Show STEEL BEAn PuOL Its Disruption Likely to Precipitate a Rate War Pittsburg May HThe disruption of the steel beam pool the last vestige of combinations which have held the powerful producers together is regarded re-garded by local brokers as likely to precipitate a rate war along all lines such as exists at present in the rail I and billet branches of the business I The dissolution of the rail pool lowered prices from S28 to S18 per ton and the disruption in the billet pool was followed fol-lowed by a cut of from 22 to 21 per ton I is thought a cut in the pool price of beams etc will only be a natural sequence and that the price will go below 1 cent per pound The abrogation of the pooling agreement and the present price list will eventually 1 eventu-ally prove of much benefit to the small I er manufacturers who were unable to compete against the combined forces I of the pool They will now have an equal show with competitors and may secure orders that will start mills now idle In view of the fact that the structural struc-tural iron trade is in a prosperous condition con-dition at the present time and improving im-proving right along a general scramble scram-ble for orders will more than likely occur within the next few weeks |