The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-14

l tiit cloCllOn managers. J6TO1ne =
 ' Tucker, Warren Barnett and M. H. <
 ' Crttenden. \
 <<<<<<<<><<-<<< r. The Chamber of Commerce at its meet | ing yesterday afternoon listened to a
 number of Interesting reports. Chairman
 L. Sevier of the committee on the location
 of new industries reported the introduce
 ton of an ordinance in the City Council
 providing for the removal of license taxes
 on manufacturing industries, and urged : that the next administration take up with
 renewed vigor the matter of aiding new l industries.
 | Chairman Richard w Massey gave a statement of the finances of the census | jubilee, showing a balance of about s7o0.
 He said that the city had never spent | money on advertising which could have been so profitable.
 R. W. Ewing made an extensive report on Home Trade. commenting on the man. her in which the people of Bjrmingham are responding to the idea of trading at home.
 John Fl. Adams for the farm movement reported progress on the booklet which It Is getting out, and promised definite results in a short time He was given | vote of thanks for faithful service. Sydney J. Bowie, in addition to his report on the fee system, found elsewhere, brought in report from the legislative committee. indorsing a bill for the ex- penditure of money for farm demonstra- ton work in Alabama The bill was men, toned in letter from Bruce Kennedy of Montgomery, and Is followed by a com
 prehensive argument in favor of such a
 work.
 Letter From Kennedy
 MT. J. B. Babb. Secretary Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham. Ala
 Dear Sir: I am inclosing you herewith
 ocpy of bill drawn for submission to the legislature, asking for an appropria- ton for farm demonstration work in the j. counties of the state ts
 The Alabama Business league and the Business Mems league of Montgomery have gone on record as supporting this measure. We think that the demonstra- ton work on the farms of Alabama as undertaken by the United States gov ernment Is one of the. most important movements in recent years. The time has come when the state should join with the government in making this movement complete success. This can be done only by the expenditure of larger sums | of money than are now being expended | in the state, and this bill has for its pur- pose the material cooperation of our state government.
 Please submit the bill to your organiza | tion and urge that the matter be taken up
 at once with your representatives, as it | Is important to reach them as soon as
 possible. An answer to this letter will be appreciated. Yours very truly,
 BRUCE KENNEDY, "Secretary-Trea Ala. Bu. League" Farm DemOuntration Work
 ITO the Chamber of Commerce, City: "Gentiemen: Referring to the inclosed letter from Hon. Bruce Kennedy, secre- tarytreasurer of the Alabama Business league, together with copy of a bill to be entitled An act to establish a state board of agriculture to have supervision of funds appropriated by this act for | farm demonstration work in the state of Alabama, and to provide a plan for the carrying on of such farm demonstration work in the state of Alabama I beg to say that only having received the matter today, I have had no opportunity to call the committee of which I am chairman together for the consideration of this l measure. In view, however of the ur- gency stated by MT. Kennedy and of the | fact that I am thoroughly familiar with the farm demonstration work that has | been carried on by the federal govern ment, I do not hesitate personally to cor. dially express my approval of this bill, | and my hope that this chamber will give the same It's hearty indorsement.
 If there were no boil weevil in ex- | istence the work would many times pay | for itself. Tn the great western states where farming has been reduced to a | science and where the ownership of a small farm is considered a fortune, large | sums of money, far in excess of the | amount carried by this bill. have been | devoted to this ana similar purposes. The | farm demonstration work is an intensely practical proposition, because 1t deals | with the education of the man instead of the child and therefore it's beneficial | effects are not postponed to a future generation, but are immediately avail able. There are, of course, many req
 sons and explanations for the difference | in the relative prosperity between the | southern and western farmers. By some | this difference is attributed to greater | richness of the soil in the western states. l Of course, part of 1t is attributed to the
 presence of the negro in the south. I | think the theory that the western lands
 are so much richer than the southern
 lands is, at least to be large extent, | fallacious. Of course, the negro is with
 us, and always will be, although he is a diminishing factor on the farm. But | when due allowance Is made for both of | these propositions the fact still remains | that the northern and western states ap- | propriate directly for the education of l the farmers in agricultural schools, in the publication of bulletins, in the hold | ing of farmers institutes and in farm demonstration work, many times the | amount expended for similar purposes in the south, and 1t Is further proven be- yond the possibility of controversy that the expenditure of money for these pur- poses, intelligently directed, has been productive of untold beneficial results | The federal government has been and is
 doing a great work throughout the whole country. In the south 1t has been the chief agency for years, although these states have been doing more recently than formerly, but in the agricultural | states of the north and west the appro-
 rriations by the federal government are
 much less than the appropriations by the state governments. The principle oi
 cooperation or Independent state action either has proven far more successful
 than one could we'll imagine As nearly 70 per cent of our people are engaged
 In agricultural pursuits and as we must
 continue for many years to come if moi for all time. predominately an agricul-
 tural community, everything that can bt
 done for the wise promotion of agricul. ture and for the adoption of improved
 methods should receive the hearty sup
 rort of all of our people. Tn view, how, ever, of the imminent peril to the cot. ton industry from the presence of the boil weevil in this state diversifcatior has ceased to be desirable and has be
 come an absolute necessity. It Is ths lr-n-