The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-04
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
The United states stee, corporatio

me onfted states Steel Corporation
Representative Stanley of Kentucky
who made fiery attack on the United
States Steel corporation Thursday, can
hardly take himself seriously" said a
prominent business man. HE talked 45
minutes in the House of Representatives
and urged that body to take action on
his resolution calling for an investiga-
ton of the United States Steel, especial
ly in relation to the transaction whereby
the corporation acquired the stock of the
Tennessee company.
Those of us who live here and have
seen this district develop during the past
10 or 20 years will gladly testify to the
big things that the Tennessee company
| has done since it became the property
of the United States Steel corporation
Had our largest Industrial company re-
manned Independent of the so-called Steel
Trust It would have branched out and
become stronger in every way than 1t had
been before. It's plans were being re-
habilitated and brought up to date on the
most substantial lines. But the entrance
of the Steel corporation into the Birmng-
ham district was the greatest thing, in a
material way, that has happened here.
The reason given for the corporation buy
ing the Tennessee company at the time
it did was to prevent the Wall street
panic from extending and bringing rum
to many of the large industries of this
country. But no matter what reason was
alleged Birmingham reaped the benefit.
II am told that under the ownership
of the Steel corporation the Tennessee
company has spent for improvements and
new construction within the past three
years a total of something like $1200O,OO0;
and in addition 10 that sum the Steel
corporations American Steel and Wire
plant at Corey, nearing completion, Will
cost about s3,5OO,000. 1t is said that the
corporations finance committee has prac-
tically agreed that during the next five
years the expenditures in this district
for new construction will aggregate S25,-
900 TO $30,000.000 friend at Ensley
tells me that during the present year,
probably in the first half of it, ground will
be broken for a large bar mill, and that
after that new industry is completed the
American Bridge company, a subsidiary
of the Steel corporation, will erect plant
nearby. The American Bridge concern is
chiefly fabricating company. 1t manu-
features some Steel l believe, near Phila-
delphia but its plants scattered through
the country are engaged in the work
of fabricating material turned out by the
corporations steel companies. The bar
mill referred to will probably be COM
pleted within a year or SO, and 1t may
be year later before the bridge COM
pany puts in its plant. The latter will
not be as expensive as steel-making in
dustries in these modern times are, but
it WILL nevertheless, be very important
acquisition to the district
1.-THE very fact that the United States
Steel corporation is having things done
here on a scale of great magnitude is
certainly a big advertisement for Bir-
mingham. The corporation has the cap
ital and the talent and whenever it
spends millions upon millions on improve
ments in any one locality there is some
thing doing, and the outside world takes
due notice thereof. People looking for
new business opportunities naturally turn
to the city of rapid growth and of ex-
ceptionally bright future. The coming of
the Steel corporation has been the means,
it is safe to say, of adding thousands, di-
rectly and indirectly, to Birmingham
incubation within the past 70 months; ard
people will continue to come.