The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1908-01-20
IRON IS IMPROVING
PIG IRON MARKET Is ADVANCING
RAPIDLY.
Many Large Orders Booked In Birm-
tnEham District-ssock ON Hand
being Worked Down
Rapidly.

eral large sized orders were recently
booked by the manufacturer and the
railroads are giving every assistance
in moving out the product Prices
have taken on additional strength and
| there Is very little. II any, iron being
quoted under $3.50 per ton, No. Q
| foundry. The announcement made dur
ing this week that one Of the smaller
companies had to withdraw from the
market as far as iron for the first
quarter Of the year goes and that an
other company with three stacks, had
made some healthy sales recently was
received as a most cheering piece Of
news in the face of the fact that the
larger consumers have been holding
for the 1880 per ton price with the
smaller makers selling right along.
The smaller manufacturers are not
anxious to sell much further ahead
than three months, as there might be
| fore the first quarter of the year has
passed. The smaller dealers, those
with one, two and three stacks, are not
| willing to be caught three months
hence delivering iron that was sold
under SO per ton and even under $1s.so
| per ton. when others in the district
might be selling the product for SIS
to $3.50 per ton, the price that was
in vogue during the better part Of the
1 past year. The stock on hand is being
worked down rapidly, II now being
estimated that the pig iron on the
yards in this State win aggregate less
than $4,000 tons. As stated before. the
railroads are giving the best of service
and all demands for cars with which
to handle the business are being met
promptly. The local consumption is
picking up some, the Improvement be-
ing noticed among the cast iron pipe
makers mostly. 4
The labor in the Birmingham dis
trict continues to remain around, an
| ticipating a general resumption any
day. 1t is estimated that not less than
10000 men are, out of employment in
North Alabama, one-half OF which can
four hours notice The three rolling
mills in the immediate Birmingham dis
trict at Bessemer,\ Birmingham and
Gate City. will give employment when
the plants are started up to more than
1.st0 to 1000 hands.
| Guy r. johnson. Vice President and
General Manager of the Alabama Con-
solidated Coal and Iron Company, has
Just returned from a trip East He
reports that several epod sized lots Of
iron were sold by HIS company and
that the general Improvement In Nhe
conditions throughout the country was
| being felt. He announced that his
company would put in another furnace
before the end of the week, the de-
mand warranting a larger production
| of iron. He further announced that
no orders would be received under
$3.50 per ton. No. 2 foundry, with
| prospects of even better price In the
near future.
J. w. MCQUEEN, vice-President and
| General Sales Agent of the Sioss-Shef-
field Steel and Iron Company. the sec
\ lea WI n ne
pany in the ASo0th. has also just re-
| turned from the East He was In a
conference lasting a couple OF days In
| which iron men from all parts OF the
| country participated. It was the con-
sensus or opinion. Mr.. Mcqueen Is re-
ported as having said on his return.
| that the iron market all over the coun-
| try will begin improving at once and
there will be need for an the iron that
can be produced. The Sloss-Shenield
steel and Iron Company has three out
Of seven furnaces in blast right now
but as soon as some of the accumu-
lated iron has been worked on. other
iron makers will be placed In action.
The Bessemer rolling mills, now idle,
will be started up again shortly, but
only steel is to be handled for awhile.
| some improvements to be made in the
| rail mill at the Ensley steel plant. Two
yice-presidents of the Amalgamated
Association Of Iron and Steel Work
ers from Pittsburg are in the Birm-
ingham district and win remain here
| ten DAYS or two weeks exerting what
| ef1ort they can for the order they rep
resent. While no statement Ia made by
them Il is understood that they viii
attempt to bring about conference
with the officials Of the companies with
rolling mills in this district. looking
to resumption of work. IT, is given
out that while conditions in rolling
mill circles are just as bad as they can
be here. other districts are Just as
| bad. Therefore the minute the word
is given that there is to be a resunp.
| tfon the labor formerly working here
viii be gathered again without the
least trouble.
There is no change in the steel plants
in Ensley. The plants OF the Southern
| Steel Company will hardly BE started
up until the middle Of the coming
month, II by then, the bankruptcy pro-
ceedings to be- passed on this month
by Judge Hundley Of the Federal Coprt.
| The final report of the receivers show
that it will take not less than $3.50.
600 to put the steel rod, wire and nail
mills in shape and like sum to get
material to start the plant. Some
thing like $4,000 will be necessary to
start furnaces while double that
amonnt win be necessary to put the
steel plant and other plants in shane
for operation. The probable trustees
mentioned heretofore, headed by w. H
Hassinger, appear to be confident that
II selected that they can raise the re-
quired amount to start up the works.
Coal and Coke.-The coal production
In Alabama has fallen OFF some, sew
eraI of the mines running slack or
shut down completely. The demand is
fairly good, but the furnaces being
idle cuts down the local consumption
considerably. There is a healthy ship
ment of coal. the larger commercial
coal companies having quite a number
of orders on hand for their product.
The statement made by w. r. Fair
ley, of the United Mine Workers of
America. explaining why the Alabama
Consolidated Coal and Iron Company
changed their plans at the Brookwood,
SearIes and Mary Lee mines from the
closed to the open shop plans was
because the miners declined to accept
a cut in wages is still being comment
ed on. An answer will be made to the
statement. Six hundred men are out at
the three places named. The union
miners have had much trouble in the
past I'VE years in addition to a lengthy
arbitration hearing a two years and a
half strike In the mines Of tho fur
mace companies, finally losing out. Now,
the only furnace company that re-
NAMED has accepted the open shop plan
and the union miners have more trou-
bles on their hand. There has been