The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-11
,ENV|ABLE RECORD
 5 SHOWN BY REPORTS
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came an affiliated organization or the Chamber of Commerce.; another important movement in the direction of co-opera- @tion
 committee was appointed to confer with the municipal authorities in refer ence to exempting new industries rom taxation for a period of 10 years. This committee appeared before the finance and judiciary committees of the City Council and an ordinance indorsed by the committees will probably be passed at the next meeting of the City Coun- E fcil.
 sr The wholesale trade committee gave |, supper at the Country club in which the iobbers participated. The object of this .H gathering was to start a movement for .he building up of the jobbing trade in ' birmingham. - We adopted resolutions protesting against the discontinuance of the weather seports, and requested the weather bu- .1 reau to put Birmingham reports on the telegraphic circuit. Congressman Under . wood has succeeded in having these reso- lutions carried out and Birmingham Is once more on the weather map.
 We appointed committees to raise fund of s25,O00 per annum for three years to be used by the Chamber of Commerce in It's various activities. This committee has received subscriptions to the amount of $13,647 .33. and the campaign will be further prosecuted. M r- The governor was requested to put the force of the state geological department in the field to cooperate with the force of the United States geological depart sment in making a careful study Of the ~anatural gas field in Alabama. The gov oernor granted the request.
 1a We indorsed a half holiday to cele- brate the opening of Redwood park. ls. We adopted resolutions urging that Bir-. B r1,ar,a ha dn nh s Congressman Underwood has introduced this bill, which is favorably recommended in the report of the special agent of the United States treasury department sent here to investigate the needs of Birming- ham in this particular. M ;.
 We promoted the all-Alabama movement , to secure an effective state business or ganzation. This movement was highly successful, and the Alabama Business league was the result. -- s. .l .,- s We originated and carried through suc- .S cessfully the census jubilee. This was 4 another evidence of what can be accom- p plished by cooperation MT. R. W. Mas sey and the men who formed his com-l mittee to handle this work are entitled to the credit for the success of this move ment -..
 We adopted resolutions condemning the . abuses of the fee system, and appointed a committee to secure legislative relief.
 We indOrSed the commission 10TH or government for Birmingham.
 We recommended to the City Council -that the franchise tax on spur tracks for .r new industries be abolished. We indorsed the bill providing for CO., e operation of the state with the farm demonstration work of the. United States o government. ..s s.~.,.-- ,s We indorsed the bill requiring state, county and city institutions to favor home .,,rodtctc evprytbinP heinz edlIal ,, We indorsed the movement of the Bes- semer board ol trade to building mon ument at Bessenler to Henry F. DeBar- deleben.
 We passed nemoriam resolutions for g .Frant P. O'Brien and Henry F. DeBer- deeben
 Deleea'es were appointed and attended the Southern Conservation congress. the all Alabama movement and the tri-city celebration.
 A wide range of subjects, civic. social z and comtnercial. in which the people took a deep interest and in the solving of rwhich the Chamber of Commerce gave time money and influence and went bold siv on record as approving. The coming year will bring new problems, greater problems, and doubtless more of them, 5 than we have just dealt with. and you are to be congratulated upon having chosen s.a young, energetic. wise and ' capable
 
 Arrew problems. which I feel you will s handle with great credit to our organiza- tion.
 I desire to express my thanks for tho 7rloval hearty support which has been given me by each of the directors and lrchairmen of the committees. have been conscious of this same support from the individual members It has made my work easier and the task assigned to me 4, pleasure It is distinct honor to pre- side over the Chamber of Commerce of Birmip gham; and I am deeply sensible lr of the honor you conferred upon me. Re- aspectfully submitted,
 -s A. H. FORD. President. r Here is Secretary Babb's report in full: -qe Industrial Report 4s rE Since the work accomplished during the sTast year Is set forth in the rencrt of fthe several committees and of the pres ident, it would be task of superogafion eto further chronicle the achievements here. z cD Suffice it to say that the committees z have been gratifyingly active and the results of their endeavors have been both immediate and far-reaching.
 The creation of special fund.- the cam paign for which was suggested and in spired by President Ford marked the be- ginning of new era for the cl'a mber 3nd has opened up a broad held or uSe1ul- ness her retofore unexplored This fund Is not as large as 1t should be but neverthe- less will enable the chamber to dc more effective work than ever before.
 Industrially the year 1910 broke all rec ords for expenditure and announcement of plans of development. Coal. coke steel and pig iron production exceeded the previous highwater mark. Bank deposits and cle1rings each exceeded by a goodly hsmargin q the figures of any previous year. more people came to Birmingham to < make the city their home.
 The announcement by the census bu- reau that Birmingham had a population sof 132,6s5, a gain of 245.4 per cent in 1d years and a gain of 417g per cent over 1SS0 the date when Birmingham really began to grow startled the nation. There gre some who cavil because this in- . crease was due to expansion as well as !, growth. So be it. All great cities both grow and expand, and Birmingham in Y.the future will do 1t again" The prac- siical results of the census announC enlent dbave already been noted in this office by the increased number of inquiries and
 requests for information. -'
 The following figures are submitted as s partial record of tine industrial advs nee gduring 1910. In some instances estimates dad to be relied on. These have been n discounted so that if there is error 1t Is : ,1nore likely than not upon the siie Of conservatism. Exaggeration need n ot be employed to tell the story of R,,ning
 ham, the truth is sufficiently impressive
 Bank Clearings
 1Q0O ...........S42 42. Q9O Al. M,