The age-herald., 1899-04-23
IRON PRICES
 SEEM SUBSTANTIAL
Probable That Miners Will Get
 Another Raise,
OFFERS OF 12 IA REFUSED
Reports Have Reached This District That Pennsylvania Ore is Running Short-Thought To Be Scheme
 to Raise Prices.

It now looks like the advance in the price of pig iron is going to be substan- tial and in all probability the miners will receive another increase in wages. During the past week the price went up from SIP to $125O, which is considered considerable advance. In the first part of the week some offers were made of 12A, and the pur- chasers were very much surprised at the offer being refused. The producers are a little slow in giving quotations on account of the uncertain condition of the market.
 A report reached Birmingham from Pitts burg that the ore was giving out, and this is assigned as one cause for the advance. However, this report is very much doubted by many of those interested in iron in Bir- mingham.
 ''The price of iron went up several points during the past week and if the advance continues everybody is expecting better times" said a gentleman prominently con- nected in iron circles yesterday.
 Miners Wages May Be Raised
 If the present price holds in all proba- bility the miners wages will be raised and general good times will result" Continuing his remarks he said that he had no doubt of the present price being maintained for awhile, but it would probably take slump sometime in the summer, as is generally the case. The quotations for the past week were $5 per ton higher than last summer, the price now being for No. 1 foundry $12.50.
 Another dealer in scrap iron was ques- toned regarding the future of the iron market and said he hardly hoped for an- other rise. "If the past is any criterion by which to go," he said, 'I expect the pres tn ho mai mi fai od aarlV part of the summer and then it will com mence to dwindle" I can hardly account for the sudden rise" he continued unless it is a result of the report from Pittsburg that the ore is giving out. This statement, 1 notice was given out in some of the northern papers a few days ago, and if it be fact, we may be able to keep the price up until the middle of the summer"
 Report of Ore Giving Out
 In some quarters the report of the ore giving out in Pennsylvania Is denied. They say that this is impossible and any way if it were so, they would use all their efforts to keep the fact from leaking out Another theory is that this is false re- port gotten out to cause an advance in the price. The Birmingham iron men are all very much interested as the bad luck to Pennsylvania would be good luck to Alabama.
 Tt is to be sincerely hoped" remarked a. gentleman yesterday, that we can be able to keep up the advance price in iron. If this can be done it will cause considerable advance in mineral properties around Bir- mingham and the idle furnaces will be bought up and started again. There are only two idle furnaces now in the district and with iron at the present price it would be good investment expending money to put them in operation again."
 The market at present is in a very un- certain condition. It is a hard matter to get the various companies to give quota tions. The market closed yesterday with pig iron at about $12.50