The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-16

s14 quotation for No. has been shaded slightly and it Is reported that some iron has been sold for sl3.5O during the week.
 Rogers. Brown & Co.'S Cincinnati mar ket report for the week says:
 There is a distinct improvement in de- mand for all grades and sales have picked up accordingly. Inquiry is good and there Is better tone to the market all around. Prices are flrner and in some instances a slight advance has been registered. As mentioned last week. the steel makers have been the largest purchasers and their demands do not yet seem to have been met. Basic and Bessemer prices are very firm and the market shows a distinct scarcity for early delivery. Sev- eral of the larger producers state that their out put of Bessemer has been ab solutely taken up for two months. Wheth- CT the activity of these irons has in- fluenced the foundry trade is not known, but there is an increase in inquiry for foundry grades in the east, and there Is large business at the present time
 
 the agricultural implement manufactu- rers, hardware founders and general job bing foundries. It is the rue that inquiry for nearby shipment is made a part of business contemplated for six months
 Condition with furnaces generally is most satisfactory It is reported that in the east there are no stocks at fur " fa haul from New York. Virginia furnaces are jam up with contracts and have large tonnage booked ahead which will care for the make as fast as produced In Alabama most of the plants are be- hind on orders with no stocks Several are from month to six weeks behind on contracts. It is the opinion of the makers generally that the last half of the year will produce far more business than the tonnage now available for the same pe- riod, can possibly take care of. Reports from the foundries' strike are more fa- vorable and the ranks of the strikers and their stand seems to be weakening daily. feature in the industrial situation which Is not cited generally but which is a source of considerable apprehension | to those interested in southern advance | ment is the great shortage of labor which exists and has existed in the south for | several years and which is every day fall l ing behind the demand made by the in- crease of new industries in that part of the world. Four years ago, labor could be had for industrial or mining enter prises, in abundance. Today, the lowest class of labor commands better figures in the south than elsewhere and so- | licitations and personal representatives of southern interests have failed to keep up the supply at anything like adequate amount. The New South" is richer than ever before and has an immediate pros- pect of cotton crop unprecedented in it's history Unless. however, some meth- cd of relieving the labor situation can be devised. southern progress will con- tinue under a heavy handicap
 All in all, general market conditions are unusually interesting, and deyelop- ments, while they will be watched close ly, are generally conceded to be of most satisfactory nature and give assur- ance of a strong basis for excellent bus mess during the ensuing six months. Coke continues in good demand with no change in prices. There have been some furnace contracts placed and the | approach of the mid-year means that a number of others will come into the | market for their requirements covering | the last half.
 | Matthew Addy & Co.'S Cincinnati pig | iron report for the week ending June 1 16, Is as follows:
 Again the weeks business has gone prin- ! cipally to the basic and Bessemer fur ! naces and 1t is estimated that no less | than 300,0O0 tons of these irons was con- | tracted for few days ago. There is an extreme dearth of Bessemer for prompt | shipment. This Is in a measure due to the scarcity of Bessemer ores, and even | some of the largest and most circum- spect buyers are looking desperately for spot metal. The little that has been picked up for prompt shipment has brought considerable advance over the asking price for future delivery. Ap- parently all the basic and Bessemer pro- ducers are now sold up for some time to come
 In comparison with the great activity in steel making irons there appears to be lack of interest in regular grades of foundry iron. AS a matter of fact. however, foundrymen are beginning to keep an eye on things and a number | of bona fde inquiries for future delivery have made their appearance. The bulk of actual sales has, however. been confined shipment as possible.
 The southern foundry iron situation Is satisfactorily strong. More furnaces are out of blast for various causes today than have been for several years past. Several that have undergone necessary repairs have been ready to blow in for some time, but are unable to do on ac- count of the shortage of raw materials. Demands for hurry up shipments con- tinue to pour In, and the yards are prac- tically bare. while many furnaces are falling behindhand on deliveries. The south is mealting more and more of it's own iron every year, and consequently the supply for shipment into other territory exception of a few independents the southern furnaces are holding prices req sonably steady. and although they have no great amount of future business on their books they contend that the cur tailed production, coupled with the fact that so few buyers are covered beyond