardness in of steel from structural shapes. evelopments in testine of boiler tubes. F. N. Speller. VENING OF THURSDAY, JUNE 29. WILL BE RE- SERVED FOR A MUSICAL SMOKER. VENTH SESSION—FRIDAY, | JUNE 30, 10 A. M. ON BITUMENS, ETC. f Committee D-4, on standard tests for road materials. ge, chairman. 2 nsistometer for use in testing bituminous road materials. rosDv, d instruments for the physical testing of bituminous ma- per III. Herbert Abraham. : : sed method of testing the melting point and softening mpounds. Henry W. Fisher. mee residues from soluble bitumen determinations. and C. §. Reeve. IGHTH SESSION—FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 3 P. M. ON TESTING APPARATUS AND METHODS. | methods for testing sewer pipe and drain tile. Prévost A. Mar- of Committee A-6, on the magnetic testing of iron and itles W. Burrows, chairman. method of testing the endurance of case-hardened gears jons. J. S. Macgregor and Bradley Stoughton. bi ye y meet testing machines for determining fragility of . . sen. type of autographic transverse testing machine for research " regular foundry practice. T. Y. Olsen. THE IRON AGE 1297 THE EVENING OF FRIDAY, JUNE 30, WILL BE RESERVED FOR RECREATION, NINTH SESSION—SATURDAY, JULY 1,'10 A. M. MISCELLANEOUS, The Fritz Engineering Laboratory of Lehigh University. P. McKibben. _ The variation of tensile strength with the percentage of carbon in iron carbon alloys. C. R. Tones. The effect of copper in iron on the acid corrosion test. W. H. Walker. Recent analyses of tests on structural timbers made by the forest service. McGarvey Cline. The Brinell ball test applied to wood. W. K, Notes on anti-friction alloys. Wm. Campbell. Some further experiments upon the absorption, porosity and specific gravity of building brick. D. E. Douty and L. L. Beebe. ——_3--__—_ The Iron, Steel & Heavy Hardware Association Frank Hatt. The second convention of the American Iron, Steel & Heavy Hardware Association was held in Detroit May 24-26. E. P. Sanderson, Boston, the first vice-president, presided in the absence of President E. D. Kimball. E. F. Yarnelle, Mossman, Yarnelle & Co,, Ft. Wayne, Ind,, was appointed secretary by the executive committee and will devote his entire time to the work of the association, tra\ eling in the interests of the heavy hardware trade. At the opening session Thursday afternoon George C. McMaster, Mutual Wheel Company, Moline, IIL, read an interesting paper on the relationship of the jobber and manufacturer. He criticised the selling of goods by manu- facturers to small dealers who are not jobbers in reality, and urged that manufacturers carefully scrutinize all accounts to ascertain if such customers are rightfully entitled to jobbers’ prices. He objected to the manner in which the steel business is handled, saying, “The market price of steel is always public, and anyone that buys a car- load gets the same price as the jobber. This is very unfair to the jobber who carries a good stock of steel on hand.” J. A. Gregg, Nicols, Dean & Gregg, St. Paul, Minn., read a paper on the “Effect of the Automobile on the Heavy Hardware Trade and How to Meet It.” He pointed out that, in spite of the advent of the automobile, in 1910 there was one horse to every four persons in this country, as against one horse to every six persons in 1900, and that the horseshoe manufacturers report an increase in busi- ness amounting to 55 per cent. in these 10 