The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-07
Greatness of Birmingham Extolled Before Chicago
 Commerce Association
THE MAGIC CITY
 OF THE NEW SOUTH"
President of Chamber of Commerce Invites Chicago Men to Invest Capital Here, and Says MT.
 Underwood Will Win


 members ofsthe Chicago Association of Commerce and many prominent clay pro- ducts manufacturers from all parts of the country, President John W. Sibley of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. delivered an address on The Magic City of the New South" in Chicago yesterday l at noon. He is in Chicago to attend the annual convention of the National Brick Manufacturers association, of which he is 1 treasurer, and the Fire Clay Products Ex- position, which opens this morning in the l Coliseum.
 According to telegraphic information from the secretary of the Chicago Asso- citation of Commerce, MT. Sibley was the principle speaker of the occasion and made most favorable impression In his remarks bearing upon the rapid advance of the Chicago of the New South" as a commercial, financial and manufactur- ing center. One striking point that is reported from the Chicago speech as note worthy is the emphasis placed by MT. Sib- ley on the great advantage of investing capital in Birmingham.
 The following is the address given by MT. sibley:
 MT. Sibley Speaks
 Tn behalf of the Chamber of Com merce of Birmingham I wish to thank you most heartily for the compliment and honor you have paid it and myself, by your kind invitation to lunch with you and say few words on this suspicious oc- cason.
 'T bring you most cordial greetings from the Magic City of the New South the place where some wag has said the people make iron and "steal' for a liv- ing
 If the time permitted and I dared tax your patience the story of Birmingham's rise from struggling village to the fourth city of the south in a period of 30 years would be an interesting, if not marvellous, revelation to you The last census showed gain in population from $500 to 133,0O0, or 245.4 per cent, which was the highest record for any city of its class in thes United States.
 "rhe president of the United States Steel Corporation stated that they acquir- ed in the purchase of the Tennessee Coal, llon GdliiodN CoihPtHS pioptitiVo in the Birmingham district a greater tom mage of iron ore than in all their nothern properties. Within a radius of 25 mlles are found the iron ore and lime rock for fluxng and coal for making coke, thus enabling Birmingham to produce pig iron at cheaper cost than any place in the world and fulfilling the striking prophecy I heard A. A. Hewitt make on his first visit to Birmingham % years ago The combined banking capital of Birmingham at that time was less than s1, 100000, while today the First National Bank of our city with it's capital and surplus of s3,000.000 and total deposits of $12,0o0,00o, is the largest bank south of the Ohio river with the exception of a New Orleans institu- ton.
 Birmingham Products Tn 1911 the total tonnage of coal. Iron and coke and other minerals handled m the Birmingham district was equal in weight to the enormous cotton crop or the entire south. Within this short pe- riod Alabama has become fourth in the list of coal producing states of the union.
 'ln addition. though, to being the south ern center of the great coal, iron and steel industries Birmingham has rapidly developed along the line of diversified in dustres. We are a large cotton 'market and manufacturer of cotton goods. We have several immense fertilizer and chemical plants, three magnificent plants which manufacture water and sewer pipes, large foundry and machine shops; two of the largest coke by-products plants in the country, the largest candy and cracker factories in the south and the m .fa in, the south. It's clay products factories dominate the markets of the south, there being located in Birmingham the only plant in the south for the manufacture of high grade face brick in various colors, with a daily capacity of 100000 and great factories for the manufacture of vitrified street paving brick, sewer pipe, fiW brick, common brick and fire proofing.
 "The Corliss engines, made in Brming- ham, have world wide market and repu- tation. Several of them have been ship ped to Indianapolis. La Porte and other points near Chicago. One of our great foundries and machine shops recently sup. piled the bulk of the equipment for the great Corn Products company of Chicago. These industries give us a pay roll of $l, 0Co 0o0 week, which is the life of trade to our merchants.
 Civic Beauty
 But while we have been making strides along these commercial lines we have not been unmindful of the i'm portant feature of civic beauty and improvement. Our residence sections on the Highlands are unsurpassed any where in natural beauty. which has been so enhanced by the art of man as to excite the boundless admiration of all visitors: and our schools and municipal buildings would be credi, to any city thrice our age. Our sky scraper buildings in the business sec l ttons are becoming so numerous that we are real proud to be referred to l in that respect as the Chicago of the south. Our Chamber of Commerce is using it's best endeavors to demon : strate 10 the world that Birmingham l is the best city in the world to live in and to make a living in. We extend a cordial welcome to all and while we cannot hope to rob Chicago of many | of its wideawake and patriotic cit 1 izens we will be glad to have you visit us and if you have any surplus funds seeking profitable investment we ls po,y WI cau copyinca ya,,4 that o,,,