The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-20
COMMERCIAL CLUB GOES INTO HISTORY AS THING OF PAST Chamber of Commerce Is Now Name of Big Commercial
 Organization NEW BODY IND0RSES HALF BILLION BOND ISSUE Announced That Top Floor of New Building Will Be Set Aside as
 Monday Lunch Room and
 Exhibit Hall.

The Commercial club became the Cham
 Der of Commerce in name as well as in
 fact yesterday afternoon, when, upon the
 suggestion of the board of directors and the motion of J. B. Gibson, the name which has been so long connected with
 the new home of the commercial organ
 izations of the city, was formally adopted. The president was also instructed to
 appoint a committee to act jointly with committees from the Board of Trade and
 the Business Mems league for the forma-
 tion and complete organization of the
 chamber, and the grouping of all the or
 ganizations of the city under the one
 head. However, they will all hold their
 Individuality except the Commercial club, which has become the central figure in
 the group.
 The first session of the Chamber of Commerce was full of interest, and was attended by a large crowd of merchants and business men. Among the important actions was the adoption of resolutions
 urging Congress to issue $5OO000OOO worth of bonds for waterways improvements, which was done against the protest of I. K. The chamber discussed the water ques-
 tion pro and con, and instructed com
 mittee to keep its eye on the City Coun- cil,' and listened to a very apt discus- sion of organized charity by Joseph B. Logan of Atlanta.
 | The most important committee report was that of Robert Jemison, Jr., who an- nounced that the building committee of 1 the Chamber of Commerce Construction
 company had decided to do away with the
 partitions for offices on the seventh floor
 of the new building, and to install noon-
 day lunch room connected with an exhibi-
 tion room, where the products of the dis | trict and state will be on show.
 The noon-day lunch room idea was in
 dorsed unanimously, and those present
 considered it the best way to get the | membership into social relations. MT.
 Jemison reported that the concrete work
 on the building has reached the top
 floor, and that it will be completed Sep
 tember l. He said that 50 per cent of the
 estimated revenues have already been
 closed up in leases.
 1 MT. Jemison called attention to the fact | that through the courtesy ofNMajor Sewell
 of the Alabama Marble Works the l ground floor marble work will be from
 an extra quality, the prettiest in the city. | The chamber voted him hearty thanks. When the meeting was called to order, and the change of name had been per- fected, Rufus N. Rhodes, who was pre- siding, recognized James Bowron for his 1fa pat issue. MT. Bowron read his report, op- posing the issue not for selfish local req sons, but because he considered the coun- try at this time unable to carefully take
 up such an enormous proposition.
 Robert Jemison, ST., moved a substi-
 tute which indorsed the appropriation. He said that the expenditure would scatter over 15 years and would help Alabama. F. Y. Anderson insisted that the country should have free use of the rivers and believed that Alabama could get large share of the bond issue. Alex R. Dear born T. H. Notion and others argued in favor of the appropriation, after which MT. Bowron defended his report, insisting
 that he had always been contender for waterway improvements. but he did not believe in turning over so much money to Congress to scramble over. He said that
 some congressman were seeking improve ments of rivers where it would be cheaper to macadamize the stream.
 A. R. Dearborn of the water commit tee reported the inaction of the council and read a letter from T. H. Friel T. H. Motion spoke against giving North Bir-
 mingham the franchise. If we've got contract, let's live up to it," he said. q am opposed to issuing any more fran
 chises. The works must be owned and op- erated by Birmingham"
 Alderman Estes said that he thought there. would be very little danger of the council issuing the franchise.
 It was announced that the directors of the chamber will hold a meeting Monday afternoon at o'clock to take up the Greater Birmingham bills which have been prepared by the special committee.
 These new members were elected: L. A. Davis, William F. Thornton, G. E.
 Books, James A. Allen, J. A. Gorham, Lee
 Thompson Smith and Ector H. Smith.