130 120
110100
90 80 70 60 50
140 130 120
110
100 g 90 7 80
•£ 70 en 60 5 50
I
> 1 3 0 I 120
£ 1,0
» 100 o 90 80 70 60 50 40
130 120
110
100
90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20
...1 ....
— PRC)D U
—
C T I
----
OH-■■■
G U¡VSS c cNT A IN ER.
1932Si **—
, > \
/ ’’S .f \
... 1 1 J
\jr1 9 3 2 \
\
’ — •N
--- T--- ,---, ,— ! ,
/932
——- "■ *■»
s
Jan. Feb. Mar Apr May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Not. Dec. Jan Feb. Mar Apr May June July Aug.5ept Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug. Sept. Oct Nov. Dec.
--- 1----1----1 1 1 1 i 1 1
C O T T O N C O N S U M E D IN T E X T IL E S ,
/ \
1932* V /
\ /
/
>
/ \ / \
1932. / \
p \
p NE
P R O D U C T IO N
LI M A T IC A U T O M O B IL
\
E T IRE5 s
I 1 1 i i 1 1
/ \
/ \
\
V K1932 \
\ "’ s .
Jan. Feb. Mar Apr MayJuneJuly Aug.Sept.Oct. Not. Dec. Jan. Feb Mar Apr MayJuneJuly Aug. Sept. Oct. Not. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar Apr MayJuneJuly Au
r
9.Sept.Oct Nov. Dec./ \
/
\
/ \
1932— * S V
. y \
r I \
P A IN T’.V A R N IS H A N D LACQUER SALES
1 1 1 1 I I 1 1 1
PR
"
ODlJCT ION - B'fP R OD JCT CO KE
1932
---i i i i i
'1932
- Z . _ --- / N
r S
Jan Feb Mar Apr MayJuneJuly Aug. Sept. Oct. Not. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar A pr May June July Aug. Sept Oct. Nov. Dec Jan. Feb.Mjir Apr MayJuneJuly Aug.SeptOct. Not. Dec.
R lJ BE
..—j- j », i..T
.'/9J2
----K,
\\ N"-«. r<s
\ /
\/
irTin*j - p LA T 1 1
r r,i
i
,'/932 !
? \ !
/ \ /
N y *
\ / V
\ z \
/
\ /
'i
J i l l ” 1---i 1
SU LP H U R IC A C ID O N S U M E D IN F E R T IL IZ E R c
v v'!932
N /
\ /
/
>V
\ /
/ T —
Jan Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov Dec. Jan. Feb Mar Apr May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar Apr May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec
F ebruary, 1 9 3 3 — Chemical & M etallurgical E ngineering 107
MARKETS
sumers drawing upon warehouse stocks.
Estimates place nitrate stocks now held in this country at about 300,000 tons.
Recent developments in Chile have been of wide interest. W hile no definite plans for reorganizing the industry have yet been adopted it appears that the tenor of proposed changes is to place the industry under control of Chilean interests with the government setting up a sales organization which will be with some consuming industries order
ing out contract shipments in larger volume. Lacquer, fertilizer, and rayon producers are reported to have been
The position of imported chemicals may be affected by restrictive measures where depreciated currencies exist in the country of origin.
Imports of sodium sulphate have been
the subject of controversy for some time. The crude material, or salt cake, is on die free list while anhydrous sodium sulphate has been subject to duty. Last year the customs authori
ties dismissed complaints that arrivals of sodium sulphate should fall in the dutiable classification but on Feb. 2 an order was issued withholding liquida
tion of crude sodium sulphate importa
tions until official action has been taken on litigation now in the customs court.
Drop in Sulphur Output
A report from the Bureau of Mines states that domestic production of sul
phur last year dropped to less than one-
T o tal production, pounds. 178,570,183 (1) M ade a n d consum ed in
T o tal production, p ounds. 361,739.705 398,943,703 M ade an d consum ed in
th e sam e establish
m ents, p o unds 106,229,018 109.088,353 F o r sale—
I J F M A M J d ASONOlürMAMü JASONO;JFMAMd JASO N O jjF MAMddASONDj U 1930 * k 1931 ... > * ...1932 X — 1933 *
O I L S A N D F A T S
IJFMAMd d A S O N D 'jF M A M ddA S O N tJdF M A M d JASONDdFMAMddASOND k - 1930 >r<...1931 X ... 1932 --- + *... 1933 >1
J an. Feb. M a r A p r May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.
