The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-01
Production Forecasts
 InIndustrial Birmingham
District Getting Better Prices For Output And
 Right In Face Of Encouraging Futures

With products from the Birmingham district in strong demand, and this right in the face of a rising market, there is every indication of great pros- perity--an improvement in business not only insured for the first quarter of the new year but an improvement that will probably extent throughout 1925.
 A heavy volume of business in pig iron is coming into Birmingham not only from over the south but from points in the west and middle west as we'll Some time ago prediction was made in these columns, based on a statement by prominent local au- thority, that No. foundry would likely reach the $20 peak by January 1. Now, it is Tumored that that quotation may even come before the first of the year so heavy is the demand from outside.
 There is an active demand ill Bir- mingham for products of steel mills. Coal operators are feeling optimistic. Although the price of steam coal re- mains practically unchanged, there was a slightly improved demand which au- gurs well for the future. The domestic situation is satisfactory under prevail ing weather conditions. While the cold snap has brought more business to re- tail coal dealers, absence of rain has affected sales to a considerable extent because it is not necessary to keep the home fire burning throughout the day for Old Sol manages to peep his nose through the fog and smoke after awhile every morning.
 There is a fairly good demand for coke, with slight improvement during the week. Prices were about the same
 Building operations in Birmingham for the past II months exceeded the 1923 total by more than $6,O0O, ,000, ac- cording to J. D. Spencer, city building inspector, who pointed out that the 1924 total was only $1,719,564. less than the total for 1922 and 1923. This comparison should give a concrete idea of the magnitude of the building indus try in Birmingham this year. The building permits in Birmingham for the year may exceed $2O,OOO,OOO That figure is much less than actual build- ing costs.
 The writer during the week was speaking of the building situation to a member of one of the largest construc- tioH III HIS opcIdtlHS III Iuc DIT lTiulllSudu III district. This contractor said that in his opinion Birmingham was just en- tering upon its building program, that this year of course has been the great est in the history of the city and that 1925's total might not reach the total of 1924; yet the chart line would even- tually rise higher than 1924 because Birmingham is coming into its own and the growth of the city, backed as it is by so many substantial industries, is to become greater and greater until Birmingham will eventually become the biggest city in the south.
 Another good sign for Birmingham was the settling down of the real es- tate situation. Ever since Announce- ment was made that the large office building was to be erected on Twen- tieth street, south, there had been a period of realty purchases that was mostly inspired through speculative de- sires. With that period passing away investments are being made along saner channels; that is, per one are buying for investment purposes and not for speculation.
 Attention of the Birmingham district has been centered recently upon the quotations of Gulf States Steel and Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron compa- ny's quotations on the New York Stock Exchange. The Sloss stock reached the high mark of SPA Saturday while the highest quotation for Gulf States Steel was S1%.
 Conviction is general among iron and steel makers that the prosperity of the present is not of temporary nature. but that it will be of long duration. Backing this opinion is the fact that supporting the demand is the knowl- edge that the country is really in need of the goods if the building era is to continue upon its present level. /
 Perhaps little attention has been paid