The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-29
THOMPSON TALKS ONLAND CONGRESS
Committee to Discuss Plans
 Today for Mobile Trip
ROOMS FOR ALABAMA
Lands Can Be Bought in State for S15 to $50 an Acre That Would Bring S75 to S1OO in the
 North and West

Through the land congress at Mo bile next month we hope to keep mil lions of dollars in Alabama that are now going to the farmers in Colorado, Kan sas Iowa, Illinois and other states, stated j. o. Thompson chairman of the Chamber of Commerce land congress- committee, which meets at the chamb CT at 3.30 o'clock this afternoon.
 Mir Thompson is very enthusiastic over the future of agricultural Ala bama He Is working hard for a good representation re to attend the Mobile land congress from Birmingham. and at the meeting today preliminary plans for this trip will be discussed MT. Thompson said:
 "rhe purpose of the land congress to be held at Mobile is to bring together the landowner, the commercial organi- zations and the railroad officials of the state with a view to further co-opera- ton, of which there has been lack, each acting on his own initiative.
 Alabama Lands Cheap
 "The lands of Alabama are cheaper than any of the other agricultural lands in the southeast. In the past year South Carolina farmers have spent s1 100000 in one county in Georgia Sumpter county. The South Carolinians sold their farms at from $75 to s100 per acre and reinvested their money in larger tracts in Georgia at from $40 to s6O per acre, the same land that can be bought in Alabama for from s15 to $30 per acre in large tracts.
 'We have in Alabama what is known as the prairie zone It is confined to thirteen counties which at one time was an inland sea. This land Is the finest alfalfa land in America and it is good for stock raising. There is no reason in the world why it should not grow all the corn and hay now brought into the state, which would add immensely to our tax values. besides keeping in the state mil lions of dollars that are now going to the Colorado, Kansas. Iowa and Illinois farmers and which is spent by them with the merchants of those states.
 Let me say right here that the mer- chants of Alabama are as much inter- ested in the agricultural development of the state as are the landowners and the railroads.
 Keep Money at Home
 q saw a car load of alfalfa here a few days ago, shipped from New Mexico. Do you think for moment that one dol lar of that money ever goes into the cash register of a Birmingham merchant? This alfalfa land will also grow all of the mules used in Alabama for which at this time millions of dollars go out of the state annually to the northwestern far mers There are thousands of people even in Alabama who do not know of this treasure land.
 But the alfalfa territory is not all of the valuable Alabama lands. There are the rich, rolling, red lands of the Ten nessee valley and the pine belt of gulf coast country which have many valuable features,
 "The land congress at Mobile will decide on some plan to advertise Alabama and will bring people to the state who other wise would drift to more unfavorable sections. There will be an awakening at Mobile November 12-14 I hope we will have full meeting of our committee at the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow aft ernoon at o'clock, looking to prepara- tions for the trip to Mobile"