The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-09
MORE PLANTS CLOSE
TWO THOUSAND MORE MEN OUT OF
 EMPLOYMENT.
But Manufacturers of Pig Iron In Birm' ingham District Are Looking To New Year for Im-
 ,ppOyement. .fr

But Manufacturers of Pig Iron In Birm- N ingham District Are Looking II To New Year for Im- ,Dp0vement. .!ssl Birmingham, Dec. S-{Special.)-- Even with the production off more than fifty per cent, the demand practically
 nothing and further curtailment to
 take place during the week. the man.
 ufacturers of pig iron in the Birm-
 ingharn district are expressing hope
 that on the turn of the year. there
 will be change for the better. The receivers of the Southern Steel Company announce that plants of that
 company will be shut down this week.
 material on hand having been worked
 up. On the 13th inst, the receivers will submit statement to the credit
 ors and 1t is expected that steps will
 be taken looking to a reorganization or disintegratione of the properties.
 and resumption on. the part of; the several companies which. existed before
 the big concern was perfected. @
 The shut down of the plants will
 throw out of employment two thous- and or more men, many of whom are | men of experience. This company op- crates furnace and steel plant at Gadsden. coal mines and coke ovens | in several parts of the industrial re-
 gions of the State, steel rod. wire and udtt dt ELuslCy anu othSh tries. including a furnace at Truss vile and one in Chattanooga.
 As far as can be learned, there is no | further trouble expected in the indus trial sections similar to that which | hefell the Southern Steel Company. There is very little iron being shipped out. the local consumption very near | taking up what iron Is being produced right now Five of the furnaces out | of the eighteen or nineteen in the | State in operation, are producing ba- l sic iron used in the manufacture of l steel. Two furnaces are producing charcoal iron. The production of foun- dry iron, therefore, is at low ebb. l The cast iron pipe makers are the best melters of iron just at present in the State and there are no indications that | their trade will be much worse than 1t I is just now.
 There is considerable pipe on the wards of the various plants in the | State, but there is a steady shipment | and as long as that can go on the manufacturers are satisfied that In | time their business will become active | again.
 | The manufacturers in. the Birming- | ham district are not anxious to quots
 prices for iron. Reports received from | the selling agencies indicate that other | districts are not selling any Iron either I so that 1t Is matter of the entire | country being affected and not the Bir-
 mingham district alone.
 l The readjustrfent of wages has | started in already inthis district. coal
 and ore miners receiving notice in sev-
 enal parts of the mining section that | cut in tonnage prices is on. In the
 ore mining section, where the cut has
 been put on, the miners appear to be
 satisfied, it being understood that when | conditions resume the position former
 ly held, that there shall be a re-estab- | lishment of the wages. In the coal | mining section of the State the miners
 wages are based on the selling price of pig iron. With no iron sehfng at all,
 and the prices unsteady, the miners
 cannot say exactly what they are en- l titled to.
 Many of the orders placed ten weeks | ago and longer have been cancelled. | These orders carried sthe high price l for the iron. The curtailment In pro- | duction has had much to do with the preventing of a general cut in prices | for the product, but it has caused slack or no work at all for a number of
 hands. The readjustment of wages
 will be followed. 1t is believeda. with
 a resumption of some of the plantssfor | the cost of iron being reduced it would pay the manufacturers to lay by 1 quantity of iron waiting the opening | of the demand again.
 What few people are willing to talk | about pig iron prices do not mention | anything under the $14 per ton. No. foundry. This Is from $4 to $5 per ton under what the product was selling for four months ago and three dollars un-
 der what the quotation was given In July for delivery during the first three months of the coming year. But, then. furnacemen in this district remember
 when iron went down below $10 and
 $11 and even at that there was some ac-
 emulation. It was stated that one of the larger companies in this district
 sold iron under $S per ton, No. foun-
 dry. The cost of producing in those
 days was not near what 1t is today.
 the coal mining wage being from ten
 to fifteen cents per ton under the pres
 ent prices.
 Despite the fact that during the
 month of November but two thousand
 tons over one hundred thousand tons
 of iron were produced in the State, the average being oyer 1S9,0 month, and the expectations that the produc-
 tion will hardly go ninety thousand tons In December, the total production of the year, 1t is believed, will aggre- gate more than 1 300 900 tons.
 During 1906 the State of Alabama produced 1,604,062 tons. These were
 banner years in Alabama, every ton of iron heing in demand and every pos .slble effort beinb made to produce iron.
 ilC up u SCtoUCE III IniS year was on a constant rush. The break followed towards the end of the month in the demand and while the curtaiI- ment did not start in until the middle of November the dull market began to be felt. In November there was a diff ference of something like 47,O00 tons as compared to the make in October. With October in mind. the make for December will show difference of nearly 6O.000 tons. it is believed. De- cember is usually slack month in iron production on account of labor not be- ing steady during the latter part of the month, the, holiday season being on. .ts
 Coal and Coke.
 The coal market has not been dis turbed much, save with the Southern Steel Company Even the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company has started up it's No. 12 shaft in the Pratt division and before long a large supply of coal will be coming from that place. The Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Com pany has been running some of their mines on reduced time. but still the