The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-16
By RICHARD F. JOHNSTON


 Basic Alabama industries have turned face to autumn with order books requiring no replenishment for several months to come. Steel mills continue on full turn. Blast furnaces s have orders covering capacity of pro- duction through September. Pressure pipe shops have all they can handle tor months and orders for popular run in some instances to end of the year.
 Stove plants are on full turn in spite of the height of what is gen. erally termed the dull season. Soil pipe is slow for the first time in eight months. rest after pro- longed period of maximum produc- tion is what the trade says was to have been expected.
 Structural steel business is steady. The Nashville Bridge company's new Birmingham plant is kept busy. Re- cent bookings include the SS4,000 bridge across the Warrior at Flat Top and bridges at Redwater and Normanna, Tex, and Robertdale, La. Birmingham structural steel opera tors have business all over the south.
 The Ingalls, Iron Works has $500 tons of steel for the Texas City Sugar Refinery at Texas City, Tex. Johnson and Thompson are completing 1,600 tons for the steel barges being built for the Tennessee company at Mobile. Virginia Bridge and Iron is furnish ing the POO tons of steel for the new Ford Livery garage in Birmingham and the Nashville Bridge is furnish ing steel for the auditorium.
 Big ConI Production.
 Alabama's coal production for first half of the year went larger than for the same period in five years. Ii was 9,7S7000 tons, 17 per cent in- crease over 1922 and 52 per cent in- crease over 1921. It was at the rate of nearly 20,000,00 tons for the year, which would approximate the record breaking year of 1917.
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 Quiet Iron Market.
 Alabama iron makers, being booked flor three months to come, are simply watching the eastern iron market for developments and are not trying to push business. They main tain base of s27, which is not pro- ducing business, but they do not believe lower prices would produce business at this time. southern melt CTS are also taking their time about placing new business. No laree buyers have been in the market for a real test
 Pipe Orders Placed.
 Pressure pipe market does not record large transactions, but there seems steady flow of orders which amount to much in the aggregate. The American Cast Iron Pipe com pany has booked 325 tons for Claw sen, Mich, and 223 tons for Gates. Tex. The National Cast has taken $50 tons for Gridley, Ill, and the N s. Pipe has taken 175 tons for Cay uga, Ind. The base remains at S49.
 Soil pipe is slow at $65 and some plants have not resumed since the July holidays. Resumption of active buying is expected before end of the month. This is the first real slow down in the business for eight months and is regarded as seasonal Big Announcements.
 Comment is atill indulged in the steady procession of important in dustrial developments. The an nouncement of the merger of the De Bardeleben. Empire and Corona coal companies into $1O.00O, 900 con- cern was followed by announcement on the part of the Tennessee com pany of it's s4,O0o, 900 ore carrying railroad from Red Mountain to the blast furnaces at Bessemer and Ems ley. This had barely been proceeded by announcement of the Alabama Power company of the building of the big power dam at Chciohco bluIlS on the 1alIapOO- sa river where 102,000 horse power is to be generated as well as the re- building and enlarging of the upper and lower Tallassee dams. Another Dig item was acquisition of the south's largest and handsomest busi- ness edifice by owners of The Age Herald and this was followed by an nouncement of an $S0O,O00 apartment house for Higland avenue close to the Sl.OOO,O0O apartment house being built there now.
 New Investment Recent.
 Having broken all prior investment records in May the probate office showed another high record in June, when total of over S24,000, 900 was recorded as having been invested in new and going concerns In Jefferso county. High on the list are the local building and loan associations, which, having done a record half year busi- ness in financing of homes, have in- creased capital liberally so as to af- lord unlimited opportunity for home financing in the future.
 Fiished Steel Production
 The record of Alabama rolling mill products in 1922 shows that this has become the sixth state in the union In production of finished steel It is exceeded only by Pennsylvania, IT, linois, Ohio, Indiana and New York and has passed West Virginia, Mary land, Missouri and other states much older Tn the business. Rolled steel and iron products in 1922 amounted 10 S53,00O tons, an increase of 54 per cent. They are running at the rate or more than 100000 tons this year.