The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-18
P|G IRON STOCKS GREATLY REDUCED;
 PRODUCTION LOW
Industrial Review of Week Encouraging - Fairfield Turns Out First Pressed
 Steel Car
By R. F. JOHNSTON

Iron masters are beginning to point out the strength of the stra- tegic position of pig iron.
 Stocks on yards throughout the country are greatly reduced. In Ala bama there are not more than 125,- 900 tons of merchant iron on fur mace yards. That is not more than half months make with the blast them at high speed.
 After Monday or Tuesday, when the Alabama company blows out or banks at Gadsden, there will be only one merchant foundry stack in Ala bama in operation, that of ,the Wood ward Iron company. The production will be the smallest on record
 Yard stocks are badly assorted. It is becoming more and more difficult for the melters to secure the iron of desired analysis. some yards being without high silicons and others without low silicons, This condition, say iron men, will become more and more acute with the low produc- tion, and tend to make the melter wake up.
 These features of the iron situa- tion are believed to tend to stop the price Accession and steady the mar ket. The base is now at s20 for real tonage with car loads at s20.50. Even the melters have begun to ex- press themselves as believing that the hammering process has gone far enough and 1t would be better for all if business began in earnest at the present base. This, by the way, is more than a 50 per cent under the peak price, which was SAP in 1920 up to autumn.
 First Steel Car
 Feature of the week was the turn ing out of the first pressed steel car at the new plant of the Chickasaw Shipbuilding and Car company in Fairfield and it's acceptance by the Louisville and Nashville. The plant is a pronounced success and is iI full operation with orders sufficient to keep it going for some time.
 The Tennessee company will be on 40 per cent operating basis in its finishing mills this week. The plate mill at Fairfield and the rail mill at Ensley will operate at normal and the rail accessories mills as well ss the bolt, nut and rivet works will also make a normal week.
 The past week was signalized by the departure from Mobile Of an Isthmian Steamship company's freighter for Manchuria with 5000 tons of rails for the Manchurian rail- road and another ship left for &c., ward, Alaska, with 5000 tons of rails and track accessories for the Alaskan railroad. In each instance the rails came from the Ensley mills and are one half of the total order in each case.
 During the week the Cotton Belt tract with the Dora and Cordova mines of Walter Moore and asso- eiates, a mater of 125,ooo to 15o,o0o tons for the year beginning August i.
 New Coal Mines
 The BurnweH Coal company an- nounced the building of more than a mile of railroad and the opening of a 900-ton mine on the Southern over in Walker county.
 The central or GeOTBla IS laying track on it's six-mile extension from McComb's switch onto the Cahaba coal field to reach new mines of the Alabama Fuel and Iron company, County Coal company and others
 The large high pressure pipe shop of the United States Cast Iron Pipe company and the shop of the Emory Pipe company, latter producer of sanitary pipe. resumed operations at Anniston. The latter promises oper ation in full.
 The Welded Products company, makers of welded steel shapes, in- creased capital stock from s5O,00o to $100,000 for purposes of expanding that successful industry.
 The Ford Proposal
 All Alabama felt the up1ift imparr- ed by the businesslike proffer of Henry Ford, the automobile maker, for the lease and use of Muscle Shoals and Secretary Hooyer's state ment to the nation that this proffe- proved beyond cavil that the de- velopment of Muscle Shoals has a commercial value"
 Mir Ford's proposition Is accepted | as such definite and clear one thHv there seems no way of avoiding its 9 acceptance.
 In this connection 1t is being point | ed out that MT. Ford could with ease | bring the power of Muscle Shoals to for operation of shops | making tractors and automobiles, | that plan, it is held being the most economical on account of the loca- | tion of steel works in Birmingha m | and Birminghams distributing facil- 1 tiles.
 The Mobile, third of the self-pro- 1 pellers designed and built for the Warrior river, is about to sail from St. Louis to enter the Warrior trade. This will enable regular once-a- week package freight schedule be- tween Birmingham and New Orleans via Mobile.
 Cordova Terminals
 The completion of the coal bins at Cordova puts that point in position to ship bunker, domestic and export coal to New Orleans in several times the quantities now being moved and with greater dispatch and economy The plant has bin-loading capacity of $50 tons an hour and a capacity for loading barges from bins of 45o tons an hour.
 Gulf States Steel has notified its Gadsden employees of reduction In bonus from 25 to Is per cent. Oper- ations in the finishing mills are at about 30 per cent.
 Boyles and Tarrant City are con ferring with the Birmingham Water Works company with reference tol having the mains of the company ex- tended to these important manufac- turing suburbs.