The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-07


This fact alone gives US splendid idea
of the business that is being carried
on in Birmingham.
What better testimonial can we receive
of the commercial and industrial advan-
tages of Birmingham than by the fact
that the Tennessee Coal and Iron COM
pany, recently acquired by the United
States Steel corporation, will spend from
s30,0O0,000 to LOCO In developing its
mining properties.
Wealth has come quickly and rapidly to
Birmingham This can be shown by tho
fact that the tax valuation of the Bir-
mingham district has multiplied nearly 40
times in the practically short period Of
81 years. Another instance of this can
be readily shown by the growth of finan-
cial institutions in Birmingham. The
commercial interests are well cared for
by II strong banks in the city. The
clearings in 1907 were about s2O,0OO.0o0, an
increase of 600 per cent in ten years. In
eight years the deposits increased from
100000 to $40, 600, 0O0-almost trebled.
What other southern city can show u
like increase?
Although the region surrounding Bir-
mingham Is distinctively a mineral re-
gion it is also a fertile territory and has
made Birmingham one of the greatest
produce anu I'VE stoch llisil hctS III tho
south.
Birmingham is the home of the labor
man as well as the moneyed man. He
will find plenty of work, living reason
able, excellent educational facilities for
himself and children, healthy climate,
and an equality of feeling that Is rarely
met with.
Birmingham has appealed to many as
residential city and the mountains which
surround the city are decked with mag
nificent and costly residences. The size,
cost and architectural excellence Of these
magnificent homes always arouse pleased
comments from all visitors.
have concluslvely proven by my state
ments and the diagrams that Birming-
ham is the largest and most important n
dustrial city in the south. l now wish
to emphasize how nature and man COM
bined have made Birmingham the key
to the vast Pacific trade of the future.
We find that Birmingham is by far
the nearest Industrial and manufacturing
city to the Panama canal, being distant
only bout 1850 miles. We know that the
railroad facilities of Birmingham are ex-
cellent and together with the fact of its
proximity to the canal there is opened up
to the manufacturers of Birmingham u
field of unlimited possibilities The west
ern coast of South America, all Of Aus
tralia, the Orient with it's half bill
lion people, and even the enterprising
Pacific coast of the United States, all
need the manufactured products of Biz
mingham This must be a great induce
ment to both large and small manufac-
turers. Some will claim that railroad
rates are high and utter the usual plants.
To them I will say that engineering ex-
perts, the greatest in the land, have de-
clared that Birmingham can get the ad-
yantages of water transportation on the
route to the Gulf of Mexico through the
Improvement of the Alabama river. With
this feat accomplished no reason what
ever can be advanced that will keep Bir-
minsham from becoming one of the
greatest Industrial and commercial CEN
tiers in the world.
And now, honorable judges, have
proved to you that the commercial ana
Industrial advantages of Birmingham
excel by far those of any other southern
CITY because, besides. the evidence from
her location, from her growth In pop
ulation and wealth, from her high val
uation. from her increase in banking
figures. from her lumber, live stock and
iobbing trade, there are three overwheim-
ing proofs of her superior commercial
and Industrial advantages:
/ Her mighty volume of tonnage equal
;ng that of Great Britain and her col
onies
through the Panama canal to Pacific
countries.
4 And above all, her unrivaled emil
hence in mineral resources.
"''' " DAVID BoRNET.