The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-17
PIC IRON MARKET
ORDERS ARE 11ORn THAN MONTH
 DELAYED.
Product to be Delivered as Late as July I is Bringing as Much as
 SIG Per Ton.

Notwithstanding the Alabama iron manufacturers cannot begin to deliver all the iron they have sold. in some instances orders being four weeks and even longer delayed. the iron mart is picking up strength and sales being made for delivery during the third quarter of the coming rear bring the top notch price.
 When the statement Is made that iron to be delivered after July 1 has been sold as high as $19 per ton, No. 2, soft, the strength of the market can we'll be imagined. There is no such iron as spot iron, though price of sS2 and$24 per ton, No. 2 foundry. is mentioned for 1t.
 The production is about holding it's own this week as compared to what it was last week or ten days ago. The blowing out of four furnaces in the Southern territory during the past fortnight is being felt. The accumu- lation of iron continues as the rail road car shortage continues and when the new year comes in the statisticians figure on seeing more iron stacked on furnace yards in this district than was to be seen at any time during the past two years.
 The production at the furnaces in blast now promises to be little off on account of the unsteadiness of the raw material supplies. The railroads still frequent Tn the industrial section. There Is no new equipment being brought in and as a Consequence eS- cry time there is wreck t means thrown out of service. As far as can be learned there are new cars to be added to the equipment In this section in some time. However, the idea of not making additions to the equip ment during the coming year will be abandoned. though it will be some time bafore cars can be had. It is announce ed that a number of locomotives have been ordered and will be coming be- fore long. This promises to help out some
 The iron manufacturers in this dis trict believe that when the winter bus iness begins to hold up some that the industrial section will get a better chance at the transportation compa- nies- Announcement Is made that the advance in freight rates on pig iron will not go into effect until February 1 instead of January 1 as was first stated.
 Already there Is much correspon- dence on as to whether the advance In rates will go on iron which has been delayed because of no cars in the district or whether it will go on all iron that Is to be delivered after Feb- ruary. While 1t is true ,nat much iron will be delivered between now and that date. it is not possible to i'll all orders hanging over and the orders which should be delivered between now and February i
 One company has on it's furnace yards in this district twenty-five thousand tons of pig iron. While this product has been sold it does not count in the statements of earnings, the profits and losses being reckoned on Iron delivered. There is more iron to be seen stacked up on furnace yards now than the manufacturers enjoy see- ing, though it Is known that the pro- duct has been sold.
 Every indication points to the de- mand holding up through the entire coming year. The probable make for the first and second quarters of 1907 has been covered and no few sales have been sold for the third quarter with some business transacted for later in the year. The make will be improved some after the first quarter, it is fig- ured. Between now and then there can not be great increase In the produc- ton.
 In the first place, there is bound to be some disagreeable weather and out door work at ore mines. around coke ovens, at limestone quarries and as a consequence the raw material supplies will not be steady,
 When again several furnaces are un- der repairs and they will not be ready for the torch before the end of the first month and probably not. before the second or third month. The railroad car shortage will not begin to im- prove before the first of the second month.
 Consumers look for high prices all a 1.a to be whether the manufacturers are going to be able to deliver in accord ance to contracts
 The home consumption is growing larger every year, The melt in Ala bama for the year 1906 will aggregate larger at the end of this month than ever before in the history of iron mak- ing in the State. Two large cast iron pipe plants, two soil pipe plants, three large foundries and two stove found- ries are but few of the iron using in- dustries erected and started into opera ton during the past twelve months. In the cast iron pipe industry the state- ment is made also that the railroad car shortage Is playing havoc with the delivery on orders taken in some time ago. One of the larger pipe plants at Bessemer Is said to need immediate ly two hundred cars with which to move out their product ready for ship ments and for which there Is a contin- aal complaint on the. part of the pur- chasers.
 Alabama pipe is being shipped in all directions and especially in the South. where the weather Is favorable, much work is being done and the pipe is be- ing needed.
 The steel situation in Alabama Is the more satisfactory of the iron and steel industry. The plants manufact- uring steel are all doing we'll and good prices were obtained weeks ago when the orders were taken in. All the steel plants have orders in hand or in sight which will require a steady operation for twelve months coming.
 Steel rail from this district Is being sought for but the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company is not able to sell any more of their product for dc- livery until the latter part of 1907. l Efforts are being made by the Tennes- see Company to have the new steel plant in operation before the end Of the coming year, In which case many orders can be received. There will be need for steel rail for several years to come In addition to the new rail- roads being built, the old roads are re- laying their rails.
 The Coal Situation.