The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08
nr RICHARD r. IoHNsroN

major industries with no care on mind so far as the third quarter Is concerned. Some need take no thought of new business for four for.
 The buyer is aptly described by The Iron Age as keeping orders close to known needs" And Dun's Review says: "A favorable aspect is absence of speculative excesses in mercantile circles and of overstock- ing of merchandise. m The heavy de- mands of the first quarter of tho year were almost wholly to cover definite needs, and the outlook is the more reassuring because of this fact"
 Pace of manufacture in tho Bir- mingham district has been close to 100 per cent the entire year and there is no curtailment of maximum pro duction except where weather and lack of men prevents.
 Tennessee company maintains doV- mills at Ensley: structural, tie-plate and plate mills at Fairfield and guide and bar mills at Bessemer The car plant and new merchant bar mill are also operating to extent permitted by men and machinery oon- ditlons.
 New Rnfl Orders.
 Tennessee company has just booked 30,000 tons of rails for the Illinois Central and Central of Georgia and about 15,000 tons of rails for Japan
 Deliveries of steel products are much easier. New business is not as heavy as 1t was, but tho back leg keeps plants at full.
 o o o
 Two Big Events.
 CF h aalr ment by the Tennessee company of the immediate construction of its ele- vated orc road from Red mountain to the blast furnaces at Bessemer and Ensley. This will be 8 great economy in assemblage of raw ma terial. The cost is estimated at S4,0o0,0oo.
 Details of the merger of the Elm pire, Corona and DeBardelsben Coal companies under tho title of the De- Bardeleben Coal corporation arc be- ing whipped into shape. The 34.000,- 900 of bonds on the new concern are underwritten by four of the strongest banking concerns in the east.
 Big Iron Production.
 Footing up iron production in Ala bama for first half of the year the total was found to be 1.441,0o0 tons, which Is an increase of b2 per cent over the same period in 1922. Ala bama iron makers marketed during the first half of the year a total of 100000 tons of iron. which was the make and the holdings on yards at first of the year.
 Full Steel Operations.
 Blowing out of Oxmoor furnace by the Tennessee company latter part of the week Is taken as indication l., concentrate all energies on steel producing iron. Oxmoor was on foundry iron for the merchant trade. The company's eight stacks on basic will continue producing their maxi mum product for use In the steel mills.
 The same full turn of operations characterizes the wire mills of tho Gulf States Steel and the American Steel and Wire.
 Exports To Cuba.
 have been especially heavy the past week and embraced steel rails. coke, wire. nails. sheets, cast iron pipe, staples, track accessories and the like. The Windward Islands also took q quantity of steel rails, Among the Windward Island shipments was 551 tons of steel rails and track ac- cessories for La Romano. Among the for Cuban ports last week was ASA tons of steel rails for Man sanille, 1,772 steel rails for Puerto Padre and 579 tons of steel rails for Neuvitas.
 Sugar house machinery is going to Cuba in increasing quantities An tilla was among the points taking sugar mill machinery last week.
 o O o The Bank showfngs.
 That Birmingham has been forg- ing ahead financially during tho first half of the year was shown by the bank clearing record for the first six months. The total of clearings was $6S1,0o0,o0o for the half year, an increase of AZ per cent over the same period last year and indicat- ing years record of s1,s5o, 900, ,Oo0, which will be a new high.
 The record of placement of new capital in going and new concerns In the first half of the year was also a remarkable one. The total for the first six months of the year was s23,676,oO0. which is sS,O00, 900 with six more months to go. Two New Industries.
 Two large new industries near point of completion and operation. The National Cast Iron Plpe company
  Lavaud process in its new S50o,O0o foundry by August 15. 1t Is expected It will start with four machines, the number that the United States Pipe started with. The latter is installing five additional machines. which will be in operation soon.
 The Lehigh Portland Cement com pany hears completion of its large mill at Tarrant City. It will have capacity of 100000 barrols a year. Sales offices have already been opened In the Woodward building.
 o O The TnlInp0OsR Dam.
 Permission having been extended the Alabama Power company for marketing of new securities, 1t is expected that the company will promptly begin work on tho 132,000 horse power dam to be constructed at Cherokee Bluffs on the Tallapoosa river. The first work will be the construction of railroad line to