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Show ZINC PRICE SAID TO BE FALLACIOUS As in copper, there has been some letdown let-down in zinc sales during the last fortnight, fort-night, says the Boston Xows Bureau. Prom S cents per pound the price dropped back to 7 cents, and 1b now quoted at cents, East St. Louis. Eut this latter fig tire in no way represents the true status of the zinc market. Consumer-5 are still wary of quotations and are imbued im-bued with the idea that they will be able to get the metal cheaper. ,ora; but the "little f-jiiows," however, are offering the metal at less than S cents at the present time. For over a year zinc producers and smelters have been shouldeflug the burdens bur-dens of increasing costs and a glutted market. Now they adopt the pusiiion that they can hang on just a little longer, to say the least, rather than "give away" zinc at current quotations. Consumers Con-sumers are living on a hand-to-mouth basis and the recent labor discussion has a tendency to cause the buyer of zinc to hold off, notwithstanding zinc is relatively rela-tively lower in price than any of the other metals. The government is fast liquidating lis holdings of zinc. Early this year it had 1)3,000, U00 pounds on hand, over 'DO per cent of which consisted of the so-called Grade A, or extra-distilled, pure spelter. It has sold over 50 per cent or' its original orig-inal holdings at a price averaging around TVs cents per pound. It bought the most of this zinc during the war at the prevailing pre-vailing price of 11 cents per pound, and, having already t a k en a loss of no small proportions, it will sell the balance on any sign of market activity. This government metal, however, is not disturbing the zinc producers in any way. They are firm in the conviction that to .sacrifice any substantial tonnage at this price would-be foolhardy, and believe that fall months will see a healthy demand. |