The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-01
B. F. EBORN
 Morris Hotel Building
ALABAMA AND
 GEORGIA BUSY A Week of Big Things In the Two Favored Southern
 States. stj

Columbus, Ga, June. 30-(Special.) )-The Georgia and Alabama Industrial Index will say tomorrow in its regular weekly issue:
 ''The spirit of business enterprise is abroad in the southern country, especially in the favored states of Georgia and Alabama, as Is we'll illustrated in a hun dred different ways. Along with the resumption of normal conditions there is variety of industrial and business ex- pansion that indicate that the greatest era in the development of the souths material resources is now in its dawn.
 "It has been a week of big things in Alabama, and Mobile, the port for that state has been very much in the lime light. The Birmingham and Gulf Navi- gatfon company, proceeding with it's am- bilious plans to transport the products of the Alabama iron and coal fields to tidewater, has acquired eight steamers, plying the Alabama and Tombgbee rivers. The boats will connect with the new cleo tric line that Is to pierce the heart of the Alabama mineral district, extending from Tuscaloosa to Gadsden, via Birming-
 
 products of Alabama's mines and factories by electric railway and steamboat to Mo- bile Bay, where great shipping station is to be established on Dauphin Island. It is an ambitious undertaking, and one Is not surprised that the capital of the company Is the good round sum of s1O,- 0O0,OOO
 'The Mobile Portland Cement company and William J. Oliver. the big Tennes- see contractor, have joined forces, form ing the Mobile Portland Cement and Coal company, with capital stock of $6,0OO,OO0 and authority to issue $3,OO0,00O of bonds, and the new corporation will proceed to build the large cement plant at St. Ste phens, Ala. that was projected some time ago. The company will also develop near ly 10000 acres of coal lands, and the prod 1 ucts of the coal fields and cement plants will be carried by barge to Mobile Another incident of the week in Mo- l bile was the announcement that a $50O,- | 900 company had been formed under the laws of South Dakota to develop property
 along Mobile Bay. The banks in that l city had fine, report to make of their 1 OpeTdtlOuS IOT tHe IlTSI udlI Oi l3Uo, ana reported that business was considerably
 better than in the last half of 1907. All l the banks declared nice dividends, one of
 the semi-annual dividends being as high as 121k per cent. One institution reported that its net earnings during the past fiscal 1 year had been 20 per cent.
 "The canneries that have been estab. lished in Georgia and Alabama this year are giving employment to many people and the proprietors anticipate nice profit. Their success is giving a great impetus to the industry, and it is pre- dicted that next spring scores of can neries will be established in the two states. Another subject in which the people in the farming districts are be- i coming more and more interested is that of creameries. One is being established at Newman, Ga., by the farmers of Cow eta county, and there Is an agitation to launch such an enterprise at Toccoa, in | the mountains of North Georgia A creamery was recently established at Ce- dartown, Ga.
 lover 20 new corporations were formed during the week in the two states and I | mercantile investment
 '"The details of construction work for | the two states show many features of in- terest. The building boom continues in l full swing, and the people are not only l building, but are using better materisl, l owing to the present favorable prices 1t l has been years since plans were drawn 1 for so many brick and concrete struc- l lures, and In good many of the more
 ambitious buildings steel figures prom- nently. The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce is going right ahead with its plan to erect a handsome office building l that will be a credit to the organization | and an inspiration to the investors of 1 that city. Contract for a modern building ] of six or eight stories may be let this l week by Selma Ala, bank.
 l Pretoria, lumber center down in | Southwest Georgia, that has been silent 1 and almost in the deserted village class l for the past two or three months, owing l to the closing dowL of the big lumber plant there, Is to resume it's former busy l appearance, Thomasvile Ga, company l having concluded its arrangements to place the pine lumber plant there in operation again."