1 1 1.. V I 1
N O N - F E R R O U S M E T A L S 1931
. £.
---
---=— 5; ■1932
---,/yjj
PRICE TR EN D S- -CHEM. & MET.'S WEIGHTED INDEXES
T
H E R E have been a- few cases where chemical prices in the last month have been decidedly weak due to the very keen competition which has developed on the selling side. The quest to line up contract business in some lines has continued the private terms basis of negotiation with buyers gen
erally getting the benefit. W ith these exceptions, the resistance to lower prices has been sufficient to encourage the view that values have reached a level about as low as they will go.
Competition with price concessions on contract business is nothing new and can be eliminated as indicating a trend.
Price weakness in sodium phosphates is reported to have followed attempts to work off surplus holdings and ap
parently production has gone ahead at a pace too rapid to find consuming
out-Cliem . & Met; W eigh ted In d ex o f C h em ical P rices
B a s e = 100 f o r 1927 T h i s m o n t h ... f'J-54 L a s t m o n t h ... S i '- n F e b r u a r y , 1932 ... S o 'ic F e b r u a r y , 1931 ... 89.16 W h i l e t h e w e i g h t e d i n d e x n u m b e r f o r t h e m o n t h w a s u n c h a n g e d , t h e r e w e r e n u m e r o u s p r ic e f l u c t u a t i o n s
■with t h e l a r g e r n u m b e r o n t h e d o w n s id e . H i g h e r a v e r a g e p r i c e s f o r t u r p e n t i n e w a s a b a l a n c i n g f a c t o r . B i c h r o m a t e s , s o d i u m p h o s p h a t e s , e t h y l a n d a m y l a c e t a t e s w e r e o p e n ly r e d u c e d i n p r ic e .
lets. Bichromates have been under pressure because with declining amounts going into consumption in the last year, there has been an increased activity on the part of producers to hold their pro
duction up as well as possible and the result has been record low prices.
Cream of tartar is another material which has been under pressure and it has been tending steadily downward in price.
Factors which might influence up
ward revisions in prices generally are reduced to the possibility of enlarged buying demands. Any return of sus
tained buying admittedly would bring about price recoveries but there is very little sentiment found in favor of any nearby uplift in present schedules.
Certain chemicals produced in foreign countries, largely because of depreci
ated currencies abroad, have had a depressing effect on values in domestic markets. In fact there are rumors that chemicals of foreign origin, which have not been prominent in our markets for some time, may regain some of their lost prestige. Tariff restrictions cal
culated to equalize the differences in exchange have been proposed but little hope is held out for any relief in that direction as the present Congress, ac
cording to latest advices, will not pass any of these measures. It is probable, however, that depreciated foreign cur
rencies will be dealt with at the next session.
Vegetable oils and fats failed to main
tain the price advance recorded a month ago. The background for cot
tonseed oil is not improved by reports that cotton acreage this season will be materially increased over that of last year. Production of this oil is de
pendent on the available supply of cot
ton seed and not on demand from consuming industries. Hence any indi
cation that the seed supply is to be enlarged acts as a check on the advance of prices for the oil.
Linseed oil has passed through a long siege of subnormal consumption so that ordinary methods of figuring the price trend by the statistical posi
tion of flaxseed is at the most unre
liable. The active consuming season is approaching and the price outook is favorable to crushers.
Chem . & M et. W eigh ted In d e x o f P rices fo r
O ils and Fats
B a s e = 100 f o r 1927 T h i« m o n t h ...
L a s t m o n t h ... 4 2 .4 6 F e b r u a r y , 1932 ... 47.47 F e b r u a r y , 1931 ... 67.92 C o t t o n s e e d a n d li n s e e d o ils r e a c h e d lo w e r l e v e ls d u r i n g t h e m o n t h a n d w e r e m o s t p r o m i n e n t in t h e r e d u c ti o n o f t h e w e i g h t e d n u m b e r . T a llo w a l s o w a s o f f e r e d a t r e d u c e d f ig u r e s a n d in g e n e r a l a n e a s y t o n e r u l e d in t h e g e n e r a l m a r k e t f o r o i l s a n d f a t s .
February, 1 9 3 3— Chemical & M etallurgical Engineering 109