Show f STEEL INDUSTRY SHOWING I NO GENERAL IMPROVEMENT I Sizing up the tho gent general r l Iron or stee steel business of the nation and anil this L Ln in int Is la a pretty fair Mr barometer barometer t many ways was t o t tho the general conditions condition the Iron IronI r I Age ABO sa says say R The Tile open market mark t that has lIas exl existed recently In steel products has Ihas not been beci l recognized because It did dl generally J r t not show w widespread and sensational t price cutting cutting- The Industry without s an nay concert has haI been limiting operation opera Uon tion to the business In Is In the past week wok has met further urther shut shut- L L tins UnA down own of oc blast furnaces and curl curt cur cur- l t of time lime at stee steel t worl works sf s. s 1 Generally at nt 50 0 per cent operation a or r f somewhat less Is Indicated among In Independent In- In r dependent companies The Steel cort cor cor- Is on a TO 70 0 per cent basis In it t 4 tho the ChIcano Chicago o district an and Is nearer GIper 60 GO per cent In n Pittsburgh and the tho val val- leys Most blast furnaces arc stilt still piling t I Iron Of OC the Carnegie le Steel company's company r 55 t furnaces 46 G arc Idle In the Mahoning Ma Mahoning Ma- Ma honing and Shenango o valleys alles 20 30 O aro arc arof K Idle out of or 46 6 f r Little Interest t has been taken inI In I tho bulletins of ot further parleys over overprices t 1 prices at Washington The Tho steel trade 1 has haR regarded tho the stabilizing episode e eF as ns ended when executive approval al w was aa F withheld from prices In which tho the gov gov- had asked the public pubIc to have confidence ence Deviation from the so-called so official prices are small and are arc the exception New ew business Is on so limited a n. scale lle i that price cutting has little JUle motive y It an and since costs Increase as output of or tho the much her hei- t i falls of off oCt the chances aided deep cut have o grown less eM Thet Tho The t belief bellet that output has now reached or even o gone below belo a bare wear and J tear basis has even en given rise to ff a f aI 4 f I more cheerful feeling particularly inthe in J the Chicago district f J I Ws V. ea II Heine Maintained I All tho large steel companies have e havet t maintained wn wages es In some where an an Iron or steel plant J was the chief dependence workmen 4 have accepted some Bome reduction in wages t to prevent a shutdown A southern f l steel company has reduced reduce wages 15 per cent Some blast furnace reductions have come also On the tho l 1 tons of oC 10 price low rails on the books of or the milts mills January 1 1 considerably more than half UlU has been Tolled rolled and the steel companies have already alread adjusted their to limited railroad buying In tho t J remainder of or tho the thor year r t The na navy department has haR closed bids on on tons of oC armor plate for Cor four battleships Orders are arc still withheld on on th the tons of or finished steel for fort t J. J the navy plates navy plates shapes and bars bars on on which identical bids were ma made e h by various va- va aI I rious producers April 4 I. The official statement Is that orders nr are held up t awaiting a n. readjustment in prices Pig Iron litre lp LII Following the a advance vance of or 1050 In Inh pig h iron b by British makers ed last week effective May fay 1 our cables now tell of ot advances l In l Fn England forthe for or 1 the tho home trade of or 11 l i PT per ton in plates 1165 per ton In steel bars and antI in steel rails ralls British export prices arc are also no longer under government o lIt control control con con- but are arc subject to individual negotiations ne no- no-I no Under the new quotations mill prices of or plates are 2 compard compared compared com com- pared pard with 59 36 gross ton In the United States Bars Dar there aro are 88 t tand and ht hero ro f Halls flails In England arc are In this country 43 45 How flow much ocean carrying char charges t absorb this difference in is indicated Inthe in the tho search not ye yet el successful b by a aNew a 3 aNew New ew York export house for or a nuta tuta lion ion of or delivered dell New ew York on tons tom of oC plates to meet En English lIsh competition The Thc movement mo of or pig Iron from furnaces fur tur- furnaces naces to foundries Is sluggish sluggish- Foundry Foundry Foun Foun- dr dry operations are lre Irregular So much uch machinery Is ahead of or the trade Hundreds hundreds Hun hun- of or muttons millions of ot dollars ollars worth lefton left lefton lefton on the governments government's hands I which must eventually c come On n the that market market that Iron foundries I tho prospects for gra gray I are arc not particularly bright Stove Stave better of f flate foundries have ha fared Cared rather late however |