The age-herald., 1898-10-25
COMMERCIAL CLUB AFTER FACTORIES TWenty-0n0 Thousand Dollars Will Be
 Raised
  TO SECURE THREE BIG ONES 4 Representative Meeting of Business Men Last Night. H~. s-
TO SECURE THREE BIG ONES
REPORT OF SPECIAL COMMITTEE
Wagon Factory, Chair Factory and Fur niture Factory Will be Located-In- creased Pay Rolls and Diversi-
 fled Industries Enthusiasm.


 One of the most representative gather ings of the business men of Birmingham as- sembled last night at the Commercial club
 in response to the call of President Steiner to hear the report of the special committete appointed by the club to investigate and consider the removal of several established manufacturing industries which can be To- cated in this city. The meeting was not only representative of the business inter- ests but also of the municipalities of the district. there being present three mayors, making it really representative meeting of Greater Birmingham"
 The meeting was called to order by Pres ident B. Steiner, of the Commercial club. MT. Steiner stated the object of the meet ing and said that when he was elected president of the Commercial club, eondi- tions were unfavorable to the promotion of business enterprises on account of war, which was followed by yellow fever and other things which interfered, but since these were all past the future was bright and he only asked the assistance and CO., operation of the business men of the city in accomplishing great results for Bir- mingham during the next six months.
 The Report
 The report of the eommfttete was then read by Robert Jemison as follows:
 Birmingham, Ala, Oct 24 1898. To the President and Members of the Com
 mercial Club:
 Gentlemen:-Your committee appointed to aid MT. E. B. Miller in the investigation and consideration of the factories submitted by him Gas having made propositions to lo- cate here) now have the pleasure to submit the following report:
 A wagon factory thoroughly established and we'll known tbrorghc.t the south, wishes to locate in some southern city haV- ing good freight rates, railroads, etc. They agree, in case of removal here, to make 20 900 wagons a, year, employ at the start 2o0 skilled men and increase this to 400 employees by 1900. They will buy spokes, hubs and other light timber from farmers haulingrlt in wagons at from ten to twenty-five miles, and expect to pay out for this oyer $f00 a day. They will also require from our roll ing mills from 150 to 200 tons of iron per month; they will require from our saw mills, and the hauling from the railroads 8 GOO, 600 feet of white oak per year, 75V,0O0 feet of hickory per year, 75O,000 feet or vel low poplar per year. 75o,OoO feet of pine per year.
 Their superintendent, manager, seven to ten foremen, ten clerks and six travelling salesmen would want good homes In Rir- mingham most of them buying or building. Out of the eighty-five families that would remove with the plant, they estimate that fifty of their skilled men whom they pay from $2.5O to $3 per day each will be able to purchase or build homes at from $500 to $1, ,5OO each. One hundred and twenty-five cottages would have to be built around their works, and the twenty-five acres upon which they would locate their plant will be
 alxs -hAr 0N1 nnh paint shops, warehouse, etc., which VIII cost upwards of $50,000. They will not rent or build houses, nor run commissary store, but will buy, in sundry supplies, at least $1O0 to $2OO day from our merchants. The receopts from the sale of their wagons will aggregate $1,000,0OO per year, 70 Der cent of which will be expended in this immed- fate vicinity.
 To make this removal and transfer 15O carloads of machinery, entails loss to them of over $30,O00 including the buildings which they would abandon. They ask from us $10,000 in cash, 5000 in building material, S, 900 in freight Approximate esti- mattel and twenty-five acres of land, eligl- bly, situated for side tracks, plenty of water, street cars, etc. The timber supply, freight on lumber, and other conditions have been gone over and fouud fairly sat- isfactory.
 Al chair factory, now having large trade
  to make 10000 chairs a year, dtsbursing over $2500O annually. They will employ from sixty to seventy-fve hands, and will give employment to over 100 families seat ing chairs at their own homes. They will remove here over twenty families, who will at once require cottages and they require from us four acres of land and $2,500 cash. A Michigan Wood Working Furniture Novelty company, making parlor center tables, music cabinets, plano stools, bric-a- Lraa txrfll hnF making the above articles, also making 800 or more small wooden boxes per day. They ask one acre and $400 cash.
 Birmingham and our immediate vicinity send north over $15,0O0 year for common chairs Our merchants buy each month over 5000 of wooden boxes from Georgia, Nashville and Memphis.
 The southern states buy from the north ern states 100000 wagons a year, sending north over $20000,00O each year to support the mechanics there. Birmingham and Alabama alone buy 4O,000 wagons each year. These factories located here, their wares would go to every village and city in the south, as well as to Mexico, Cuba and the nations further south, thus constantly ad- vertisng Birmingham.
 These employees are thrifty German and American artisans, who will be home builders in Birmingham.
 The managers of these plants assert that as direct result of their location here, a NlHdSe OI LOW peOpio, spreading over -One- half mile square of area, will be created and they suggest that the plants be located adjoining settled community, where they can obtain boys from 16 to 20 years of age, who will be given the choice of one of four different trades to learn
 Iron and coal have their periods of f1uctuation, strikes and "shut-downs," and at such times we all keenly feel the stop- ping of the payroll. It is well, therefore, tna, we have diversifcation of industries The character and standing of the own CTS and managers of these plants have been critically examined by us and we heartily recommend them to this community. and urge the acceptance of these propositions. It will take thirty acres of ground. eli gibly situated. and s21,6e0 to secure them; one month of their pay rolls would pay this back to us, and month after month, and year after year this pay roll would circulate into every avenue of trade, con- stantly augmenting its amount. These plants coming to us at this time