The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-11
CHAFFEE REVIEWS
 WORK OF THE YEAR How Business Mems sLeague
 Brought Trade REBATE BUREAUS SUCCESS Secretary Urges Continuation of Work Along Lines Originally Intended
 gro Bring More Trade to
 Birmingham"
REBATE BUREAUS SUCCESS

I annual meeting of the Business Mems ] league was full narration of the great activities of this organization during It's first year. The report is full in every de- tail, and will be of interest to those who have been watching Birmingham's traoe | grow during 1909. Here it is: MT. President and Members, the Business Mems League, Birmingham, Ala
 Conference.-The movement which began with IS of your members on February "A, l last, to make an organized enort TO bring more trade to Birmingham and which resulted in the organization Of the Business Mems league with member ship embracing all of the important bus mess houses of the city, has, 1t Is thought, | fulfilled your expectations.
 The clear-cut and specific purpose Of the league to bring more trade to the city l has been strictly adhered to. No effort 1 has been wasted in other directions or in attempting to do work which could l be properly taken care Of by other or ganisations of the city The league made 1 no extravagant promises of what 1t would ! accomplish and indulged in no buoyant re- i solutions Your officers and board Of 1 directors, immediately after your organ l ization, got down to enthusiastic work. | The work to be accomplished was planned on well defined lines, and 1t is gratify- ! ing to state that the plans made last 1 spring have been carried out, and in all most every instance we have accom- l plished that which we set out to do. 1 One of the greatest asserts Of our work, so far is the cooperation and get 1 together spirit engendered among the bus mess men of Birmingham. If nothing else has been accomplished, this alone is well worth all 1t has cost you in time and money.
 Cooperation of Railroads. The railroads have co-operated most l generously with the league, and have been made to feel that their interests and yours 1 are mutual
 1 Six railroads, at our solicitation, put on weekend rates as an experiment. They were given to understand that we would give these rates such wide advertising and bring such an increase of traffic as would justify making the concession per- manent. In every case the roads found the results so gratifying that the week end rates have been continued indefinite ly, and are now practically permanent. These rates are decidedly less than the ordinary, with tickets on sale each Sat 1 urday and Sunday, good to return to sell ing point til midnight the following Mon- day
 Two of the railroads have granted spe- [ cial 4s-hour rates, good for any two con- seoutive days.
 Two of the roads have put on addition al accommodation trains. A number of ! changes in train schedules have been made at the solicitation of the league, 1 the changes giving decidedly more mid day shopping hours in the city to the out or-town trade.
 i Several other changes in train schedules are now under consideration, and the league has hopes of accomplishing even l greater results in this connection. 1 Decidedly reduced rates have been se- 1 cured for such occasions as conventions the State fair, and the visit of President Taft the two last occasions securing lower rates than ever before granted.
 Stop-over privileges have also been se- cured on all tourist tickets sold over 1 the various trunk lines via this point
 Conventions.
 l The league has secured several real ] trade-bringing conventions for our city. 1 The Terminal opening celebration. the nrst work of the league, was one of the 1 most successful affairs of its kind ever conducted and advertised Birmingham l throughout tho entire county 1 The State Educational association, with about 1900 teacher delegates, was held | here last spring at the invitation of the league It brought considerable re- tail trade and Its cost was slight in com parison with the results 1t gave. The state and national farmers union conventions here last September were also brought through tho invitation and l cooperation of the league, and gave very satisfactory trade results.
 1 The Alabama State Fair held here in ] October which was acknowledged to have | been the most attractive and success 1 ful fair ever held in the south. was given under the auspices and management of l the Business Mems league. This fair. which is estimated to have brought at l least e100,000 In trade to the city, cost ] the merchants less in subscriptions than 1 any fair ever held here
 1 The State Educational association will, at our invitation, meet here March 2-c0, l 1910. with about ZOO delegates. Our se- curing this convention again this year is
 considered quite . victory for Birmine- ham, and is an evidence that the dele gates were more than pleased with their treatment here last spring.
 l Rebate Bureau.
 A rebate bureau. for the refunding of railroad fares of out-of-town shoppers
 was started on September as an auxiI-
 iary of the league This bureau, while
 embracing only such firms as desire to | participate in It's benefit, is conducted | without expense to the other members
 of the league, the expense incident to
 it's operation being met on an equitable
 pro rata basis by those receiving trade through its operation. As will be shown by statements below, it has brought a large, new and increasing trade to the
 city.
 Advertising.
 All of the above facts-railroad con-
 sessions, weekend rates and special rates
 the state fair, etc, were thoroughly and
 widely advertised throughout the south-
 ern half of Alabama and adjoining states
 The advertising campaign embraces dis
 play ads. and reading notices in the
 local and a large number of out-of-town
 papers, signboards, bill posting. pamph.
 lets, stickers, circulars, And in every
 other way which could be effectively
 utilized in and up-toAdate system of ad'
 veftisins. -e
 yertising agency, 14000 copies of a 124
 pare aShorbers' Guide to Greater Bir
 rninghau6~ were distributed. 1000 copiei
 being .fdistrfbuted through the office o your secrstary.
 1 :. A number of special articles, descrip
 tive of the work of the league, have beer
 prepared for and published in tho lead
 ine trade journals of tho north and mid
 dIe west. These articles. which were vol illustrated. gave Birmingham advertis
 ing that could be secured in no otheI
 way. and was obtained at no cost what
 ever.
 In this advertising campaign recogni
 ton is due tho three local papsrs-Tht