The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-31
FORWARD MARCH. GAINS MOMENTUM.
 AS YEAR PASSES.
1924 One Of 'Strangest' In History Of Local
 District
MANY BIG MERGERS
 ARE OUTSTANDING
Development Of Warrior Line Source Of Grat-
 ification

Nineteen twenty-four will sink into the past Wednesday night as one of the strangest years in the history of this district from an in dustrial point of view, according to local industrial men. Changes that were electrical in their surprises and paramount in importance, sub sequently developed, have taken place. It's a changed district, that young MT. 1925 will greet when he plunges in while the whistles scream Thursday morning. It is doubtful whether so many changes have ever before been made, which are so important. in many ways to this district, resulting in better ments of operations, efficiency and the injection of new and vital interests into companies which augur well for the future.
 By virtue of it's position as the big gest company here. the activities of the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company have been vital to Birming- ham. That company has, first of all, operated 100 per cent in this district, while it's cousins in Youngstown, Brad- dock, Gary, South Chicago, Pittsburg and elsewhere have been limping along at 40 to 60 per cent with nifty S3 during December. Further, the com pany employees have been able to smash production records month after month hand running, many of them established during the war when operations were frenzied and fast.
 Later ol tAc company officials gave out the long expected announcement that four new open hearth furnaces, three new mills and other betterments were going in at Fairfield, and while no amount was named, common infor- nation Is, that the apRropriation was very large. Later on the c0rsfany alls nounced Improvements at the Bessemer rolling mill and an extension of the plate mill equal to the announcement that cotton ties were to be manufac- tured. This work is going ahead. along with the air line railroad, destined for completion in the early spring.
 Several Big Mergers
 Perhaps the most interesting changes in the district other than the arrival of lusty new plants, was the mergers that have taken place, eliminating from the district two of the oldest and most widely known companies here. The first was the merger of the Pratt Con soli0ated Coal company with the Ala bama By-Products corporation, with Morris w. Bush, president. The off cials of the former were merged into the official family of the present own CTS, and the widely known Pratt Con- solidated went out of the industrial his- tory of Birmingham, after many years as one of the leading producers of the district.
 Just before this was announced it became known that the SlOss-Sheffield Steel and Iron company was negitOatlng for the Alabama company. Later this sale was consummated and the Sloss is preparing now to open some of the plants of the Alabama which were slowed down, and in some cases stopped altogether pending the outcome of the trade. This merger eliminated also from the district a company known long and favoraby as one of the best producers in this district. The Ala bama company has gone into unwritten history of the district after having per kaps more ups and downs than any of the larger and important companies.
 Output Increased
 When these trades were brewing, Walter Moore and officials of the Pratt Fuel corporation were busy making some plans which resulted in its hold ings going up past the 35,000-acre point, and giving that company the power to produce 100000 tons of coal in 1925, unless all signs fail. The com pany purchased the Jagger interest, owned for years by J. l.. Patterson, and later merged the Grider properties, add ing Lowell Yerkes, of the Grider organi- zation to the board. Later the Burwell company, the Nelson Coal corporation
 Continued on page twO)