The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-27
ALABAMA PIG IRON
MANUFACTURERS HAVE OPPOR-
 TUNITY FOR BIG EARNINGS.
Price of Products High and Practically All Furnaces In Birmingham District Are Ready for
 Torch.

Birmingham, August 2e.--tSpectaD Alabama pig iron manufacturers have great opportunity for making
 big earnings. The price of pig iron is high. S16 per ton, No. foundry, being received for such product as can be delivered within short time,
 say before the expiration of the year, while sales have been made and are
 still being made where desired at
 s155o per ton. delivery within the first quarter of the coming year. The
 demand is so strong that much fear
 is still expressed that there is prob ability Of a runaway market in this State, which condition of affairs would
 be regretted inasmuch as 1t removes
 the steadiness of the market and
 frightens off the consumers.
 A runaway market also has the ef-
 feet of causing consumers to get to-
 gether and make effort for reduction
 in prices When several of the larger
 consumers abstain from the market
 there is mora or less nuctuation in
 quotations.
 It is to be regretted that the make
 in Alabama Is not more extensive
 than 1t is. the. quotations being so
 strong and the Possibilities of big
 apparent. Reports which come to
 this section from all parts of the
 country indicate that there will be need for a large quantity of iron, Furnaces are said to be behind In their deliveries and this. too, has some ef-
 feet. However. everything possible IS being done to get out all the iron as quickly as possible and in that direc-
 tion strenuous efforts are being made to complete repairs on furnaces and prepare them for operation.
 The furnaces at Bessemer. twelve
 miles south of Birmingham. have l been completed in their repairing and ! are almost ready for the torch. Four | other furnaces in this State are prac- | tically ready to go into operation. The make cannot be too great 1t is given | out, but there are other obstacles l which cannot be overcome so easily. There is still need for labor 1 throughout the Birmingham District. | Italian labor which has been brought in lately in great numbers is not prov ing as profitable as was thought. The | other foreign labor is doing nicely and is taking to the hard work like ducks to water almost. There Is need for labor at the raw material points. in ore mines and other places There is | a sufhciency of raw material In this
 section. if only the same could be min ed steadily.
 The labor proposition, however,
 promise to ease up as the union coal miners begin to seek employment in
 the open shop mines, m accordance to their vote recently taken to decide ou
 the calling off of the strike, which
 panies are fully aware that there is opportunity right now for them to make a piece of money. It is not ne-
 cessary to do a great amount of hust- ling to dispose of the pig iron.
 The first of the coming year will
 witners a smaller amount of accumu7
 lated iron in the Birmingham Dis trict than ever before. What little iron there Is to see on the yards in this l section is being rushed out now. con sumers who purchased this stuff some months back are now requesting ship
 ment of their property. With bar
 ren furnace yards, consumers in need
 of Iron with immediate delivery the sudden- and substantial advance made
 In prices Is justifable.
 Ererv ion of iron that can be man
 ufactured in this district between now ana January will find ready pur- chaser. some of the brokers in this district are said to have placed some eood otders for iron in anticipation oF a steady demand after January lTInverified rumors have been heard to the effect that some of the rnrnace companies In Alabama have wlthdraWh on iron for delivery during the pal ance of the year and as to iron for de- livery during the first quarter or the coming year considerable care IS pe- inc taken that there not be too much business booked ahead.
 All indications spoint to the Ala hama iron manufacturers being able 10 sell every ton of iron they possibly
 could make with the furnaces already in existence. .. If ii was so despcd the furnace conpanies could dispose of enough iron between now and the last Of the wear that would keep their plants busy for several months to come so as 'o , i'll the orders. There is not such great amount of persistency in rules established several years ago looking to the furnace companies abstainlng
 from the market when tee product IS waited more than three months anead and for that lCasoIr It 's noted that
 the probable make fer the first quar- ter of the coming year Is Reing dls-
 posed of right along Sales agencies throughout the country wire the Blr- mingham headquarters that there Is to he a strong de nara for pig iron for some tnne to come ana these Fepofts are most encouraging.
 The feature of tie past week was the advance in iron quotations from
 SIS to s15.5O and sl6.5O per ton. An ether feature In tn, industrial section
 of Alabama was the calling off of the strike by the union nnners. permitting all who desire to tc secure employ ment jdst where they desire to.
 The nome consumption or pig iron
 is stin very heavy In faet there seems to he no cessa:icr on any side, 1 These consumers have placed orders for their own protection during the
 balance of the year ana into next year.
 Cast iron pipe. steel goods, rolling
 mill products, soil pipe and other arr tirles manufactured frola pig iron are
 In strong demand at good prices. These