years. At the same time there has been no curtailment in the sale of wagons and buggies. : George E. Enos, Buffalo, presented a paper om “The Position of the Jobber in Regard to Specialty Salesmen,” and W. E. Bittenbender one on “The Cost.of Doing Busi- ness.” Boston was selected as the place for the next meeting, and it was decided to consider San Francisco for the 1915 convention. These officers were elected: President, E. P. Sander- son, Boston; first vice-president, Charles E. Faeth, Kansas City, Mo.; second vice-president, H. E. Treadway, Du- buque, Iowa; secretary, E. F. Yarnelle, Ft. Wayne, Ind. Executive committee—Charles E. Faeth, Kansas City, Mo., chairman; J. Henry Ruwe, Brooklyn, N. Y.; A. C» Die- trich, Baltimore, Md.; J. A. Gregg, St. Paul Minn.;.C. M. Roehm, Detroit, Mich,; E. W. A. Waterhouse, San Fran- cisco. a The American Iron and Steel Institute At the meeting of the American Iron and Steel Insti- tute, held in New York City last week, the old board of officers was re-elected, as follows: President, E. H’’Gary; first vice-president, Powell Stackhouse; second vice-presi- dent, Willis L. King; third vice-president, Charles M. Schwab; treasurer, Edward Bailey; secretary, James T. McCleary. The committee on welfare work reported that it had engaged Dr. Thomas Darlington, for six years health commissioner of New York City, to have immediate charge of this work. : (ee The Ohio Machine Tool Company, Kenton, Ohio, has been purchased by the controlling interests of the Cleve- land Punch & Shear Works Company, Cleveland, and C. C. Swift, secretary and treasurer of the latter concern, has located at Kenton and will be in charge of the plant. The familiar line of planers and sharpeners will continue to be manufactured and in addition larger sizes of planers up tp 60 in. will be placed on the market in the near future. 1298 os . THE IRON AGE _ June 1, 19) ‘The Iron and Metal Markets A Comparison of Prices Advances Over the Previous Week in Heavy Type; Declines in Italics. At date, one week, ‘one-month and one year previous. PIG IRON, Per Gross Ton: May 31 May 24 Apl. 26 May 25 - « $911. aii. 1911. 1910. Foundry No. 2 standard, Phila- : ae SaaS peseateee $15.50 $15.50 $15.50 $17.00 Foundry No. 2, Valley Furnace 13:75 13.75 13.75 15.00 Foundry No. 2 Southern, Cin- EE Tish wine saxo a 'eik's nia 6-b'0 6 i378: Wyss. Aas Foundry No. 2, Birmingham, Ala. 10.50 10.50 11.00 11.50 Foundry No. 2 local, at furnace, ES arene 15.00 15.00 15.00 17.00 Basic, delivered, eastern Pa.... 14.50 14.50 15.00 16.25 Basic, Valley furnace.......... 13.10 13.25 13.75 15.00 Bessemer, Pittsburgh PkWie dr aad 15.90 15.90 15.90 16.90 Gray forge, Pittsburgh........ 14.15 14.15 14.40 15.90 Lake Superior charcoal, Chicago 17.00 17.00 17.50 18.50 COKE, CONNELLSVILLE, Per Net Ton, at oven: Furnace coke, prompt shipment 1.45 1.45 1.55 1.70 Furnace coke, future delivery. . 1.75 1.75 1.75 1.80 Foundry coke, prompt shipment 1.75 1.75 2.00 2.25 Foundry coke, future delivery... ’ 2.00 2.00 2.20 2.40 BILLETS, &c., Per Gross Ton: Jessemer billets, Pittsburgh.... 21.00 23.00 23.00 25.50 Forging billets, Pittsburgh..... 26.00 28.00 28.00 31.00 Open hearth billets, Philadelphia 23.40 25.40 25.40 29.00 Wire rods, Pittsburgh........ 29.00 29.00 29.00. 32.00 OLD MATERIAL, Per Gross Ton: arom: ;waite, Ciitee0... 6.5.52... 14.50 14.50 14.25 17.50 _ Iron rails, Philadelphia........ 16.75 16.75 17.00 20.00 Car wheels, Chicago.......... 