The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-20
.B|G CONVENTIONS BEGIN NEXT WEEK Delegates and Visitors AL
 ready Arriving BOOST FOR RIVERS
Mobile Basin and Tennessee River
 Association, the Alabama Under writers and Good Roads Men to Meet Here
By WALTER HARPER

The business blood of Alabama will | congest in the main artery, Birmingham. next week. The inflow has already begun. The occasion is the assembling of the National Good Roads association, the Mo- bile Basin and Tennessee River associa- ,tion and the Alabama Association of Fire | Underwriters. :.
 Tt seems to me that every interest in best good roads brain and sentiment from the United States. The attendance from Alabama promises to be the largest that ever gathered in Alabama on any sini- lar occasion.
 The other conventions, which begin Monday, one day in advance of the good roads convention, will draw mainly from the state. Most of the people attending the waterways meeting are interested in the good roads meeting and will remain over for both.
 Benjamin B. Cox, secretary of the waterways association, is already on the ground, and is making the final arrange ments for his meeting. He Is at the Morris hotel.
 Mr. Cox lives in Mobile and has always been deeply interested in the develop
 
 harbors of the state He Is secretary of the Mobile Commercial club. It was in that organization that the Mobile Basin and Tennessee River association was evolved.
 "The association was organized at Bir-
 mingham in 1907, and John Craft of Mobile was elected the first president" said Sec
 retary Cox yesterday. MT. Craft Is still
 president and is deeply interested in tho
 success of the project. ''The people of Mobile are hopeful of the l building of the canal to connect the | heart of the Birmingham district with the Warrior river and thereby with tho gulf. It means more for the real develops, ment of this district than any man can fully realize. believe that the railroads are as much interested in the development of this waterway as the people can be. The waterway will take care of a vast amount of heavy tonnage that the rail- roads are often taxed to carry. The in- creased business that would certainly fol- low the building of this canal would nat urally create a larger amount of first class tonnage that the railroads must | l them.
 "It seems to me that every interest in | Birmingham and in Alabama, as to that matter, should become active in the de- velopment of our waterways. Alabama has been wonderfully blessed with water ways and water power, and the people begin to appreciate their value as wealth producers
 | John Craft, president of the Mobile
 Basin and Tennessee River association,
 will arrive in Birmingham Sunday, and
 will make his headquarters at the Morriss
 hotel ...s l It is very certain that every town of any size in Alabama will be represented [ at the good roads convention. 1 Some of the towns will send large dele gations. There Is much enthusiasm all ever the state for improved highways and hundreds of people who desire informa- tion and the wider spread of good road | sentiment will come to this meeting to gather facts and inspiration from the va rious experts and students of the subject from all parts of the country. A strong delegation from Demopolis will start with about one dozen automobiles Sunday morning and expect to arrive in Birmingham Sunday night or Monday morning. It is probable that the party will stop over in Tuscaloosa Sunday night.
 The distance Is something over 170 miles, The delegation will bring more than 30 people representing all the large interests in this, one of the most progressive little l cities in the state.
 Other like delegations are preparing to | attend the meeting from other towns of | the state but not in the unique manner adopted by the boosters of Demopolis.