The age-herald., 1900-07-09
IRON MARKET HAS
 MUCH PRIMER TONE Since the Adjustment of the
 Miners Wage Scale.
ROLLING MILLS STILL IDLE
By the Middle of the Week There Will Not be More Than Three or Four Idle Blast Furnaces in
 the District

The iron market has taken on firmer tone since the adjustment of the wage scale for another year, and there Is no further talk of lower prices. No sales of any consequence have been reported lately. but better feeling pervades iron trade circles, and the future is alluded to with more hopefulness than has apparently ex- isted any time within the past month. No foundry was quoted the latter part of last week at s15.5O to sl6 with apportionate figures for lower grades
 The rolling mills are still idle, with but little prospect of resumption of work within the immediate future. The scale pre- sented by the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers prior to July has not been signed, and 1t Is understood that the mill operators will not agree to the scale as presented. A conference of mill operators and representatives of the Amal- gamated Association will take place at Atlantic City, N J., this week, and 1t is probable that an agreement will then be reached. and a contract for the year be- ginnig with July be signed.
 By the middle of this week there will not be more than three or four idle blast fur naces in the Birmingham district, and those will be idle only because of needed repairs.
 Bessemer Furnaces In Blast
 All five of the furnaces at Bessemer re- gently banked account of strike among the furnace hands will be in blast again by the middle of the week: the two Sloss-Sheffield furnaces, the Tutwiler fur mace, and the Republic Iron and Steel Com pany's furnace will all resume operations as soon as they can be stocked.
 The foundries report continued good business. All the local foundries are run ming on full time and have orders on their books sufficient to keep them busy several weeks. The boilers for the rail mill of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Com pany at Ensley being built at Ensley. It Is stated that the rail mill will be ready to go in operation within eight or nine months.
 The coal trade is brisk, with a tendency to increased demand The mines in the Birmingham district running full time and the output is being shipped as fast is it is dug.
 Letter Q Rogers, Brown & Co.
 Rogers, Brown and Company's weekly Birmingham letter, dated July T. says:
 'The latest reports from the joint com mittee appointed by the operators and miners is that it is quite likely all differ ences will, within the next day or two, be adjusted, and mines will again be in oper- ation. Last years scale of wages has been accepted, to apply on all mines the same as last year. Some minor differences are now being discussed, but those in position to know assert that the best of feeling is manifested on both sides, and the matter will be settled shortly On account of the strike, some eight or ten furnaces are idle, and will remain so until the mines are again producing sufficient coal to start up.
 "The statements brought out in joint conference among the operators substan- tiate the patented market reports from all districts ,and from the number of sales that are reported one would suppose that 95 per cent of the foundres in the United States had suspended operations. While there are some accumulations of off grades and some foundry grades, the furnace yards are not any means crowded, and on some grades orders cannot be booked for delivery shorter than four months"