Birmingham age-herald., 1895-02-16
. THE COMMERCIAL CLUB Determined to See Its Desires
 Consummated. A COTTON MILL THE OBJECT On Which All Interest Now CenterS-An Address to the
 Alabama Press.
A COTTON MILL THE OBJECT

The Commercial club held we'll attended special meeting yesterday afternoon in the rooms of the club.
 President Moore presided and Secretary N. F. Thompson was at his desk.
 Secretary Thompson read the following report of the cotton mill committee, W hich was unanimously adopted by the club:
 Birmingham possesses unequaied advan- tages for cotton manufactar ing. These advantages may be enumerated under the following heads:
 1. Climatic.-Official figures show that Birmin gham is subject to less climatic ex- tremes than perhaps any other place on this continent, having mean temperature of 42.5 degress in winter and 72 degrees in summer.
 9. Healthfulness. The mortality for Bir- mingham among the white population last year was 9.8 per 1000, while the average for the country at large was fraction over IS per 1000. It is free from malarial and epi- demic diseases.
 8. Cotton supply y.--The finest and best grades of cotton raised in the south are from the prairie sections of Alabama and Mississippi, which are in close proximity to Birmingham. AS cotton market, 60, GOO bales are the receipts this year, as against 20, COO bales a few years ago.
 4. Transportation. The railroad center of the south, radiating to all points of the compass, with guarantee of competing freight rates to the markets of distribution of finished products.
 5. Labor.-As intelligent and tractable 8 class of labor as can be found anywhere and in as good supply, among whom strikes and labor disturbances are unknown.
 6. The cheapest coal in this country, ranging from 60 cents to 90 cents per ton delivered. The most successful mills in the south obtain their coal from Birming- ham at a cost of from S2.75 to s. per ton delivered.
 turing plants can be had free, and on one or more lines Of railroad. These offers range from five to forty acres of ground.
 8. Cheap building material.-All mate- rials for construction, including brick lime and lumber, are as low here as at any place in the south, and in many instances the figures for each of these are much lower in Birmingham than elsewhere.
 These are some of the natural advantages that Birmingham possesses in comparison with other southern places, aud as this in- dustry continues to develop the advantages of location will become more apparent, and the wisdom of selecting the most favored will be more clearly shown. The foregoing facts prove conclusively that no possible mistake can be made in locating such en- terprises in Birmingham. As compared with New England points there are yet other and stronger advantages than those above set forth. The saving in freight on raw material, the lower cost of living ex- penses of operatives from milder climate, the less outlay for fuel and lights, the longer hours of labor from favorable cli- matic inf1uences-these are added advan- tages for Birmingham which New England can never hope to overcome. la.- al sss4 The experimentalspe period, as it has been termed, has shown the prontabIeness of southern mills, even through the most trying fnsncial crisis ever known. These mills have paid dividend of from 10 to 20 per cent, and in some cases as high as 30 per cent has been made, while failures un- der ordinary management have been of very rare occurrence.
 The foregoing are simple and unvarnished facts, which any business man can easily verify. The committee appointed to place this enterprise before the people of Bir- mingham submit these facts and ask every friend of this city to give them the consid- eration they so richly merit.
 To give these facts, however, their highest value it is incumbent on the peo- pie of Birmingham to put them into practi- cal demonstration by building and operat- ing mill with their own capital and by their own people. The value of such an enterprise thus brought to a successful continuation cannot be overestimated. It will attract new capital for other and simi- lar enterprises. It will restore confidence in our ability to help ourselves, besides the direct profit from the investment itself.
 This committee therefore urges every one to talk for the CD nterprise, to work for it and to give it such aid financially as in- dividual circumstances will allow. It is designed to build a 10000 spindle yarn mill, that class promising the surest re- turns and being the groundwork for addi- tions in both weaving and knitting lines. In so far as this committee can mold the policy of the company every stockholder will be protected to the fullest extent in his investment, whether large or small, and each will have an equal voice in conducting it's affairs. The personal and business reputation of this committee individually and collectively is pledged to the foregoing ends. No debts are to be incurred, no bonds on the plant, but an outright busi- ness enterprise for the welfare of Birming- ham and the profit of it's stockholders. The subscription list will give conditions and details of the enterprise, and your com mittee deems them absolutely fair to all and respectfully but earnestly urges every one to "push it along" -
 B. B. CoMER,
 w. J. MILNER,
 w. G. ESTES,
 M. V. JOSEPH,
 E. D. NABERs,
 Committee. ferred to that position about the weather as whersupon Maj. W. J. Milner said that withals Birming gham was especially fa- vored. While other southern points are having from 10 to 12 inches of snow Bir- mingham has only about 4. He remem- harad tha in ,95 when Birmin cham had