The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-02-25
By RICHARD f. JOHNSTON


1T is strain on capacity" said
a steel mill official asked Saturday
about the market In finished steel
products. 1T is a strain to produce
as fast as they want the article and
a strain to have 1t delivered as near
the time specified as Is humanity
possible under the Industrial burden
of prosperity now pressing on our
shoulders"
This is the general status all
around The Tennessee company
keeps as near limit OF productive
capacity as men and machinery that
are available allow. Double turn
at Ensley. Fairfield and Bessemer
are thrice-told tales. The Gulf
States Steel and American Steel and
Wire company labor under their or
der books. Mills like the hoop and
band works of the Corners Steel
company are fully employed. Fabri-
Gated steel tonnage on order books
Is largest on record, including jobs
from 500 to 1000 tons and destina-
tons in Mississippi. Louisiana and
Texas as we'll as In Alabama. De-
tails of recent structural steel or
ders are given In another column.
Feature of the machinery trade
was the order for the entire me-
LOT INC @OJoVUtVVO
sugar refinery of the Texas Sugar
Refining company to be built at once
at Texas City, Tex. The contract
was landed by Joubert s. Goslin Ma
chinery company.
o O O
Heavy Iron Sales.
1t does not appear possible to hold
the pig iron market to the s25 base
much longer. One of the largest
a1ro ~ -, TO-. -
the market on all grades and all de-
liveries Friday after making heavy
sales this week. Individual makers
booked as high as $1,000 to 10000
tons last week, a total of approx
mately $4,000 to $4,000 tons. The
lots ranged from 100 tons to 1000
and as high as 1000, and all terri
tory was represented. including Bos-
ton, New York, Chicago, Cincinnati.
Tennessee, the Carolinas, Pacific
coast and the South. The Pacific
coast reappeared In the market with
an order for 1900 tons deliverable
through the first half
A one-furnace interest Is out of
the market for first half and is at
$27 for third quarter, stating that
few sales have been made at that
figure Another maker. who is out
of the first half market, has booked
$4,000 to 10000 tons for third quar-
ter at SIS.
In spite of the embargo to cincin-
natl over the Louisville and Nash
Vile, iron stocks are being depleted
to new low level.
Strong Pipe Market.
The pressure pipe market grows
stronger every week. as large orders
pile up. The United States Pipe has
taken 1900 tons of 30-inch pipe for
Memphis and $4,000 feet of to "a
inch pipe for Beaumont, Tex. The
base Is a minimum OF s45 for to
IA inches.
Sanitary pipe is also active In spite
ahead. The new base of $40 has be-
come average. it is understood.
New Pipe Shop.
The McWane Cast Iron Pipe COM
pany as noted in another column,
will begin operations on schedule
time next Thursday. That has been
remarkably quick construction.
Tho Central Foundry company has
begun manufacture of universal as
well as sanitary pipe In Its new foun-
dry at Holt, near the furnace plant
of the Central Iron and Coal COM
pany.
The Birmingham Machine and
Foundry company expects to begin
operations of It's sanitary pipe works
by April /. It will have a daily ca
pacity of 10 tons of soil pipe and fit
tings.
O o O
Exports Large.
Exports continue regular and
heavy. A feature of last weeks ex-
ports was q movement OF 500 tons OF
products Of the Atlanta Steel com.
pany's mill at Atlanta via the War
rior barge line and vessel out of Mo-
bile to Cuba. Three ships are at Mo-
bile loading rails and other products
for Japan and some movement of
these Birmingham products has been
also made out of Mobile.
O O O
Coke I'm Chile.
Coal mining Is near the record high.
Some domestic mines are shy of cars.