12.75 12.75 13.25 15.50 Car wheels, Philadelphia...... 13.00 13.00 13.00 15.00 Heavy steel scrap, Pittsburgh.. 13.00 13.00 12.50 15.25 Heavy steel scrap, Chicago.... 10.25 10.25 11.50 13.50 Heavy steel scrap, Philadelphia 13.00 13.00 13.00 14.50 FINISHED IRON AND STEEL, Per Pound: Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. Bessemer rails, heavy, at mill.. 1.25 1.25 1.25 1.25 Refined iron bars, Philadelphia. 1.27 1.27 1.32% 1.52% Common iron bars, Chicago.... 1.20 1.22 1.25 1.47% Common iron bars, Pittsburgh. . 1.25 1.30 1.35 1.55 Steel bars, tidewater, New York 1.41 1.56 1.56 1.61 Steel bars, Pittsburgh.......... 1.25 1.40 1.40 1.45 Tank pilates, tidewater, New York 151° 1,56 1.36 1.66 Tank plates, Pittsburgh....... 1.35 1.40 1.40 1.50 Beams, tidewater, New, York.. 1.51 1.56 1.56 1.66 Beams, Pittsburgh ...‘........ 1.35 1.40 1.40 1.50 Angles, tidewater, New York.. 1.51 1.56 1.56 1.66 Angles, Pittsburgh ............ 1.35 1.40 1.40 1.50 © Skelp, grooved steel, Pittsburgh. 1.30 1.30 1.30 1.50 Skelp, sheared steel, Pittsburgh 1.35 1.35 1.35 1.60 SHEETS, NAILS AND WIRE, . Per Pound: Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. Sheets, black, No. 28, Pittsburgh 2.00 2.20 2.20 2.40 Wire nails, Pittsburgh7........ 1.80 1.80 1.80 1.80 Cut nails, Pittsburgh.......... 1.60 1.60 1.65 1.80 Barb wire, galvanized, Pittsburgh+ 2.10 2.10 2.10 2.10 METALS, Per Pound: Cents. Cents. Cents. Cents. Lake conner, New York........ 12.45 12.37% 12.37% 13.00 Electrolytic copper, New York..12.25 12.12% 12.12% 12.87% Spelter, New York............ 5.50 5.50 5.50 5.30 Ne SOs EER. is oo wos so es 5.20 5.20 5.30 5.15 ROE I OR sk ks vos sees 4.37% 4.37% 4.42% 4.37% Oe BR ee Ore 4.22% 4.22% 4.27% 4.22% weil, INOW WOMEN ios a vena cess 45.50 44.60 42.50 33.25 Antimony, Hallett, New York.. 8.95 9.00 9.00 8.12% Tin plate, 100 Ib. boy, New York $3.94 $3.94 $3.94 $3.84 _ “* The average switching charge for delivery to foundries in the Chicago district is 50c. yer ton. 7 These prices are for largest lots to jobbers. Prices of Finished Iron and Steel f.o.b. Pittsburgh Freight rates from Pittsburgh in carloads, per 100 lb.: ‘New York, 16c.; Philadelphia, 15c.; Boston, 18c.; Buffalo, 11c.; Cleveland, toc.; Cincinnati, 15c.; Indian- apolis, 17c.; Chicago, 18c.; St. Paul, 32c.; St. Louis, 22%4c.; New Orleans, 30c.; Birmingham, Ala., 45c. Rates to the Pacific Coast are 80c. on plates, structural shapes and sheets, No. 11 and heavier; &85c. on sheets, Nos. 12 to 16; 95c. on sheets, No. 16 and lighter; 65c. on wrought boiler tubes. Structural Material.—I-beams and channels, 3 to 15 in., inclusive, 1.35c. to 1.40c., net; I-beams over 15 in., 1.45¢. to 1.50c., net; H-beams over 8 in., 1.50c. to 1.55c.; angles 3 to 6 in., inclusive, % in. and up, 1.35c. to 1.40¢., we ‘oaa net; angles over 6 in., 1.45c. to 1.50c., net; angles, 3 in on one or both legs, less than % in. thick, 1.40c., ply; full extras as per steel bar card effective September ; 1909; tees, 3 in. and up, I.40c., net; zzees, 3 in. and up, 1.35¢. to 1.40c., net; angles, channels and tees under 3-in., 1.40¢c., base, plus full extras as per stee! bar card of September 1, 1909; deck beams and bulb angles, 1,6:¢ to 1.70c., net; hand rail tees, 2.45¢.; checkered and cor. rugated plates, 2.45c., net. Plates.