The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-19
By RICHARD F. JOHNSTON

Ny hIGHAHD F. JOHNSTON
 Alabama pig iron is now going tc more points in competitive territory and more foundries in competitive territory are now using Alabama iron than since the industrial slump began More steel finishing mills are in op- eration now and producing more steel products than have been produced in Alabama since the slump began.
 Alabamas s iron and steel market ts wider than it has been since tn, slump began.
 General industrial improvement and process of plant resumption is more pronounced than it has been since the slump began.
 In detail some of the outstanding facts are these:
 Tennessee company is about tc blow in No. i blast furnace at Ensley This is to make more iron for the open hearth furnaces. The open hearth furnaces arc to make more steel for the finishing mills The needs for tho finishing mills read back to blowing in of the fifth blast furnace at Ensley.
 The open hearth department re- mains this week on 75 per cent of steel producing capacity, seven of the nine furnaces continuing in operation for the third consecutive week following very recent six and q comparatively recent four and five active furnaces.
 Rail mill continues for the third week on production of 5000 instead of a long average production of 6,000 tons.
 Structural mill at Fairfield resumes this week after an idleness of several weeks. This takes the place from a steel consuming standpoint of the Bessemer plate mill, which is down for a week following several weeks of double turn.
 Plants That Never Stop
 That tie-plate ulant at Fairfield is not spoken of very much, but it is great producer and a continuous one. It. the car works and the rail mill never stop. The Fairfield tie- plate is in demand by all trunk lines who have tried it It books orders by the thousands of tons.
 Gulf states Resumes
 The Gulf States Steel is blowing in it's blast furnace after months of idleness. It will make iron for ingot mills, which. in turn, will make ingots for the finishing mills. The increased iron production is not to compete with
  field now opening up, but will enter into finished products made at home. Gulf States finishing mills continue in operation at a fair capacity. The wire drawing mills of the American Steel and Wire also do.
 Band Mill Resumes
 The Corners Steel company resumes al the Woodlawn steel hoop and band mill this week aftsr several weeks of idleness, Orders have gradually piled up until resumption was war ranted.
 Iron by RiSer Tow This week will be featured by the start of the first of sheffield pig iron from the Sloss- Sheffield furnaces up the Tennessee to Cairo and Metropolis for distribution in the Illinois. St. Louis and northwestern markets. Northern trade journals admit that this movement, by reason of it's eco nomy under the all-rail rate and the other advantage of proximity to the competitive field, can undersell Chi cago and St. Louis iron in their own territory. The initial cargo consists of 600 tons of iron.
 The transportation will be done by the Arrow Transportation company who did it successfully before the World war and can deliver the iron at ohio river gateways A hours after leaving Sheffield.
 Broadening Iron Market
 One furnace interest booked 15 orders in one day last week. Ton nag& was not large, but the orders covered a territory reaching from Michigan to Florida and from Balti- moro to San Francisco. Birmingham iron is again abroad fin every market Experts regard the broadening of the iron market as the most pronounced feature of those that are encouraging,
 Kiyoshi Kanai, of the Japanese railway department, is in the city and in touch with officials of the Tennessee company. Japan is such a