The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-03
ROEBUCK COUNTRY CLUB IS ASSURED Meeting of Life Members
 Held Yesterday PLANS WORKED OUT The Charter Will Be Filed at Once. Sufficient Funds Are on Hand
 Already to Proceed With
 the Work
PLANS WORKED OUT

The charter of the Roebuck Springs
 Country club will be filed in the probate
 office forthwith.
 This is the sequence of meeting of
 the subscribers to life memberships in the
 club held yesterday afternoon in the au-
 ditorium of the Chamber of Commerce, at
 which the action of the committee on or
 ganization in forming holding company
 to purchase the hundred acres selected for
 club grounds, improve the property on
 the plans submitted recently by George l H. Miller the landscape architect of
 Boston. and lease it for nominal consid-
 eration and for period of 90 years to the
 club, was unanimously ratified
 l ". w Crawford, chairman of the meet | ing, requested N. L. Miller to explain the
 scope and office of the holding company.
 MT. Miller said that the legal title Of
 this company is the Roebuck Springs In- l vestment company organized on the 18th day of April, with a capital of 5000. which
 will be increased to $75.0o0. This holding
 company Is to include all subscribers to l life memberships in the club the number l
 are already enrolled These subscrip-
 tions, in the sum of s250 each, will provide | a paid-in capital of S75000, which Is con- sidered ample. Of this amount 1t Is pro-
 posed to pay s25,OOO for the grounds. the | company having an option on them at that figure, and devote the remainder to the improvement of them and the con- struction of club house. This done, the company will lease the property for
 nominal consideration to the Roebuck Springs Country club for period of 9s years.
 Subscribers to life memberships will be exempted from club dues. and the reve- nue for the maintenance of the club will l be derived from dues-paying members. | In answer to question. MT. Miller stated that the eligibility of life subscribers to
 membership in the club as social organ ization would of course, be subject to the decision of a properly constituted board, which would also have authority as 10 the admission of dues-payihg members The officers elected by the holding company are: Robert Jemison, Jr., pres ident; Nathan L. Miller, vice president; n. and the directors are Ross c. Smith. Hugh Morrow, A. l.. Fulenwider, Culpep- per Exum, Bradley J. Saunders, w, w. Crawford. Nathan l.. Miller and Rob- ert Jemson. ST.
 At the conclusion of MT. Miller's state- ment w. w. Crawford spoke upon the financial features of the plan, which, he said, placed the club upon sound ba- sis, eliminating the necessity for the is- suance of bonds or the raising of addi- tional capital by any other means. The price named by the East Lake Land company for the 100 acres was at the rate of $25O per acre, which was less than the company paid for the prop erty two years ago. Adjacent property is now bringing 5000 per acre, and that which it was proposed to buy for the club could be sub-divided and sold today at s125o for the acre. The life members, moreover, would own this property In fee simple and the club would thus be re- lieved of the burden of an annual lease charge of S25Oo per annum. as now borne by the Country club at LakevieW, ana would not be in danger of dispossession. The ground at Roebuck Springs can De worked into shape for gof course ana other purposes for much less' propor- | tionately, than the improvement of the | grounds at Lakeview cost. It is estimated that the Roebuck Springs property can | be properly ditched and drained Tor soooo' and the expenditure of s7ooo more will | complete the physical improvement, leav- I ing about SS5,0oO for the club house and baths. The location of the property IS desirable from the club standpoint, be- | ire at the head of First avenue, just be-
 yond the city line. MT. Crawford be- lieved there would be no difficulty In se- curing a dues-paying membership or 'oo | which would insure a sufficient revenue | for the maintenance of the club. Moth | ing" said he succeeds like success, and the fact that the club is today upon a sure basis will attract all the mem- bership of the dues-paying class we re- ouire Our club is on lines worthy of a great city and 1t has come into exist ence at the proper time
 | In the course of his remarks MT. Crawford was frequently interrogated. and his replies were received with sat
 isfaction by the questioners and the | audience.
 | The question being put on the ratifi-
 cation of the plan outlined, It was car
 ried unanimously, and the officers and
 directors of the holding company were | instructed to proceed. A motion that each of the l5O life
 subscribers be allowed the privilege of inviting a friend to subscribe for one l of the remaining life memberships was
 carried and the meeting adjourned. Many remained to examine the topo- | graphical sketch of the grounds and
 the watercolor picture map" by George | H. Miller, showing them in their com
 pleted state and freely expressed ad-
 miration.
 As he was leaving the che mber di-
 rector of the holding company said,
 in response to an inquiry as to the next
 step to be taken: Why, this ratihca- | ton settles it. We shall file our char
 ter and put our plans into execution,
 knowing that the remainder of the
 subscription to the capital stock is prac-
 tically assured. Birmingham now has
 a Country club that will be the pride
 of the south"