The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-22
METAL INDUSTRIES
 NOT IDLE, DESPITE
 THE DULL MARKET
No Big Business In Evidence, But Nearly Every Plant Is Working or Renovating,
 Keeping Men Busy
By R. F. JOHNSTON

Incident to an export order, the rail mill of the Tennessee Coal. Iron and Railroad company at Ensley, which has been and bids fair to re- main in steady operation for an in- definite period, will go on larger turn this week.
 tons of rails per week The turn tht.; week will enable 1t to roll 5000 tons.
 The Anniston City, new Chickasaw ves- sel, will make her trial trip this week and then begin loading with Birmingham steel rails for the orient, The Isthmian Steamship company originally intended the maiden trip of this ship to be to tho Pacific coast, but has announced that it will make the orient instead, owing to the additional tonnage of steel products booked for that destination by the Bir- mingham mills.
 PLANTS WORKING
 The tie-plate mill of the Tennessee company will also operate this week and operations at Bessemer and Fairfield will be about as they have been, Guide and bar mill at Bessemer and ship and car material plants at Ensley ere going.
 The Alice furnace in Birmingham is be- ing refined. This work was not neces- sitated by market conditions and could have waited, but the company is having the refining done now so as to give em- ployment to men who would otherwise be idle
 Toward close of the week pig iron in- quiry from north of the Ohio river showed the first spirit in some time. There were inquiries from Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and other points Num- bers of melters wrote that they were gradually getting out of iron and would soon be in shape to order out held-up stuff.
 TONNAGE PRICES
 Car loads and other small iron tonnage bring $23, with about $1 for the higher solicons One maker sold 1000 tons last week. There is no base for a really large tonnage and what, say 5000 tons would be sold for is guess work, beyond the fact that 1t would find ready takers at less than $23.
 Nothing further has been heard of the New York report to the effect that the leading pipe interest had bought 8,OJ tons of Birmingham iron and no maker acknowledges any such good fortune.
 The National Cast Iron Pipe company has booked 960 tons of water pipe Tor Akron. Ohio, and 175 for Evansville. Ind. It is admitted that as low as $a5 was bid on 16-inch pipe recently in face of the nominal base of S55.
 Soil pipe shops have piled lot of pipe Numbers of these plants resumed some time ago and the combined output proved toe much for the market to absorb. The Gadsden soil pipe shops shut down sew eral days ago and will remain so pend ing removal of stocks. Base IS $4o
 COAL ORDERS
 Seaboard Air Line coal contract Of 7so,- 600 tons, awarded last week to the Pratt Consolidated, Bankhead, Empire and othei companies gratified the Alabama opera tors because 1t represents 60 per cent oi the roads requirements and is more thar is usually accorded this field.
 Atlantic Coast Line is expected tc award contract at an early date. The Louisville and Nashville gave Alabama operators orders for 5o0,ooo tons. Con- tracts call for delivery in the year begin ming July 1. Coal mines will be buster after that date.
 The Cadenhead Auto Rim company has completed it's rolling mill at Tarrant CitV and the entire plant is ready for begin ming of operations July l. The big stee addition to the Connors- Weymann hooI and tie mill at Woodlawn is also com plete and the new structural steel build ings for the Johnson and Thompson Stee company at North Birmingham have also taken shape.
 ALL DEPARTMENTS WORKING | Gulf States Steel company is operating at about 50 per cent capacity with all departments going.
 Iron and steel circles were gratified when the Birmingham Steel corporation stoutly affirmed that it is not lnsoiVen' but only under temporary emoarrass' nent for cash. The company expects tc | he in good form as soon as it effects set l tlement with the government and gets what is coming to the operators from the l 1ovarurnenf