—Tank plates, 4 in. thick, 6% in. up to 100 in, wide, 1.35c. to 1.40c., base. Following are stipulations prescribed by manufacturers, with extras to be added to base price (per pound) of plates: Rectangular plates, tank steel or conforming to manufacturers standard specifications for structural steel dated February 6, 1903, or equivalent, 4 in. thick and over on thinnest edge, 100 in. wide and under, down to but not including 6 in. wide, are base. Plates up to 72 in, wide, inclusive, ordered 10.2 lb. per square foot, are considered %-in. plates. Plates over 72 in. wide must be ordered }4-in. thick on edge, or not less than 11 Ib. per square foot, to take base price. Plates over 72 in. wide ordered less than 11 |b. oe. square foot down to the weight of 3-16-in. take the price of -16-in. Allowable overweight, whether plates are ordered to gauge or weight, to be governed by the standard specifications of the Asso- ciation of American Steel Manufacturers. Gauges under %-in. to and including 3-16+in. on thin nest edge .......+.+. SO sr) he Se $0.10 Gauges under 3-16-in. to and including No. 8......... AS Gauges under No. 8 to and including No. 9.......... .25 Gauges under No. 9 to and including No. 10....... .30 Gauges under No. 10 to and including No. 12......... .40 Sketches (including all straight taper plates) 3-ft. and Ie Re ent ee -10 Complete circles, 3 ft. in diameter and over......... .20 Oe ee a res ere a ere .10 “A. B. M. A.” and ordinary firebox steel.......... .20 Still. bottom steels. i.<cics is's kdeeeeren Oe Maviere otaeh i o-¢ 05 sab 00 does 0s 9 See OE ee 40 Locomotive firebox steel ........e0cseee0s Reis wee -50 Widths over 100 in. up to 110 in., inclusive.......... -05 Widths over 110 in. up to 115 in., inclusive.......... -10 Widths over 115 in. up to 120 in. inclusive.......... 15 Widths over 120 in. up to 125 in., inclusive.......... 25 Widths over 125 in. up to 130 in., inclusive.......... -50 Widths over 130 tcc cacvccecds cu ueae Ne ee 1.00 Cuttirg to lengths or diameters under 3 ft. to 2 ft. TR | a ek on ck vie enesenanae vies Wom Adu hak Bates my Cutting to lengths or diameters under 2 ft. to 1 ft., eee ones canst eehae as Weel Ktetecces ¢ Cutting to lengths or diameters under 1 ft........... 1.55 No charge for —- rectangular plates to lengths 3 ft. and over. TermMs—Net cash 30 days. Sheets.—Makers’ prices for mill shipments on sheets in carload and larger lots, on which jobbers charge the usual discounts for small lots from store, are as fol- lows: Blue annealed sheets, Nos. 3 to 8, U. S. standard gauge, 1.45c.; Nos. 9 and 10, 1.55¢.; Nos. 11 and_12 1.60c.; Nos. 13 and 14, 1.65c.; Nos. 15 and 16, 1.75c. One pass, cold rolled, box annealed sheets, Nos. 10 to 12, 1.65c.; Nos. 13 and 14, 1.70c.; Nos. 15 and 16, 1.75¢.: Nos. 17 to 21, 1.80c.; Nos. 22, 23 and 24, 1.85¢c.; Nos. 25 and 26, 1.90c.; No. 27, 1.95¢.; No. 28, 2c.; No. 29, 2.05¢.; No, 30, 2.15c. Three pass, cold rolled sheets, box an- nealed, are as follows: Nos. 15 and 16, 1.85c.; Nos. 17 to 21, 1.90c.; Nos. 22 to 24, 1.95c.; Nos. 25 and 26, 2c.; No. 27, 2.05c.; No.°28, 2.10c.; No. 20, 2.15¢.; No. 30, 2.25c. Painted roofing sheets, No. 28, $1.40 per square. Galvanized sheets, No. 28, $2.55 per square for 2/-10. corrugations, All above prices are f.o.b. Pittsburgh. terms 30 days net, or 2 per cent. cash discount 10 days from date of invoice. Wrought Pipe.