The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-11-18
COAL. IRON ANDSTEEL
WEEKS REVIEW OF MINERAL Drs-
 TRICT CONDITIONS.
There is soen to Be Resumption of Bushes. fin All Lines and Bet-
 ter Feeling Pre- vnfln

Birmingham, Nov. 17.--(Speciai)- With a number of furnaces down, in fact all but thirteen. Alabama pig iron manufacturers are confident that there is going to be an early resump- ton of business along all lines. the demand for pig iron to pick up, quota tions to get back to the old healthy figures and other things take on dif- ferent hue.
 Therel Is but little fear that the im- mense amount of labor that is now idle is going to leave the district. for 1t is too well-known that the same conditions that prevail in the Alabama iron district are to be found In Pitts burg. in Ohio and Illinois.
 Blast iron furnaces in Pennsylvania and the other States, besides rolling mills. steel plants and other industries are as cold as those in Alabama and with the belief that there is to be an early resumution of work it Is set forth that it will be cheaper for the many emploves to remain right here, make the best of the situation and pre- pare for the general resumption which Is bound to come in the near future.
 There is no ron being sold right pow to amount to anything. which accounts for the idea of .curtaiiinE the produc- tion. All furnaces recently shut down are in fairly good shane so that when the word is given there can be a re- sumption.
 Very little IS being said about quo- tations in this district. It is a fact that there are not great concessions being made In prices in order to se' cure business and as far as can De learned the manufacturers. hereabouts believe that with a curtailed produc- ton, just filling old orders and meet ing immediate demands. that thefr in- terests will be better protected in the long run than by offering the iron at greatly reduced quotations. Many old orders are still subject to cancellation. Tn some instances this has happened, but there is yet large quantity of iron to be delivered.
 Tire Tennessee Coal. Iron and Rail- road Company has but one furnace on foundry iron. the other five manu- featuring basic iron for steel-naking. The Alabama Consolidated Coal and Iron Company. the Woodward Iron Company and the Sloss-S -Shefield Steel and Iron Company. are turning out foundry iron. The Woodward Iron Company has not vet entered into the plan of curtailment. the officials of this concern feeling confident that the de- mand will shortly require all the prod uct that can be shipped. The Sloss- sheffietd Steel and Iron Company. the second largest. coal and iron company. Is making just enough iron to meet the immediate demands. There Is no &C., cumulatfon being allowed.
 The manufacturers are not going to be in the position. of being ready to flJ orders except Ys it can be produced.
 With plenty of iron on the yards and anxiety shown to get rid of it, the con- sumer would not be willing to pay an advanced price for the product. so it is believed that with the furnace yards bare and then orders received, bet ter price could be demanded by 1t be- ing demonstrated that the iron must be manufactured to keep up.
 Raw material supplies are more than enough to meet present requirements. The stock houses at the different iron makers are being filled up so that when there Is resumption of work there shall be no delay from this cause. Under normal conditions, the raw material proposition is hard nut