The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-08

this direction. Financial conditions must Do adjusted and we must build up recip- rocal trade with those countries.
 "I believe ultimately the result of the war will be good. Our trade with all foreign countries will he greatly en- larged.
 Countries in South America have been more adversely affected by this war than our own country.
 W. Carson Adams was introduced by President Shelby and spoke on how the coal trade was affected by the war.
 T am an optimist but I try not to be a foolish one," declared Ar Adams. T don't think there is going to be any large volume of export business. We can get ships all right to carry coal down to South America, but those people have not the money to pay for it. Our company | firds in Brazil and Argentine that the development has been largely from finances supplied by English capitalists. Naturally the trade with those countries goes back from whence the capital came to develop them. The railroads and in dustrial concerns all have head offices To- cated in foreign countries, and to change the lines of commerce is a slow and tedious procedure.
 ''The cotton industry and the allied pro-
  of coal consumption in the south. That now Is in more or less paralyzed. Many concerns are entirely at sea as to the future. Some of the orders we receive We are not willing to fill, for credit req sons. We don't propose to shut up ike clam. We propose to do our full snare of carrying. and to bear with all those people we believe in and know are hon est, and have a reasonable chance for pulling through We don't think the country is going to the bow vows, but we do think it is a good time for wise, sober counsel and for every business man to sit steady in the boat
 Ewing Tells of Stationery Business | Robert w. Ewing, of Roberts & Son, was asked to tell how the war affected l the stationery business. He said in part: Among the articles affected by the | war are pencils. pens, to a slight degree; | library paste, rubber bands, inks, loose | leaf goods, blank books" MT. Ewing read from letter he received from a | firm of stationers, and closed his ad- dress as follows:
 The war would seem to indicate that while we pride ourselves on our Ameri- can independence we are dependent in many ways on other countries and we profit by the lesson and begin to manu- ] fracture, make and sell at home as many | of the items which we have before been | importing. And it would seem also to slow that the world IS very closely akin | Tn business as in flesh and it will point the moral to us business men to spend our money and trade Tn America first In the south where possible, in Alabama where we can and in Birmingham with Birmingham stores and people for Bir- mngham manufactured products, there fore helping to build and enlarge our home town and help our fellow Rotarians end all Birminghamians."
 w. D. Nesbitt was called upon to tell how cotton was affected by the war. q am an extreme optimist," said Mr Nes- pitt. The effect of the present situation upon the business in which l am inter- ested is that we cannot hope within the next season to do over 70 per cent of our usual business. And l say still that I am optimist. There has never been a disaster, a great emergency that has not produced its great opportunities and this ! is the time, to my mind, when business men should prepare for the opportunities 1 that are to come.
 MT. Nesbitt cut his address short. as | the time was limited, and he yielded to pr. Edmonds
 Dr. Edm0nds Speaks pr. Edmonds' subject was, Let Us Have Peace" We should have peace | in our minds,' he began. One of the
 
 disaster was the great, fine calm that 1ervaded all when husbands lost their wives, children, parents, and dearly be- loved friends-all came out of the depths and looked squarely into the face of things.
 1 "One of the fine things I have read about England during the present war 's the great, dignified calm of the people in the face of the struggle And the same prevails in France. In Paris I am told by a friend who was there whom Var was declared, the people displayed the greatest calmness in times of dire stress.'
 Dr. Edmonds paid high tribute tt President Wilson and stressed the point that calm attitude was necessary at tr1s time. He lilxened the United States unto the physician in the house, and the world as patient to wnrcn this country was ministering. He said that the United States must display no nervousness, be. cause 1t would excite the patient Following the luncheon yesterday the Rotarans proceeded immediately to the fairgrounds, where they took charge. Just giving them touch of high life laughed President Shelby as the club proceeded en masse from the agricul- tutal building to the fairgrounds, where they viewed the races. At night a big Rotary wheel was feature of the fire