The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-29
MAXIMUM SOUGHT
 IN STEEL INDUSTRY PRODUCTION HERE
Tennessee Company Opera tionS On Double Turn.
 Others Keeping Busy

There is the same effort at maxi mum of production in the steel in- dustry of the Birmingham district as at any time this year and the iron furnaces are on the same full turn that they have been for some months.
 All operations of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company are on the same double turn as in March last, when fourteen new high rec ords were made. Production is not so great on account of the heat and humidity, but is aimed directly st. ca pacity output.
 Tennessee company operations this week embrace the following:
 Double turn at the ingot, blooming and rail mills in Ensley, double turn at the structural, blooming and tic plate mills st Fairfield, with full turn at the carworks and the mer- chant bar mill and double turn at the plate, guide and bar mills in Bessemer.
 The Fairfield bar mill is gradually working toward it's capacity of 10000 tons 8 month and accentuates the demand of the Tennessee finishing mills for steel production.
 o O D
 Wire Mills Busy.
 The wire nils Of the district also
  has been coming in slowly, but the backlog of orders covers capacity for two months to come. The dull ness in buying is largely seasonal, waiting on news of the crops. The wire mill trade is very dependent on conditions in rural districts. Crop prospects are pronounced very good so far and wire mill management look for good business this fall in consequence.
 The blast furnaces keep going be- cause they have orders on books covering the third quarter. New business is small owing to an oVer- production in the east and stock ac- aumulations. Eastern furnaces have been blowing out and getting rid of these stocks.
 Large Pipe orders.
 Cast Iron pressure pipe is not as active as it has been, but some good orders continue 10 come in. Ihe American Cast Iron Pipe company has bool, ed ,403 tons for Minneapolis and lSS tons for Oglesby. III. United States Pipe has taken roo tons for Dayton, Ohio. One pipe maker said "Business is falling off. Difficulty in obtaining prompt delivery and the week position of the iron mar ket are evidently influencing pipe buyers to hold up orders until later in the year"
 Pressure pipe foundrles are on 1ull turn and far behind in deliveries with an especially large tonnage booked for the Pacific coast.
 Soil pipe making has slowed down perceptibly.
 Labor is reported easier at va rety of industrial plants. Not only has negro migration become less mo- tceable, they report, but numbers of white men have returned from the rural districts and resumed work at mills.
 Fine Car Service.
 Transportation is mp to the min- ute and deliveries of manufactured products IS prompt.
 Cotton ties are very active %nd orders so far this season are much ahead Of the tonnage ordered last season.
 All shops having to do with rail- road equipment are on full turn, both in Birmtngham and in nearby points, like Gadsden and Anniston. kliby Frog and Switch company is among those on full turn and with orders for switches. frogs, crossings ana other steel railroad track equipment.
 Combins of the district the latter lart of the week showed no slowing Gown except at soil pipe plants, with whom it is between seasons. some pig iron is being piled owing to hold-up orders, but inquiry during the past week was better than In some tme and a turn toward an ac- tive market seemed nearer than IL had been at the close of the week.