—The following are the jobbers’ car load discounts on the Pittsburgh basing card on wrought pipe, in effect from October I: Butt Weld. Seat 6 il c— Stell— —— _ Black. Galv. Black. Galv. 1 te 156 imiics cscceetowes ae i 49 ° $6 I: vce sw ss ae beneeb basses : . at 65 36 to 1% ME. .edsa ee 2'to 3 = Bs 50° 5 90 teste 70 76 = 6 La eld. 2 ie. Sssecvteckionu Yo 66 72 ° 256 20 @ Ee occ cic tte dies sebes 78 68 74 63 4% to. 6 Wh. oc vince s Vanetvaceue 77 67 73 $5 7 te 32 te i din cake te tssene jie Sa 59 71 13 0 OS Mik eee 15%... a Butt Weld, extra strong, plain ends, card weight. 55 Th, $6,- Hh WM. 0 hvenesagctstense® 69 59 65 64 56 Wh, wics ka uo vitesse cle he kee 74 68 70 68 36 00. 296 Pe, nbs ce cceent cen eus 78 72 74 69 2 to 3 the wacsesee whbdan ses ese 99 73 Te i. Lap Weld, extra strong, plain me sot a" 65 296 07d Ses. cake cioasaceaens 77 7 z3 67 4M. 40.6 ta. inc cccnsncas ve etree + es Oe rin ee 69 59 65 = 9 to 28 ime ches aus chieecadves’ ae 54 6O Butt Weld, double extra strong, plain ends, card weight, | oe ati steer eeceeesece seeeee > S = $7 2 to 3 in. sence MTS ee ceees 69 63 65 9 June igi! THE IRON AGE THE IRON AND METAL MARKETS 1299 A in. 6cceneuSeeeeneticks 67 61 63 57 6 is. sce cbt eeed 66 60 62 56 ith, oo ba ebies Stee 59 49 55 45 / Plugged and Reamed. _2to 3 in..Butt Weld { Will be sold at two (2) points lower basing (high- r er price) than merchants 1 or card weight pipe. Butt . ’ to 4 ficsesss Lap Weld | or lap weld, as specified. discounts are for “‘card weight,” subject to the usual { 5 per cent. Prices for less than carloads are three (3) r basing (higher price) than the above discounts. Boiler Tubes.—Discounts on lap welded steel boiler jobbers in carloads are now as follows: 62% than carloads to destinations east of the Mississippi River d at delivered discounts for carloads lowered by two points eths 22 feet and under; longer lengths f.o.b. Pittsburgh. tras to jobbers and boiler manufacturers. Wire Rods and Wire.—Bessemer, open hearth and rods, $29. Fence wire, Nos. 0 to 9, per 100 Ib., terms 60 days, or 2 per cent. discount in 10 days, car- load lots, to jobbers, annealed, $1.60, galvanized $1.90; carload lots, to retailers, annealed $1.65, galvanized $1.95. Galvanized barb wire, to jobbers, $2.10; painted, $1.80. Wire nails, to jobbers, $1.80. _ rhe following table gives the prices to retail mer- hants on wire in less than carloads, including the ex- on Nos. 10 to 16, which are added to the base price: Fence Wire, Per 100 Lb. S 0 to 9 10 11 12&12% 13 14 15 16 Annealed ....$1.75 1.80 1.85 1.90 2.00 2.10 2.20 2.30 Galvanized .. 2.05 2.10 2.15 2.20 2.30 2.40 2.80 2.90 Market and Stone Wire in Bundles, Discount from Standard List. Bright and Annealed: ) and COBSERs 60 bio.cin 6 om tea ob eds b4cenacreNdtabnae ees © 80 ) to 18. 2s ves ptindaks Lace Che A rete seunen eae 80 and 10 to 26... «0.0aewktehSas seewde be oka 80 and 10 and 2% d 36... 005.0n talk Saige baths bees 5 eee eee 0 and 5 Galvanized: ) and COSPSORs dkic dices nose teedunes< eee beuaae nal 75 and 10 0 to 16. .+0< cess 2iu hee es acess Ree 75 and 10 17 to 26... ccdewaunand SERGCES VEen sop eaweeee 72% and 10 7 tO 36. 0.0.00:0.¢ikti bien Se ee Oh 6.4 dec eed been eieeea ee 72% Coppered or Liquor Finished: ) and COGK@OR ss jaws dsc swaueas Oxa S0esesnee eee 75 and 10 to 26. ciscdvakewan ) sents aw eb aw ome ee heen 75 and 10 7 to 36. «cisaccdtiaks dl wes ba ea he ho meee 70 and 10 and 5 © 18... cas havnd eeeaad te eek the tek eee 75 and 10 and 10 Pittsburgh Park BuiLpInc, May 31, 1911.—(By Telephone.) Pig Iron—The market is very dull and there is no large inquiry. It is not believed that the re