The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-27
IRON MARKET QUIET
VERY LITTLE DOING IN BIRMING-
 HAM DISTRICT.
Every Preparation. However, is Being
 Made for an Increased Produc- ton Just the Minute the Demands Warrants ft

| "hiiS lhc pig HUI HdThet Tn Alabama
 is little quiet. every preparation is
 being made for an increased produce
 tion just the minute the demand war.
 rants 1t. Repairs and Improvements
 have been made about iron makers in
 this State to such and extent recently
 that 1t is announced on the best au- | thority that the make could be in-
 creased 1.50O tons day with all ease
 and on the pinch this could be bet
 tered. | Several furnaces are still undergo
 ing repairing and improvement while
 some furnaces out of commission in
 Alabama at present do not need much
 repairing before they could be started l up. Furnaces ready for the torch now
 are located in Birmingham. in Gadsden. l in Florence. in Anniston. in Bessemer | and in Ensley. In a short while iron | makers at Thomas. Ensley. Bessemer l Woodward and Gadsden will be ready ! for the torch. There Is every belief
 expressed also that the time is not far distant when the necessity will
 arise for some of those furnaces to be started up.
 The demand for iron that is being
 felt right now is still in small lots and
 quite distant apart. at that The in-
 quiry is still rather active. In almost every instance the manufacturers are
 not inclined to offer any inducements
 as to price to secure business. The
 quotations for the produce range be-
 tween SIP and SIP. 50 per ton, No. 2. foundry. There appears to be no iron
 selling in this State at $11 50 or s1175 per ton, No. 2 foundry, as far as will
 be acknowledged. Rumors that such
 iron was selling gained considerable
 currency in other iron centers. Iron men when seen here state that there are no reasons why cut-throat policy
 should be resorted to by the produce CTS.
 Announcement is made that the Ala
 bama Consolidated Coal and Iron Com
 pany will begin at once extensive inn-
 provements and development of prop
 critics in this State a first mortgage
 bond issue to the amount of s5,0o0, 900 having been authorized recently.
 The machinery in the rail department
 of the big steel mill of the Tennessee
 Coal, Iron and Railroad Company at
 Ensley will be tested this week and if
 found satisfactory in all probability
 preparations will be put on foot for
 a general resumption of the entire
 plant. The steel plant proposition is a proposition that cannot be underesti-
 mated Engineering experts and writ CTS of technical publications have been
 in the district recently looking over
 the plant and taking notes on what Is
 contemplated. They express surprise
 at what is to be seen here and assert
 that the Ensley steel works when all improvements have been completed and
 the additions proposed by President Co., rey of the United States Steel corpor- ation shall have been put in will com pare favorably with any in the world almost. Recent purchases of property in the vicinity of the big steel works give reassuring indications that no time is to be lost in carrying out the
 proposed developments. Not only will
 rail be manufactured on big scale but
 other steel products. finished plants to
 be erected at no distant date.
 The pig iron market in Alabama shows no Improvement There is plen- ty of work being done around the iron makers, getting them in shape for op-
 eration when the demand warrants it.
 The announcement is made Nhat two of the smaller companies have sold their probable make we'll up to the first
 of July The larger producers can &C., cept some business for the second quar- ter vet The accumulated stocks are not extensive except in one portion of the State, and from that place reports are that there are steady outward ship ments, though in small lots Local brands are enjoying fairly good de- mand, considering.
 Some of the Alabama apig iron man ufacturers are bidding on export bus mess and if offers are accepted there
 may be several thousand tons of No. 8 foundry iron started for foreign mar. kets in the near future. The state ment is made here that the foreign producers are pretty well sold ahead and that the Alabama No. foundry iron can be used satisfactorily and for that reason offers of the manufacturers here may be accepted. Something ike 4,200 tons of Alabama pig iron were shipped to the foreign market during the past four weeks. the product go. ing to Genoa, Italy, via Pensacola and Mobile.
 The export business is to be had at practically the same price sthat the domestic market bids for the product. said a we'll known producer here. and while things are dull in this country if might be we'll to accept some Of the busness for No. foundry at a small change under the regular quotations when there is no selling to amount 10 anything going on here.
 Not only are there several furnaces in this State ready for practically in- stant operation. but raw material IS on hand for a long period when the oper- ation does resume. In addition to ore at tbe furnaces there is a considerable Accumulation at convenient places near thA mines so that if the production or iron grows beyond the ore output that thArA need be no interruption. Con sArvative men estimate that the pro- duction of pig iron during April will ahout equal that of March, which was in excess to the production the pre- vjous month. Despite the fact that the sunner usually is a dull period, the iron producers are hopeful that there will he an improvement inasmuch as tbo d,ll spell has been quite lengthy.
 Coal and Coke Coal and coke con ditions in Alabama are improving slow Iv The coal quotations show no i'm orovernent. Some prospects are held Sor business in Louisiana and along the Southern coast. There is so much room for improvement in the coal ana coke that any promise IS most en- Several mines throuShout the Birmingham district are still idle and will not be started up untll there js decidedly better demand.
 Secretary J. L. Clemo, of Alabama No. 20. United Mine workers of America. announces that the mem bArship in that organization now num- hers about 4.000. The annual conven- t,on to be held in June will consider contract for the ensuing year and other | matters. Nothing but commercial coal comnanies recognize the union miners In this State and not all of the corn- operators. There appears to he no doubt but that those who now