The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-13
THE YEARS
 WORK DONE BY THE
 BUSINESS LEAGUE
Birmingham Organization Is Planning Greater Things
 for Coming Year
AIDS BUSINESS MAN IN
 MANY LINES OF TRADE
Estimated That League Has Brought More Than s1 100000 Worth of Trade That Wns Formerly
 Going Elsewhere

The board of directors of the Business Mems league at recent meeting made conservative resume of the work of the organization for the past year, and an nounced that more than s1, 100000 worth of trade was brought to the city during the year that would otherwise have been lost. Following this startling statement, they are planning even larger things for next year, and are just commencing a canvass for an increased membership next year.
 Canvassing committees from the board of directors will get busy during the coming week In signing up members for next year. The business section of the city has been divided into districts, each one of which will be worked by a sepa- rate committee.
 In order that the members of the league may know just what that organization has been doing and what 1t expects to do, Secretary F. P. Chaffee has issued the following statement, which is being printed in pamphlet form and will be distributed
 THE BUSINESS MEMS LEAGUE,
 Birmingham Busy Business Body.
 WHAT IT HAS BEEN DOING.
 Advertising Birmingham as a trade center in season and out of season.
 Railroad Rates, Schedules, Etc.-Has secured weekend rates on all railroads entering here except one. Tickets for weekend rates on sale Saturday and up to noon Sunday, good to return to sell ing point up to midnight the following Monday. These weekend rates are con- siderably lower than the regular rates.
 Has secured reduced 4S-hour rates on two of the trunk line railroads of this city.
 "The railroads have granted stopovers on all tourist tickets sold via this point
 Has secured such encouragement of accommodation train schedules on all of the railroads centering here that ample midday hours are now afforded out-of- town shoppers for trading in Birming- ham. These schedules are so convenient Iy arranged that out-of-town shoppers can leave home at reasonable morning hour, do their shopping in Birmingham, and return to their abodes before late night hour. In several instances the rail- roads put on new trains to accomplish this, and it has been the means of ex- tending Birminghams trade territory very considerably.
 Secured unusually low rates for the Alabama State Fair in October, and for number of conventions in Birmingham during the past year,
 Mailing Listas made up and dis trlbuted to such merchants as desired it mailing list embracing about 1900 names of reputable white people living throughout the trade territory of Bir- mingham. These names have been cir cularized periodically in the interest of the city's trade.
 Conventions and State Fair-Has brought number Of real trade-bringing conventions to the city and has helped finance number of conventions that brought people from a distance.
 "under Its auspices the recent Ala bama State Fair, which brought from $500 OOO to s750,00O worth of trade to the city, was conducted This was done ab- solutely without contributions from the merchants.
 
 fund bureau for the refundng of rail- road fares to out-of-town shoppers along such equitable and satisfactory lines as to please not only the merchants but the shoppers as we'll
 'Advertising-The advertising cam paign has been continued along aggres- sive lines. It has embraced the print ing and mailing of thousands of pam phlets and insertions display ads. in local and a large number of out-of-town papers, display ads on signboards, and the distribution of about 100000 stickers, leaflets, etc.
 Has Brought Trade-It has been con- servatively estimated that during the last year alone the work of the league has brought from s1.0G0,G60 to S1,5J0,000 worth of trade to Birmingham that was formerly going to other trading centers that encroached on our territory.
 WHAT IT GAN DO.
 Maintain the same spirit of fellowship and cooperation among the merchants that the work of the league has engen- dered This cooperation not only helps trade, but 1t helps the individual mer- chants and firms.
 "Week-end rates which were put on as an experiment have been made practical ly permanent by all the railroads having