The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-03-27
By RICHARD #. JOHNSTON

Just back from New York city,
where he came in contact with indus
trial captains and other men of big
affairs, James Bowron, president of
the Gulf States Steel company, vol
unteered this statement:
II found feeling on the street good.
One of our directors, who has been,
perhaps the most pessimistic of our
entire official family, of his own mo-
ton, said to US that he had changed
about, and announced himself on the
bull side.
Coming south / was asked by the
president of the Louisville and Nashville
railroad how 1 felt about conditions. My
reply was that we were off the dead
center"
Mr.. Bowron's breezy optimism rapidly
radiated through industrial Birmingham
and created distinctly encouraging feel
ing in the nest of business colonies To-
Gated in the four-cornered skyscraper dis
trict yesterday.
OPTIMISTIC STATEMENT
| Mr.. Bowron was not speaking of any
| time to enter into details when seen by
an Age-Herald man yesterday, being en-
gagged in catching up with the business
accommodating in his absence, but he made
1 the optimistic statement above noted
with most willing cheeriness
| Numbers of feature items have come
to the fore recently that point to correct
ness of the more buoyant feeling locally.
Some of them are these:
| L I.
81 in January and 10 in February, will
be more than $50 in March. This COM
pares with an average monthly record
of fewer than so permits for residences
| in 1919 and 1920.
| In response to brisker demand for soil
pipe, which, in turn, follows the brisker
pace in building, three plants resumed
operations last week, the Eastman &
Emory at Admission and the Central
Foundry at Bessemer. The international
Foundry at Admission is scheduled to re-
sumo this week. 1t manufactures orna.
mental lighting posts for cities and makes
pipe.
The United States Cast Iron Pipe and
Foundry company is preparing for re-
sumption of operations at the Bessemer
plant, which will go in April 4. All water
and gas pipe plants in the Birmingham
/ district will then be in operation.
| Incident to release on a suspended
der for a large tonnage of steel products
for export, the Tennessee Coal. Iron and
Railroad company resumed operations
Tuesday in the blooming and plate mills
at it's Fairfield works.
TONS OF STEEL RAILS
/ Eight thousand tons of steel rails have
moved down the Warrior from the Ensley
4 mills of the T. G. l., and are loading
i on the Fairfield City and another ship or
China.
Seven thousand tons Of cast iron pipe
are loading for the Pacific coast
| The mine strike came to an absolute
4 finish during the week by formal &C
ceptance of the governors award by the
miners union and announcement by the
latter that the strike was officially off.
The Woodward Iron company has dried
out one of the idle stacks at Bessemer,
and indications point to early resumption
of operations there. This concern has
very little iron on its yards, much Il
than an iron-making concern of its size
| cares to have on hand. Resumption is
suggested by state Of stocks, in face OF
an iron market that is still sluggish.
Savings deposits in Birmingh I'm banks
that had aTta'ned new high records have
for the Iirst time commenced to come
forth for investment, principally
homes There are So, 900 of this money
available for that purpose in Birming-
ham in addition to that in the building
and loan associations.
Building and loan associations this
week report a greater demand for loans
for home building than they can furnish
One large concern is financing Is to y
homes costing from $1,000 to 5000 pei
month, and lending 100000 to 100000 pei
month to home builders. It's general bus
mess is double that of the past two ano
a half years.
The feeling in Birmingham at close OF
the week corresponds to that wficn
Mr.. Bowron declares now prevails ''or
the street" in New York.