The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-01-10
BABB WRITES ON
CHAMBERS WORK
ARTICLE IN ATLANTA PAPER
TELLS HOW BIRMINGHAM IS DO
ING THINGS AND WILL BE READ
WITH INTEREST HERE.

IN pra@sese to official orrau of I'm
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, for jan
uary appears a story by Joseph B. Babb.
with picture and description OF the Biz
mingham Chamber of Commerce build
beyond its advertising value to Bir-
mingham is an inspiration for any city:
with this I enclose a picture of our
new building. 1t represents an expendi-
ture Of S290,000, $4,000 having been paid
for the lot, which is 100x100. on a conspic
uous corner, the $3.50, 900 being represented
In the cost of the building The ediflce
was erected by issuing s150,00o first mort
gage bonds and s135.000 preferred stock,
the common stock in the building being
owned entirely by the chamber of COM
merce
The building project was launched and
successfully carried out in what we term
the Birmingham way The committee
met at II o'clock on June II, 1903, forrnu-
lated plans and made their report for n
meeting of the chamber Of commerce at
o'clock. subscriptions were called for
and $4,000 was subscribed at the meet
ing. The committee was appointed to
costinue the work OF soliciting subscrip-
lions. By this time II was o'clock and
the business men had gone home for the
evening. A tour was made OF the resi-
Dental district and continued to the early
hours of the next morning, and at 2 a.
m, or just fourteen hours after the
proposition was launched the members
OF the committee underworld the few re-
naming thousand dollars of subscrip-
tons necessary to complete the success of
the enterprise. The building was erected
In schedule time and has been occupied
by the chamber of commerce and its al
lied organizations since the LIST of Octo-
Der.
'The basement, second and seventh
floors of the building are devoted to the
use Of the chamber of commerce and al
lied organizations. The basement is the
machinery exhibit hall. On the second
floor are the business offices and audi
torium and on the top floor is the cafe
and exhibit hall for manufactured and
agricultural products.
The chamber Of commerce is now en-
gagged in the work of raising $4,000 to
promote the location OF new industries in
the Birmingham district. The initial
meeting of this committee was held last
week and $4,000 was subscribed and re-
sponses to the request OF the committee
are of such character that the success of
this enterprise may be assured.
1.-The work of the chamber Of commerce
in Birmingham Is In line with that of
similar organizations in other cities. 1t
has located number of industries in the
Birmingham district. 1t has been instru-
mental in securing an appropriation for
the canalization of Warrior river. This
work, when completed, will make Biz
mingham a river town. Its affiliated or
ganization, the Merchants and Manufac-
turers' association, maintains a well
equipped freight bureau. The chamber
of commerce entertains distinguished
guests, and has brought q number of
conventions to Birmingham. 1t promotes
civic improvements. 1t leads in looking
after the legislation affecting the business
interests of the state Through its in
strumentality, the foreign loan tax bill.
which threatened to drive foreign money
out of Alabama, was repealed. Through
the efforts of the chamber of commerce
the Greater Birmingham legislation was
effected.
THE efforts of the chamber of COM
merce are not exclusively unitarian.
Under its auspices $4,000 was raised to
take care of the widows and orphans of
the Virginia mine disaster a few years
ago.
THE chamber of commerce IL indeed
the mouthpiece and factor of the civic
life of Birmingham as distinguished from
its political life."