The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-04

to the fact that persons who heretofore spent money on liquor had it to buyNcoal and provisions. The record is somewhat remarkable when 1t Is considered that the temperature went as low as 71s degrees above zero, the coldest Atlanta has had in four or five years.
 The Associated Charities, by the way, has had rather hard fight for existence. Inaugurated some three or four years ago, and it's management placed in cap able hands, it has done splendid work for Atlanta, but it's office expenses as well as its needs for charitable work, have been greater than it's income. One of the chief benefits from it's work has been the disappearance from the streets of practically all the chronic beggars. This institution has investigated each case and the result has been that those who could work were made to do so or leave the city, while others were provided for in institutions of charity. For the last two years Atlanta has had a growing scarcity of street beggars to contend with, Employment has been found for several hundred persons who are, therefore, no longer charges upon the community.
 The Associated Charities chief source of income has been from $5 year mem berchip dues of 700 members, together with an appropriation fro mthe city coun- cil and some few personal donations usu- ally given for specific causes. This has been found totally inadequate to the work, and realizing the importance of continuing it and holding onto what it has already attained, those who have sup ported It in the past have begun a cam paign for 1000 new members at $5 each making a total of HOO. This campaign has been in progress about 10 days, and already between 600 and 700 names have been added to the membership rolls. The management is encouraged. and considers there is no doubt of the complete sue cess of the plan.
 When Atlantans are approached by beg gars, whether chronically so or persons temporarily in needy circumstances, all they have to do is to refer them to Sec retary JoejLogan of the Associated Chari- ties. They may go to him with the as- surance that their actual needs will be supplied. Of course, the frauds don't go.
 Fears for Fruit Crop.
 While the gruit growers consider that the Georgia peach crop has gotten the sbetter of one of the gravest weather dis asters that threatened it, experts do not think 1t Is by any means out of the woods.
 \ A late heavy frost or freeze following a prolonged warm spell is, of course, the condition to be feared and the weather has been, playing SO many pranks. this season that the prognosticators are no lit tie worried. They will continue to be sntil all danger of a killing frost has passed.
 A moderately cold February, which, by all means, ought to follow the mild win ter season which has prevailed, would furnish the most positive assurance of a good crop. State Entomologist E. L.. Worsham has examined the orchards in several sections of the state as have also the growers who are watching the situation most anxiously. All report that nowhere have the buds sufficiently ad- vanced to be in any grave danger from cold. Only in a few isolated instances such as where the trees were sheltered by houses, have they opened. In such cass the fruit has already been destroyd but it is not of sufficient extent to make even a slight impression on the crop.
 Altogether the fruit growing interests are most hopeful and the feeling seems to be that everything will turn out we'll this year both as to quantity. quality and price.
 Too Much Credit.
 There is comparatively little interest in the fact, perhaps, that R. l.. Hornby, a merchant of Piedmont, Ala, has just been brought to Atlanta and placed un- der $500 bond on the charge preferred by the M. c. Riser company of obtain ing goods under false pretenses.
 But back of this is the cooperative de- termination on the part of the Atlanta wholesale merchants to put a stop to this kind of business and they have pro- ceeded to take the bull by the horns. There has been considerable complaint among the big wholesale dealers of late of merchants here and there in small