The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-01
IRON.COAL AND
WEEKS REVIEW OF CONDITIONS
 IN THE DISTRICT.
Several, Alabanaa Furnaces VIII Resume
 Operations soon--Priees for 'the Eif Products nfe Inn .e

Alabama furnace companies are seHinn | iron right along for delivefy during
 the third quarter of the year, and u will tbe necessary before another week
 shall have passed if the selling con- | tinues, to start up some furnaces. 't Preparations in that direction are now being made. and 1t Is given out | that by the middle of the coming month
 three iron makers will be put in opera
 tions which are now silent.
 The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail-
 road Company will start three fur naces on basic iron by, the middle of thep month, preparing for the opera | tions at the big steel plant at Ensley | Foundry iron furnaces will also be | started up during June; In fact. con l dftfons will begin to resume propor- | tionst that were in effect before the ! present depression came on, eight | months ago - As the demand improves | the quotations have.been going up.
 | Following the announcement that l there had been a large tonnage of iron disposed of under $11.50 per ton, No. 2 l foundry, it was stated, that $11.50 per | ton was the regular price: This was
 followed shortly afterwards with the statement that a better price was in effect and as-the week came to close and some of the consumers were feeling their way and. buying in small, lots with quick delivery stipulated 1t was | given ,out that SIP was low price, | and dnanufacturerss were quoting SIP. DO
 per ton for their iron. %Ns .t'r.A | The make is considerably larger
 right now than 1t h as been, at any time | this year. The blowing In of three furnaces on basic iron and three on
 foundry dnon, wnl mean. much in the | district as 1t will call for a general | resumption of operations at coal mines
 coke ovens. limestone quarries an& ore ! mines. .f te | Considerable ore has been stocked | along Red Mountain. but when this is | started on 1t will not take long to TO- | duce the piles and more ore mines will | have to. be put in operation. There are | a few furnaces which need repairing, | but because of the depression and no | belief that there would he need for | the iron in some time, at least not un- i til after the Presidential election no | attention was paid to them. Now, 1t | has been found that more iron will be | needed if the sales continue as they i have been during the last ten days and
 men will probably be placed at work
 making the repairs. | The tonnage, disposed of during the | past. week was larger than any siint. | lar time in over eight months. The
 books of the iron, producers now l make a fairly good showing; in fact. | | gives much, encourag agement to the iron | men. There is no anxiety displayed | now to sell any of the product under | SIP per ton, No: 2 foundry; for a fact, | the furnace companies are sounding the
 SIP 50 rate. xi.
 The home consumption has taken on | an improvement also; the cast iron pipe
 rnanufacturers In particular increasing | their output by adding on pit or two
 more.
 The big steel mills at Ensley of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad | company wfu be started up now with | fn1two weeks. There is fairly good | defnand for the various products or l this plant. ~it Is announced. and some l 6icA orders~ have accumulated, The | starting up, of these works VIII give | Employment to. no less than 2,600, men. | while other industries dependent on | the, steel mills, which will be started up, will give employment to ike
 number. g !
 Conditions in the iron and steel cir- cles were never brighter than. they, are now since the depression started in. Despite the fact that there has been readjustment of wages among all classes of workingmen. the indications are that there will be steady work from now on and that the prices both for the product and for the hire will im- prove as the demand increases. and con l ditions generally improve all around, | With the starting. up of the steel plant at Ensley by the middle of June. the Besse1ner rolling mills. giving em- ployment to between 800 and 1,30O men l wtfl1a also Eo into operation. General
 Manager Greene of the Republic Iron
 and Steel Corhpany's Southern proper ties could make. no'~statement as to
 when the Birminghsp1 and Gate City
 rolling mills would resume. when he
 was seen, but there are rumors. that,tn
 the next few weeks orders willsbe given
 looking to preparations to. theS plants
 being started. up. < ---y-'
 Alabama made cast iron pipe is be-
 ing shipped to all parts of the country,
 St Louis and other parts of the west
 recently sending some extensive orders
 to this district and the same are being
 rushed out as stquickly as possible, 7
 The new furnace of the Birmingham Coal and Iron Company which is being
 watched closely as 1t pts so noder9.in all
 appurtenances. Is doing nicely, the pro
 dhction being healthy and the iron of
 good quality. The furnace is ,oTle of
 the best in the South today. T Announcements that have been made
 lately would indicate that the reor-
 ganization of the Southern Steel Com
 pany, bankrupt, will, be accomplished | J l. tJss
 plants of the concern will have been gotten in shape for operation. W. Ii
 Hassinger, formerly vice-president and Southern Manager for the Republic Iron and Steel Company, will, be
 President, of the. reorganized company and he will gather around him many
 of the men who helped him to make a success of the plants of the Republic
 Company %
 Many of the old employees of E, tho Southern Steel Company have given in timatlon that they will be willing, tC : resume their old. positions on very shor
 notice and 1t Is believed that as soon al the reorganization plans Is assured
 which will be within another .twC
 weeks, many of the stockholders having
 already sent in their stock, that step
 will be taken towards preparing fol
 actual operation. w. P. c. Harding
 ope of the committee on reorganiza tion, states that he faVors MT. Has l singer for President and he states tha } several others have told him that theI
 are for MT. Hassinger.
 ' MT. Hassinger has made a tour of al
 the plants of the old Southern Stee Company in Tennessee, Alabama anC
 Georgia and he knows exactly what fl
 necessary to put them in condition fol
 operation. With the word to go ahead
 he can get ready to be prepared Sel
 operation shortly after the first of July
 There Is a decided Improvement if
 the:coal situation in Alabama. Severa
 mines will resume operation during tn,
 next week or ten days and several hun
 dred miners will take up picks again
 There is a better demand for coal ano