The age-herald., 1898-07-07
BIRMINGHAM PROSPECTS.
The Opinion of the Mobile Register of Our
 City Future.
Special Dispatch to The Age-Herald.

Special Dispatch to The Age-Herald.
 Mobile. Ala, July 6.-The Register this morning printed the following editotial summary of Birminghams future:
 Fifteen thousand men in the Birmng- ham district began on July 1 working for an advance in wages. The coal miners of Jefferson, Blbb and Shelby counties, num- bering 1000, received raise of 21s cents per ton in wages fot, coal mining, amounting to about per cent. Two thousand miners in Walker county had previously secured the same advance. The employees of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, whose wages were reduced 10 and 20 per cent. dur ing the panic of 1S93 got half that cut re- stored the same day. This advance affects directly three thousand men in the Bir- mingham dsttict. Some three thousand other workers in this district employed in various machine shops, Boundaries rock quarries, etc., have had their pay raised, running the grand total up to 15,O00 men. Work at the various mines and industries in this section is more plentiful now than during any summer in the districts his- tory.
 "The past six months have been months of great activity in this city and district and a good showing all around is the result
 Birmingham bank clearings for the first six months of 1898 were $11 ,S37 613A as against $964S, ,315.12 for the same period in 1S97 an increase for this year of $2,2S0 ,31572. "Pig iron shipments for Alabama and Tennessee furnaces for the first five months of 1898 were 52O,5OO tons,. an increase over the same period last year of 120,751 tons, or 9 per cent.
 Cast iron pipe shipments from Ala bama and Tennessee in the first five months of 1898 wefe 54,OOO tons, increase over same period last year of 25,018 tons, or 50 per cent.
 "Pig iron shipments from the Birming- ham district for the first five months of 1898 were 323, 900 tons an increase over same period last year of 43,S94 tons, 25 per cent.
 least iron pipe shipments from the Bir- mingham district for the first five months of 1898 were 20, ,75O tons, an increase over the same period last year of 6511 tons, or 40 per cent.
 "Whle export iron shipments fell off as compared to last year on account of the war with Spain, that did not prevent the remarkable increase in the total business as above outlined. Foreign iron shipments amounted to 56,300 tons for the first five months in 1898, and most of this was ship ped in January, February and March. The Avondale Cotton Mills, a magnifi- cent milion-dollar plant on the outskirts of Birmingham, is ready to commence op- erations.
 "The carpenters and builders are busy erecting houses for Birmingham's house. holders, and .three handsome business blocks have been contracted for.
 "A number of Birmingham foundries are running night and day on orders Tor ma chinery for Louisiana sugar refineries.
 'Tremendous improvement and enlafge- ment of the city's street railway systems have occurred this year.
 "Finally comes the announcement that all financial arrangements have been conn., pleted for the erection of a million-dollar steel mill at Ensley City. Engineers will arrive from the nolth next week to begin the preliminary work on this structure