The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-07-20
COAL, IRON ANDSTEEL
REVIEW or WEEK IN MINERAL
 DISTRICT.
Better Iron Market Is Looked For and Strike Situation Bears Down
 on the Supply of

Birmingham, July 1s--(special )--- Alabama pig iron Is not selling under sl2 per ton. No. ? foundry. average. as far as can be learned. Some of the furnaces are asking fifty cents per ton over that price and are placing some business. There is steady delivery on June. sll
 The business that is coming in now. with few exceptions. Is in small lots and requiring practically immediate delivering. The furnace yards are still
 being worked off rapidly. the ship ments of the metal being most satIs- factory. While one furnace. in the Florence vicinity. lSloss-shefield Com.
 panyl, lost considerable time during
 the past week by an accident, another
 furnace was started up. (woodward
 Iron Company, and the production
 therefore shows some increase,
 Just as soon as the coal and coke
 supply can be regulated again and the
 strike ended for good. there will be another improvement In production
 made. the starting up of two or three
 furnaces said to DO being delayed by
 the troubles in the mining fields.
 Indications point to better iron market in the very near future. The cast Iron and soil pipe trade is boom.
 ing again while other lines notice an
 inquiry for their product. A general
 denial of statements that iron has been
 seeling under SIS per ton. No. !. foun-
 dry. would indicate that there is 2
 stronger market for the product
 Healthy prospects of crops tend to ina prove iron conditions more or less.
 Alabama pig Iron is going into other large iron districts. Recently some. thing was said again about baslnx point in the South il.Sttad of this see. ton having to suffer because of Pitts
 burg being given the basing polnG for Iron mad steel paanufsctured in the South. .4...
 Many runners have prevailed In thia
 section that the coal and coke supply
 being cut down some there might be .
 decrease in the production of pig iron. Just disabuse your mind of such . prediction" said an iron man yestsT. day. The Alabarna iron manufacturers
 will keep up the supply to meet all de- mands no matter how strong the un-
 ions among the coal diggers become Provision will be made for the 'coTns modittes from elsewhere" Some hope iss expressed that the signing of the wage contract by the
 Republic Iron and Steel Company with
 the Analgamatedg Association of Iron, Steel and Tin Workers, will result in
 an early resumption of operations at
 both the Birmingham and the Gata City Rolling Mills. The announcement of the signing of the wage contract came
 from the North in the past two days. and 1t is believed will affect the two
 plants in the immediate Birmingham
 district. If the two mills stayt up
 there wll be employment for between
 two thousand and twenty-five hundred
 men. However. there will be no at
 tempt to start the mills until the strike
 of the coal miners ts thing oI me past. -e
 Coal, Iron and Railroad Company at
 Ressamar, twelve miles south of Birm-
 ingham, lost . couple of days ume
 this week because Of a shortage or steel from the Ensloy plant. The mills
 will resume full operation Monday,
 and there will be no inteFruptino. The
 stseis works at Ensley are catcninB up with all demands and more labnE is being put on. The efforts are stu being put forth to increase the daily production and some success Is noted. Announcement t6 made that another hiss storage bin for raw material wiH be erected at Enslaye tracks. o1 ths Birminghan Southern RAtlread, 1prop-
 erty of the United States steel cor- poration aIso) to be moved back TOT the industry. The bins willsb bn large enough to hold Fsw material which will last for many weeks &t the blast iron furnaces and in the etsal plant,
 The statement Is also made on 5000 authority that an appropriation O. one million dollars has been set aside to be used ln improvements in the imme. dIate future around the furnace ana steel plant at Ensley. AS with other insustrles. there win be no further des
 velopment started on unel all labor l troubles settle down.
 There is q healthy shipment of steel rail from the Birmingham district. | The indications point to the proahe1 being laid by the railroads About as quickly as it is received and thsre will | be used for larger quantities as the | improvement in railroad circles gathers strength.
 | Foundries and machine shops In the ] Birmingham district are looking for
 ward to better times in the near future All railroads in this district report conditions improving steadily. More crews have been put on over the maia | lines and there Is a healthier tone te ! the movements.
 The furnace yards In the immediate Birmingham district are not accumulat' | ing any iron to mention. The 1noleA' | tions are that the furnace companies | will keep the make down so that thf demand can be met. There will be nc time. 1t is believed, when accumulated
 iron will be pointed to as one reason
 why there should be concessions made
 for a lower rate for the product.
 The statement is made that with all conditions in the Birmingham dtstriel normal and the demand warrantlne same, the production could be tneFeaseo ten per cent at least There will os another increase in the production tr the months make for July over tns previous month as was recorded m tne production for June The furnaces ln operation are doing nicely and the quality of the product Is coming up to all expectations.
 The coal and coke production in Ala bama is disturbed considerably by the strike of the union miners, It ls claimed. though, by the furnace com panies that there is enough coal hetns mined to meet all demands and Keep the iron-makers in operation. There is | great decrease, 1t must be admitted and the production for the month VIII | be off more than one half.
 A number of strike breakers have
 been brought into the district, but ~
 will be some time before the trouble l Is over and the new men have been | trained in the art of coal digging. The 1 coke supply, as a consequence. Is re- duced in this state.
 l There is no denial of the statements
 that Alabama furnace companies car | get all the coal and coke they should need from West Virginia ceilteries and | hIa that QrranEenlAnts