The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-11-17
BUSINESS LEAGUE
SHOWS RESULTS
Issues Statement on Accom-
pIishment of Year
BRINGS TRADE TO TOWN
Business Men Are Urged to Give Or
eanization Still More Hearty
Support for Work of the
Coming Year.

1OIiin9 Cdls
In preparing for the coming year the
Business Mems league has issued state
ment of its actual accomplishments dur
ing its one years life During the next
| few weeks the league will be brought to
the attention of all the merchants, and
they will want to know just what has
been done with their money in the past.
| Here is the official Statement:
'Tt has engendered a spirit of coop
| Grafton among the business men of Bir-
mingham which never existed before.
| This spirit alone, If it continues, as it
| surely will means more than can be COM
puted in mere dollars and cents in our
| citys advancement. No city has ever
achieved an important place or standing,
commercially industrially or otherwise,
without this spirit of cooperation among
| it's business men. With this spirit Biz
mingham has future place in CONNER
| cial history that will make it's previous
marvellous growth seem as crawling
child compared with the movement Of
heet-footed mercury.
! ITO come down to the real practical con-
crete results that have been accomplished
! by the league during the less than year
of its existence, the following may be
mentioned:
II. The cooperation of the railroads
with the business interests has been Sc
| cured The railroads have been made 70
| feel that their success depends upon the
success of the merchant or other business
interests of our city, and that the inter-
ests of both are mutual.
Eight railroads have granted weekend
rates into the city. These rates are de-
| cidedly less than the ordinary, with tick
| cts on sale Saturday and Sunday, good to
return to selling point until midnight
| of the following Monday.
1.-TWO of the railroads have granted
| special 4s-hour rates, good for any two
| days in the week
| "A number of changes in train sched-
| ules have been made at the solicitation OF
| the league, such changes giving decidedly
more midday shopping hours in the city
| to the out-of-town trade To accomplish
| this, two of the roads have, at our solicit
| tation. put on new accommodation trains
Several other changes in train sched-
ules are now under consideration, and
the league has hopes of accomplishing
| even greater results along this line.
Through the efforts of the league, de-
1
for such special occasions as conven-
tions, the State Fair and the visit of Pres
ident Taft, establishing precedent ror
| lower rates than heretofore granted for
| such occasions.
| IAN effort is also being made to secure
stonover privileges on all tourist tickets
sold over the various trunk lines via this
point.
| 49, A mailing list of over 5000 names of
| reputable white people, living along the
various railroads centering here has been
secured. duplicated and furnished to the
members of the league for cicularizing
| out-of- town trade.
49, The league has been instrumental
| in securing several real trade-bringing
conventions for our city, and is working
| to secure number of others during the
! coming year.
1.-The Terminal opening, which was the
| first work inaugurated by the Business
| Mems league, and which was one of the
| most successful affairs of its kind ever
| conducted here. advertised Birmingham
| throughout almost the entire country.
| "a The Alabama State Fair, held here
| this year, and which is acknowledges to
| have been the most successful and attrac-
| tive fair of it's kind ever held in the
| SOUTH was given practically under the
| auspices and management of the Busi-
| ness Mems league. This fair, while it
| brought more trade to Birmingham (esti
mated at over 100000, cost the merchants
| less in subscriptions than any fair ever
! held here.
So A refund bureau for the refunding
| of railroad fares of out-of-town shoppers,
| has been organized as an auxiliary of the
league, and has been in practical opera
ton since September 6. This bureau Is
| conducted under such equitable and sat
| isfactory lines that it has not only pleased
| the merchants themselves, but has so sat
isfed and attracted new out-of-town trade