The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-23
PLUS IS NOT CHARGED SAYS CRAWFORD Steel And Wire Products Especially Effected
 Here FABRICATORS HAVE . LITTLE COMMENT Say Question Is So 1ntri- cate They Want Time
 To Study It

Abolishment of the Pittsburg plus system of fixing steel prices regarded for years of vital importance, is a subject of widely different interpreta- tion among industrial men as to the effect it will have on the Birmingham situation. It has been a subject of controversy for a long time and has had its defendants and vigorous op- ponents.
 Probably it has not met with more opposition among steel fabricators of Birmingham because it has not been applied to it's full extent so far as the Birmingham district is concerned
 I've have not charged the Pitts burg plus on any of the products sold by the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Rail road company further than that, l do not care to comment" said George G. Crawford, president of the Tennessee company, when infromed of the decision Tuesday night.
 Nails And Wire Affected
 From Birmingham's standpoint, some of the chief products affected are said to be nails, wire and similar steel
 
 ing these products in the district are the Gulf States Steel company and the American Steel and Wire company. James Bowron, chairman of the Gulf States was out of> the city Tuesday night, but it is known that he has been one of the chief defenders of Pittsburg plus and was regarded as one of the strongest witnesses appear ing in the behalf before the federal trade commission. The American Steel end Wire company, whose wire plant is in Fairfield, does not maintain ex- ecutive offices in Birmingham and George A. Millar, general superintend- ent of the plant, said he was not in position to comment on the decision.
 George w. Connors of the Connors Steel company has made q special study of thB Pittsburg plus system but he was in Washington Tuesday and will not return until the end of the week. R. I. Ingalls,, president of the Chamber of Commerce and head of the Ingalls, Iron Works company, re- ceived the news of the commissions s decision with interest but withheld comment until he could read the text of the order for abandonment of the Pittsburg plus basis. It is known, how ever, that Mir. Ingalls, has been some what opposed to the application of the plan.
 In Intricate Question
 The Virginia Bridge and Iron com pany is another large steel fabricator at it's Birmingham plant. John Me Cleary, Jr., manager of the local plant, said: Il am not in position to state just what the effect will be so far as we are concerned. It is a very intricate and involved question and will require a great deal of study to determine just how the industry will be affected"
 Manufacturers of pig iron while in terested in the matter said they were not affected one way or another. "Pittsburg plus does not apply to pig iron prices" said J. W. Mcqueen, president of the Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron company, ''so that our inter- est in the matter is only indirect"
 The fight on Pittsburg plus in Bir- mingham originates with the old Bir- mingham Civic association which was later merged with the Chamber of Commerce. State authorities were inter- ested in the subject several years ago and the attorney general of the state represented Alabama in making the fight in cooperation with other states of the union,