The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-02-17
Talented SeImians.
REVIEW OF THE WEEK.
The Virus of Hope Is Taking In the
 Southern States.

Columbus, Ga, February 16.-(SpeciaL) J. The Georgia and Alabama Industrial In- dex will say tomorrow in It's regular week ly issue:
 '"The virus of hope and renewed de- termination that was injected into the veins of commerce and industry in the south at the beginning of the new year is taking in a manner truly gratifying in the states of Georgia and Alabama. The general business reports from over the two states are of a decidedly cheerful character, and indications are that build ing operations in the spring months will be on quite an extensive scale.
 Throughout the great mineral region of Alabama a feeling of radiant optimism has been generated by the official an- nouncement that plans to reorganze the Southern Steel properties have been com pleted and 5000 GOO with which to make immediate improvements and enlarge ments at various steel mills, iron fur naces, coal mines, and iron mines has been secured, much of the capital being furnished by Paris and London bank CTS. These substantial expenditures will
 
 vestments in northern Alabama where business enterprise is asserting itself in particularly aggressive manner just now Among the mineral deals reported from that section during the past week was the sale of brown ore property at Russell vile for s1sO,O0O cash, the purchasers be- ing Pennsylvanians.
 'An official report just compiled shows that during the past seven years the de- posits of the state banks in Georgia have exactly doubled, being now near the s5O,- GOO, 900 mark. Those were not, indeed seven lean and hungry years in Georgia judging from this record. The majority of these state banks are in small towns and a large proportion of this $50 O00, 900 is owned by the farming class
 ''In cement and stone there is being written near Jackson, Ga, one of the most important chapters in the industrial history of Georgia, for the work of con- structing the big dam across the ,Ocmul- gee river at that point Is in full swing fully 500 men being busily engaged. The work is progressing by day and by night there being two shifts of aborers
 'At Mobile an out-of-town capitalist paid $72,500 for choice realty in that city and his investments in real estate there now aggregate nearly s1.000,000 At Sa- vannah a high-grade residential park is to be established by Baltimore capitalists who have acquired 700 acres and propose to improve the property on an elaborate and expensive plan. It is planned to make the park a homng place for northern people spending their winters in the south.
 "A new bank is to be established at Gadsden, and an Anniston bank voted to increase its capital stock from s100. coo to $150,000 A dozen new corporations ap- piled. for charter during the week. with aggregate minimum stock of S294. 300.
 within a week the contracts will prob ably have been let for the construction of large, modern cotton mills at Manchester. Ga, and LaGrange, Ga. A $100.000 cotton manufacturing company asked for charter at Macon Ga
 ''The revival in the sawmil industry is we'll illustrated by the many purchases of ga wmill equipment now being made. Nu- merous construction items are reported, including residences, business structures and municipal improvements.