The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-16
BIRMINGHAM FIRMS
 GAN LAND BUSINESS

In a letter to Secretary J. B. Babb of the Chamber of Commerce President J. V. Schaefer of the Schaefer Manu- featuring company, explains the failure of the Birmingham firms to land the contract for the standpipe on Red moun- tain, and tells of the present ability of iron manufacturers in Birmingham to fill large orders. He says:
 Tn recent issue of The Age-Herald there appeared a statement about the new standpipe now being erected on Red mountain and in concluding the writer lamented that Chattanooga firm could come down to Birmingham and take away from Birmingham manufacturers the bus mess of building this standpipe.
 T have been waiting to see someone answer this, as this statement stands as an arraignment of Birmingham's ca- pacity to do such work. No one having done this in a public way, I will give you herewith such few facts bearing on the point as are available, and you may give them such publicity as you think best.
 'In the first place, it is not to be expected that local manufacturers will get all the local work. regardless of equipment or business energy. Outside manufacturers are represented here by able and energetic men who will not over look opportunities to bid on local work and who will always get a share of this work There are always some people in every community, drawing their revenue from the community, but little mindful of the claim their neighbors may have on their patronage. Only recently some men who made their money In this com munity gave to Pittsburg manufacturers a large order for machinery at the very same figure alocaI firm was willing to do 1t for and a little investigation would have shown that the local firm was bet ter equipped to do the work than the Pittsburg parties who are executing the order. But men who do this are the exception and not the rule.
 Coming to the matter of the stand- pipe. know nothing of this particular transaction, but I know that at the time this contract was let Chattanooga manu- lecturers had decided advantage over Birmingham manufacturers in cost of material They could lay their material down in Birmingham with all freight paid at a cost for material of 20 cents per 100 pounds less than the material cost the local manufacturers. This diff
 
 very decided advantage over local manufacturer.
 Tn spite of the disadvantage under which local manufacturers have labored n the matter of cost of material, they can point with some pride to the work they have done here in the past. Wood- ward No. furnace and Vanderbilt fur mace were built almost entirely by local manufacturers, and greater and lesser parts of other furnaces in the district were so built In competition with out side firms. In addition to this the local manufacturers have had very fair share of such work as tanks, structural steel and other work tributary to this district.
 Tt Is not my object in this letter to apologize for the loss of the standpipe contract to a Chattanooga firm. I do wish to emphasize most strongly, how ever, that conditions in the matter of cost of materials are now more favor able than they have been in the past and that Birmingham parties are we'll able to compete successfully with firms in Chattanooga or any other city for such plate work and structural steel work as may be offered In this district"