The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-20
DEMAND FOR LABOR

ent rate of demobilization. before dis charged soldiers will come back in num- bers sufficient to ease up the situation. The greatest demand is for common la bor and this must be recruited largely from the men who went away during the last year and a half to work at plants either being constructed or operated by the government. Muscle Shoals and Nash vile drew heavily upon the Birmingham district, and considerable numbers went to West Virginia coal fields and points north of the Ohio river. Operations at many of these places have ceased, or will be discontinued at an early date. and operators here are expecting large percentage of their former employees to return during the winter and spring.
 Birmingham iron makers and brokers do not anticipate any changes in prices at least during the first three or four months of 1919 As basis for their be- lief they state that thes output of this district is practically sold for the first two quarters of the year and as there is no surplus of metal in the country orders now on the books of the com panies are not likely to be cancelled. Local yards were swept clean sometime ago, and for several months iron has been shipped as fast as made, and this condition is confidently expected to con- tinue we'll into the new year.
 FOREIGN TRADE
 "Italy, France and Belgium must have iron and steel for reconstruction pur- poses," said one broker yesterday, and the United States is the only place where they can get it. Whether they buy from us depends almost altogether upon the attitude of this country with reference to further loans to those countries. If ;- T chase materials for rebuilding from us; if credit is not extended, they will hard ly be able to buy, and in that event we may expect a slump in the iron and steel market"
 This broker stated that member of the French commission in this country recently stated that 100000 homes in the occupied portion of France had been destroyed by the Germans, and rela- lively large number were also destroyed in Belgium. French homes, he stated, were built of stone, concrete and brick principally, but in the reconstruction, steel and lumber will probably be sub stituted for these materials. With suf- ficient credit in this country enabling them to pay for it the French will pur- chase these materials in this country.
 Not only were more than 100000 homes destroyed in France, according to the statement or ln6 T TeHCIl COIilIllloSlOilp IHu or the 18O sugar mills in that country were destroyed. These will have to be rebuilt and new machinery secured. The United States is the only country where the materials and the machinery can be secured at least for several years. Birmingham shops have been making su- gar mill machinery for 20 years or more and at the outbreak of the war were shipping their products to sugar districts of this country and to Cuba and other parts of the world. Although the wal temporarily interrupted this business ma chinery of this kind is already in de- mand and local makers are anticipating an active year.
 The same condition holds true in lun- Der and other lines of industry, all ot which call for iron and steel in the man. ufacture of their machinery and equip ment.
 Local iron interests are inclined to ac- cept Judge Gary's estimates Of marke, conditions during the readjustment pc riod, recognizing him as possibly the best judge of such matters in the United States While advising caution Judge Gary predicts gradually increasing activ- ity and a stable market for all iror and steel products. He views the i'm mediate future without alarm and his reassuring statement has had steady ing effect on the industry all over the country, in the opinion of local iron and steel factors.