The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-10-23
For Good of the
 Community
Eminent Engineer Tells Why Birmingham Pig Iron Always Goes to Market, But Dwells
 on Necessity of Producing More of the Finished Product

Why is Birmingham? The is the old, old yet young refrain, the proximity of materials entering manufacture of the character of that iron that commands for it a market everywhere"
 Courtney De Kab distinguished engineer familiar with the metals of this other countries and of great est repue in metaurgica circles begins scholarly and comprehensive article Alabama iron and steel in the Man. ufacturers Record of October Is thus:
 It said by J. w. Mcqueen, president of the Sloss Sheffield Steel and Iron company, in paper read be- fore the American and Steel Institute in 1914 that southern foundry pig will not be the little pig that stayed at home but will to market every day of the year."
 The truth of this exempfied during the dull days of 1920 when Birmingham foundry iron secured fair market in northern manufacturing centers despite the long haul and the exorbitant of freight That
 because this product of the blast furnaces of the Br mingham district possessed distinct advantages in quail ity over that pig smelted from lake
 Moreover, great was the advantage from the manu lecturers point of view that this southern foundry pig commanded premium of nearly g per om- petitors products in the northern market
 The reasons for this are that makes more fluid melt and yields sharper cleaner castings; the castings softer, with silicon content than those pro- duced by northern ron there is less internal shrnkage less contraction and therefore it perfectly fills the mold it produces castings of finer grain without rifice of sofness and with almost "skin" hair edge in the broken casting.
 Southern foundry pig has afforded the best solution of the problems presented in the manufacture of mobile cylinders and in large castings pumps and engines.
 This is not brag Birmingham from Alabama It is the deliberate verdict of versed in iron and steel lore and practice and holding no brief for Birmingham Then why has Birmingham iron attained Birmingham all that could have been attained? Nature liberal in supplying that would produce pig that could go ~lro+o La,o T L tl- in producing finished products Mir. De Kalb says:
 This inherent superiority of Birmingham iron for foundry purposes has been at boon to the local iron industry and deterrent to the development larger possibilities of the district It has made possible the growth of important operations based on partly manufactured product It has left district too de- pendent the outside market and, great extent on distant markets without that dversificaton industry which would come with fuller development of steel making and through attraction to the district of greater number of fabricators
 It diversifcation brings in its wake large con- cenrations of population to widen as an expanding circle through the south and thus steady de- mand within easy reach of the source of production Birmingham knows that steel is what kept it's head up during the dull months Pig was prostrate but the finished steel product made Ensley and Fairfield kept sung rom the mills and going forth quantities. the finished steel product that distress in the district and the fires of mills beacon of and confidence.
 Iron the base but steel is the glory of the district and hamburger of the future the in the fabrication steel that ushered in with the coming the Steel cor poration in 1908.
 Yours for upbuding, Nol,,I IA3atk,.> z1 l- ---.- 7.n --------- - . I E B. -KRxRToK K R21x s:rl K II .X Ia@ THE INVISIBLE 6FocALS II >< AT ABOUT HALF