The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-01
KEYNOTE OF
,lWILKINSON TALK TO MERCHANTS
Alabama Will Never Come Into It's Own, He Said Until
We Have Cooperation Between Agricultural Ala
bama and Mineral Alabama Ought To Be
One Big Family

During the business session of the Ala
bama Merchants convention Wednesday
might expert court reporters were on
hand and transcribed every speech YER
batim as they were delivered. The ad-
dress of z. Wilkinson of the Birming-
ham excise commission, is here repro
duced for the first time, word for word
as it was spoken. 1t win be of interest,
not only to every merchant in Alabama,
but to every loyal citizen of the state
who has the interests of the common
wealth at heart. Mr.. Wilkinson has given
deep thought to matters which sooner
or later the people of Alabama must
face squareiy and master if true prog
ress and development are TO continue.
The stenograpnic report Of every speech
made at the convention will be printed,
according TO present plans of the Cham
ber of Commerce, bound in booklet form
and sent to every merchant who at
tended the convention as delegate. Mr..
| Wilkinson spoke as follows:
Fe'Mr. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen
and Fellow Merchants of Alabama:
Il regard 1t as very high honor to
be requested TO say few words to
| this audience because l regard this meet
ling as one of the most representative
| gatherings of Alabamians that has ever
been called together in the state of Ala
bama.
THE requisites for a successful dis
[1fthuting market are, first, banking fa-
cilities Those of us who have seen the
Growth of the banks of the city of Bir-
mingham, who know them as they are
today, and who remember them back a
few years ago. realize tnat the zest and
the energy of he Birmingham district
has measured the growth of those great
Institutions. The BANKS of Birmingham
are excelled by the banks of no city
In the south. tApplausel.
Adequate Transportation
"Another requisite for a successful dis
fributing market is service on the part
|of transportation companies | would
ask you to carry in your mind for one
1noment a map of the railroads passing
through Birmingham: The Queen and
Crescent system from the northeast and
the southwest: the Southern railway from
the Tennessee river through Birmingham
( on to Selma and the gulf: the Southern
railway east and west across this state
from Greenville. Miss, to Atlanta: from
the northwest the Frisco system and the
Illinois Central system; to the east and
Isoutheast, the Seaboard Air Line and
4-Atlanta, Birmingham and Atlantic and
fthe Central of Georgia, with the great
louisville and Nashville system from the
north straight across this state to the
gulf, and leading out of Birmingham a
network of branches covering this entire
, mineral district.
What city can offer such facilities
fof distributing products to the mer-
9 bp
Birmingham with the aid of such trans
portation facilities we have?
However, the foundation on which
success must rest in this state is more
than can be furnished by banks and
Transportation companies: it is co-opera-
ftion, reciprocity among the members
hat go to make up this community and
he principle of trade at home" Let me
give YOU an Illustration of what oe-
EfTred in the city ~ Birmingham In
his line this summer:
A Concrete Example
"A big distributor of this market made
contract in Tennessee for between
1900 and 100000 worth of merchandise.
he same character or goods is made in
Birmingham, and the quality of the Bir-
ningham product is superior to the quail
ty he bought in Tennessee Those goods
have been distributed this summer in the
mineral district of Alabama. Companies
engaged in the mining of coal from the
hillsides right about us have helped to
distribute that product; merchants in the
mining camps all around us have used
73that product; the manufacturer of that
product called for power; that power
called for coal in excess of $1,000; $1,000
/ is small amount of coal. gentlemen,
kfor these great companies, but it is
drop IN the bucket. The manufacturer
pf those goods in Alabama would have
required cash pay roll of over $4,000 and
Tohably $4,000. Did the company en-
aged in digging coal from our hillsides
rye Its best interest and the best in
rests of this community where they
tributed goods of manufacturer In
hnessee made with power dug from
hills of Tennessee and Kentucky? ?
the merchant engaged i'm business.
hose source of revenue is derived from
be pay roll of the miner who digs In
e mines stand in his own light when
Re helped that jobber distribute goods
made with a coal dug from Kentucky?
And the same principle applies to the man
who is engaged In merchandising in ag-
ricu1tural Alabama.
What Birmingham Consumes
II say to you who live in the agri-
cultural part of this state that CO.
operation with the mineral district of
alabama is vital to your success and
( Is vital 10 our success as cooperation
among ourselves here in the mineral
district is. Let's see. l claim that the
mineral district, the development of
The great resources all about us has
made every acre in north Alabama
worth over 500. Is it true? Let me
give you a few figures to substantiate
that proposition. When l say Birming-
ham now let us understand | don't
mean Birmingham proper, but / mean
what is known as the mineral district,
the Birmingham district. Birmingham
uses every day in the year over four
|carloads of Irish potatoes worth $780,
600; Birmingham uses every day in the
year the equal of about two cars of
Asweet potatoet worth annually s225,-
300; Birmingham uses every day in the