The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-11
.ENV|AB[E RECORD
 SHOWN BY REPORTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10.

CONTINUED EHOM PAGE lOsp S-~~>~~~~~~~-~~~~~->~~~~~ were assembled and spread before them, resulting in an order from the president of the road canceling the tariff and re- storing the privilege formerly enjoyed.
 Following up this idea of bringing more cotton to Birmingham your committee took up a similar question with the sea board Air Line. not for business that might be lost, but for new business; In this instance also, it's efforts were sue eessful. Arrangements were perfected whereby 25,000 bales of cotton previously marketed elsewhere were brought toe Bir- mingham for concentration, thus adding to our trade more than $2,000,000. Each of the other roads were approached along the same lines and forces set to work to induce them to extend Birmingham's cot
 ton concentration privileges in proportion
 to her facilities and transportation ad-
 vantages.
 With one of these-the Illinois Central a tentative proposition. embracing new
 territory which produces upward of 10,VO0
 bales of cotton annually is now pending,
 and far your committee has received
 nothing but encouragement from the traf-
 fic, officials of that line as to the final
 disposition of the matter
 Occasionally there are some questions
 which arise between shipper and carrier
 that can only be disposed of by submit
 ting them to the judgment of the duly es-
 tablished railroad commissions, both state
 and interstate. One occurred only few
 months ago whereby one of our largest
 wholesale houses was placed at great
 rate disadvantage with its competitors
 outside the state because of tariff dis
 elimination which the carriers could not
 rectify without permission of the Alabama
 railroad commission. This matter was taken up through our freight bureau and
 presented to the commission in such a
 way as to remove the discrimination and
 place the Birmingham merchants bn a
 rate level with all competitors wheth&r
 within or without the state.
 Tn the early part of last November your committee arranged for and held
 conference with the highest traffic of- f1cials of all the lines entering this dis trict, with a view of securing a more equitable adjustment of freight rates to and from Birmingham than prevails at present. l-. Zach line was represented at this con- ference; tables of comparative rates were presented showing the inequalities of ad- justment between this city and other
 competing points showing how claims for what we consider more equitable rates were based, with citations to en- phasize the necessity for readjustmen of rates to and from this district. A for maj written statement of what your com mittee conceiyes to be fair adjustment of freight rates to and from Birming-
 ham was submitted to committee of-the carriers, which is very evidently receiv- ing their careful consideration.
 Since this conference the carriers have
 advised that they are unable to give the relief sought until the interstate com nkce commission has announced it's de- ciSon of the long and short haul clause
 1n the recent railroad bill, but from in- formal conferences held with some of the officials since then we are assured that | we may expect an adjustment that will be of great benefit.
 Your committee believes that with the cooperation of all the wholesale and mingham would soon become the greatest distributing point In the southern ter ritory. Already 1t has greater transpor- tation facilities than any other commer- cial center in the south east of the Mis- sissippi river. It Is served by 11,094 more | miles of railroads than Atlanta; 15.1 | more miles than Montgomery, and 23, 73. | more miles than Nashville.
 Tt is very gratifying for me to report 1 the interest shown in the work of this | department of your chamber by the mem bers of this allied association, and unti l a careful study is made of traffic mat l ters 1t is almost impossible to form al | opinion of the benefits to be derived through a careful study and proper hand l ling of our business with the steam raii
 roads. Respectfully submitted,
 'H W. COFFIN, Chairman History Committee l The report of the committee on the Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama" was | as follows:
 "Ir making a report of the committed of which I am chairman. the finance
 committee of "The Story of Coal and l Iron in Alabama" by Miss Ethel Armes, I desire to state that there is steady | and increasing interest in this work. "As men read the book it becomes clear to them that 1t fills a great need in the Birmingham district. and Is one of the most important public works ever project ed by the Chamber of Commerce. Yet il l is the one that has been supported less | f1nar cislly by this body than anything else ever undertaken under their auspices High commendation and enthusiastic in- terest do not pay the debt on this book. The debt is $1600. The author has re- cei> ed nc recompense whatever for her three years of labor and is personally in debt on account of this book Very
 few of the men and companies immedi- ately concerned have met their own costs
 "The chairmen of this committee who have preceded me, Hon. T. H. Aldrich and
 Maj. E. M. Tutwiler, have stated the facts before. Now. cannot the members Of the Chamber of Commerce do some- thing in this matter?
 As to the work done by my committee during the past three or four months there is not much to say. We have raised only s175. We have secured the services of MT. H. c. Beaumont the ad- certising specialist, recently come to Bir- mingham. as exclusive sales agent. Personally, I think that every business
 man in the Birmingham district, and
 every one present here this evening, Is
 directly benefited by this work, which, according to the Manufacturers Record, advances the material interests of Ala
 bama every way you look at 1t. I think that every member should turn In a sub. scription to our committee, and that we
 JONES G. MOORE"
 Bowie on Legislation
 Birmingham, February 10, 1911,
 To the Chamber of Commerce. City.
 Conference.-The committee on legis- lation begs leave to submit It's annual report for the year just ending.
 The committee has had before it only three matters of general importance: l. The evils arising under the fee system in this country. This commit tee prepared number of bills on this