The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-11
Chamber of Commerce Con- vention committee Handles
 Situation Without Gloves
NEW FREIGHT RATES
 FAVOR BIRMINGHAM
Chamber Holds Regular Monthly Meeting and Change Date of Tray cling Mems Banquet Many
 Committees Report

The lack of a large assembly hall or auditorium and no adequate hotei la cilities to induce national conventions 10 come, to- Birmingham are serious draw
 hacks to the general upbulding of the citv according to the report submitted
 to the Chamber of Commerce at their regular monthly meeting yesterday after
 noon by the convention committee
 through its chairman, Oscar c. Turner
 MT. Turner was recently appointed to
 this office and his initial report upon as-
 suming charge of the affairs or this
 committee was that Birmingham could
 not expect to play host to large gath
 erings of people from all parts of the
 country until there were some provisions
 made to house the meetings and the
 guests.
 Another announcement of importance
 was the change of date of the Chamber
 of Commerce banquet to be rendered the traveling salesmen of Alabama. IL
 was changed from December to Friday evening, December 1, to be held at the Country club The Underwood banquet committee on invitations reported that from today those who do not belong to
 the Chamber of Commerce and wish to attend the banquet will be given thu op-
 portunity of securing seats at the same
 rates offered the organizations members.
 The session, which was unusually well attended and strictly executive with the exception of an informal talk made by
 F. T. Shaw, was called to order by Pres- mi. WY ffnr hn d, ing and approval of the minutes of the
 last meeting, President Massey requested
 the railroads and transportation commit
 tee to make their report. H. W. Coffin,
 chairman, offered the following, which was unanimously adopted:
 az Transportation Report
 "The adjustment of freight rates on a basis permitting the fullest develop ment of commerce to and from dis
 trict with the trade possibilities of Bir-
 mingham is difficult and tedious un-
 dertaking. Your committee, however.
 believing that constant perseverance in
 any good cause will finally triumph, feels much encouragement from the re- suits of its efforts in respect to the proposed lowering of rates from Pa cific coast points to Birmingham. "Since our last report the freight
 bureau, through which your committee works with the railroads, has received advices that the chairman of the trans continental freight bureau, MT. R. H. Countiss, is to issue tariff, putting in rates on classes and commodities from Pacific coast points to Birming ham, no higher than to Cincinnati, Ohio, and that no rate from trans continental territory exceeds the Mis- sissippi river combination.
 This means vast reduction in rates from the far west to Birmingham, which under the preseh, status of rates to other. southeastern territory with which this city competes, will give our wholesale and jobbing trade great impetus in going out after new bus mess.
 Your committee has had this mat ter up with the carriers for more than
 a. year, holding conferences with the chief officials of the railroads at diff ferent tiIAes, submitting comparative
 statements of tabulated rates. present. ing both verbally and by letters our reasons and the commercial needs for such reductions, and have constantly 1 had in mind that we were asking noth- ] ing moro from the carriers than what was fair to both. The fact that the | fairness of our request Is recognized to l the extent of authorizing the estab- Ilishment. of lower rates. is taken as a hopeful sign that many of our rate difficulties may be settled by similar means.
 Birmingham's Importance | ."rhe growing importance of Birming-