The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-23
ENTERTAINMENT
IRON MAKERS BELIEVE NEW YEAR
 PROMISING.
.There is Unusual Activity h Steel RaiI Inaustry--TWe Msse Tar.
 naces Ulowh

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 Birmingham. Dec. 33.-tspsciai.)-- The fact that recently thers vas re. ceived some inquiry d to the probable make for delivery during the first guar ter of the coming year. and that Ala bama pig Iron manufacturers are holding up their prices for the product, indicates that while the iron market 10 dull the expectations are ripe for an early improvement. The manufactur- CTS have curtailed the production to the lowest notch. two more furnaces blowing out for the holidays. What little iron is being manufactures is finding a ready sale.
 It Is confidently believed that there will be . decided improvement In the conditions at the turn of the year. 1he iron manufacturers are pretty sure that the larger consumers are after con tracts that will require heavy melt. Nothing is In the way for an active TO- sumption on large scale when the conditions warrant it.
 There Is but little iron on the fur mace yards in this Stats. that is iron of three and two foundry gradea The manufacturers do not appear to be willing to talk much about iron un- der &il.5o and SIS per ton. No. fcun- dry. Even at this price. if there was . demand. there would be little profit. Of course. there is . biz di0er- snce of iron being sold at sls and s2e per ton and now being sold st ei<.Se and SIS per ton.
 There is great activity in steel in this State. especially steel rail. rule that has been in vogue stnce the Tennessee Company erected the steel plant at Ensley to allow employees to get off for . week or two during the Christmas and New Year holidsys. was countermanded this year. indicating that there is need for tho product and no time ia to be lost. So far the steel plant has kept in full operation. and 1t is announced that if the men will only report for work this week there will be but little time lost then. The efforts being made In the steel rail mill department of the steel plant in the way of production arc meeting with success and larEs output is . daily report now. The Southern open hearth steel rail Is finding . ready sale.
 The announcement made during the past week that the experts who were sent here by the United states Steel Corporation immediately ss -. - had purchased the properties of the Tennessee Coal. Iron and Railroad Company. had made . most fsvorabis | industrial regions, caused much hap piness While the people of the dis trict had heard much of the resources. the report of the experts will ret into such channels which could not he reached before and as . conseauence much attention Will be attracted this way. The investigation by the Gov ernment into the purchase of the Ten nessee Company properties by the United States Steel Corporation. if the resolution introduced into Congress by Congressman Gaines os Tennessee pre- vails, will not bring about any yadi- cal move. It Is the opin;on of men. well-posted that the purchase means much for the Southern district. AL ready 1t is announced. and preparations are being made in that direction. that all development planned by the Tsp- nessee company will be carried out. and further improvement may be made. the erection of two more blast iron furnaces being included in proposed extensions.
 The greater proportion of the foun- dries, machine shops, east iron pipe plants. rolling mills and other from consuming concerns in the Birmingham district are down now. some of them for the holiday period and others un- til the iron market improves. Muoh labor is idle, but. ss stated before there is no great exodus from the territory, the hope of an early resump- tion being in mind.
 The location of an Italian consulate agency in Birmingham win mean. it ts stated, the avenue for bringing iu much common labor In the future if there is need for 1t. The general un. derstanding is that the representative of the Italian Government will look after his people and seeing opportu- nities here for work will notify agen- cies at New York, New Orleans. Pitts burg and elsewhere which will have the result of bringing some of these people to the Birmingham district.
 Ceai and Coke.
 The holiday period Is responsible for the only curtailment in the coal pro. duction in Alabama that has been an- nounced so far. It is stated that there is strong demand for coal and just as soon as the holidays are over the resumption of work at mines will be in order. There has been but little reduc- ton in coal prices. if any. since the financial depression came on. Tn re- gard to the total production for Ala bama during the present year, there appears to be a difference of opinion, some figuring on an output of more than 100000 tons. while others do not believe that 1t will be as great as in 1906. when 1t went to 13.0o0.000 tons It is set out that there have been but few additional miners come into the