The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-05-03
IRON MARKET FIRM
rr1RNAcE COMPANIES SOUNDING A
STILL BETTER PRICE.
practically Every Company In the Biz
msuwham District Sold During
April More Iron Than
Rfa Make. -


Rfrmin CHAM. May 2.--(Special)-The
nau month starts In with pig iron
quotations In the Southern territory on
a firmer basis than for some time.
Already some of the furnace COM
panies. encouraged by the business
transacted during the past month ana
the prospects for this month, have be-
gun sounding q still better price. NO.
3 foundry should be selling all around
at sf2 per ton and no less. With one
or two furnaces still out OF the mar
yet altogether, third company not
selling beyond three months, one OF the
larger companies IL now quoting for
the fail delivery preferring this 10
mean from June to Septemb Der. This
IS taken to mean that a better quota
aion than now prevails is looked for on
iron that will be delivered the latter
part of the year. Practically every
company in the territory sold during
April more iron than It's make. In
some Instances there was some very
healthy buying when the prices were
around the $11 per ton mark. some
consumers laying in for future use.
The make has been holding up well.
The shipment Of basic iron from the
Birmingham district has been steady,
this product going out mostly from the
Ensley furnaces. Some OF the other
companies have been. selling special
analysis iron while special brand iron
has bgsn in fairly good demand also.
AS stated by an iron man. the mar
ket conditions have been improving
slowly but surely In the Birmingham
district and there was a decidedly DIFF
ferent idea prevailing at the close Of
the past month than was at the begin
ming.
The home consumption is picking up
again. The cast iron pipe plants have
lost no time ard healthy shipments Of
the product has been started. The
starting Of an order for several thou
sand tons Of pipe for Kansas City by
one of the larger plants in this dis
trict caused some comment Much has
been said already Of the San Francisco
and Cuba orders for cast iron pipe but
the order for 5000 and more tons from
Kansas City, received no comment un-
til the past week. Much pipe Is to
leave this section for the West and
Northwest during this year and there
is nothing in sight to warrant the
least hesitation in the operation OF the
various pipe plants for some time to
come.
Alabama pig iron manufacturers
have had a chance of bidding on the
1000. 900 pounds of iron desired by the
United states government for use at
Eanaulds n ShAtAaE COntEdCt was ukACu
by one Of the concerns in this district
on two occasions heretofore. The same
company does not see Its way clear
this time to make a bid for this con-
tract or part of It, Domestic business
Is preferable 30 Il Is stated.
There has been some exporting 60
ing on recently from this section. In
addition to steel rail going to Mexico
and coke to Costa Rica, 1t Is under.
Ak..f afA tHnn hnkf 49,
been shipped to South America. The
return of President Crawford. of the
Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad
Company from trip to Italy Spain
and other countries, may mean much
for the district. While II was given
out that Mr.. Crawford went abroad
because of his health, the general i'm
preston is that he combined little
business with the health trip also. Mr..
Crawford was i'll for several weeks
and was at a local hospital. After he
recovered he was quite weak and the
trip abroad was proposed. About the
time that he was i'll announcement was
made that some scrap steel had been
shipped from the Ensley plant to Spain
or italy and this being remembered
the general impress sion was given that
Mr.. Crawford's trip abroad would not
be amiss other than for his health.
There is no denying the fact that the
month of April was the best for the
iron manufacturers so far this year.
Some of the larger brokers In iron
bou ght speculatively during the month
around the $ii per ton mark while the
furnace companies did not make an
effort to dispose of their full produce
ton until there was an advance OF at
least so cents on the ton, Some OF the
companies never went below the S1l.5O
ner ton price for No. foundry. Twelve
dollars per ton promises to be the
common figure for the first half of tn Is
month while another advance OF so
cents has been suggested for about the
middle Of the month, II not earlier.
& The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail-
road Company should complete prae-
tieaIly new blast iron furnace at Ems
lev the latter part of this month. The
repairing of two furnaces by the same
company SHOULD also be finished THU
month. The North birmingham far
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