The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-04-23

so as to reduce the cost of service, and
 that all three stand for phases of great
 - ~~-----~-----~--------- nal construction has made a world s record in the use of Portland cement.
 A Great Industry
 Not longer ago than the time when the late George Westinghouse, in com pany with men of distinction in the world of science, visited Niagara Falls for the purpose of inspecting the first linstallment of the turbine water wheels which were to convert the en- ergy of the Niagara river, or some of it, to electric energy aluminium was an lexpensive metal. Its great value in the arts and domestic purposes had long been known, but the expense of extracting aluminium from the soil was so great to prohibit the uti- lization of 1t except in some special fields
 l With the development of electric energy at Niagara through the aid of Niagara rivers energy 1t became pos sible to extract aluminium at much low CT cost. Gradually 1t has gained per manent place in the industrial world and in the future may be utilized to an enormous extent in industrial elec- tricity.
 French bankers have long been in
 
 llarged utilization of aluminium and the manufacture of 1t at such low cost as might make it's use commercially as practicable as is that of iron or cop l per. They have demonstrated their faith in the North Carolina proposi- tion by investing s12,000,000 in the plant This is only one of several in- dustrial promotions now In progress in North Carolina and in other parts of the south which should within a few years greatly increase the industrial Importance of the south.
 Another Southern Enterprise Recently MT. Richard H. Edmonds, editor of the Manufacturers Record. Baltimore, has made reference to the important gathering of the National Drainage congress which Is now being lheld in Savannah. How important from the scientific as we'll industrial point of view is the work undertaken by this congress Is proved by the fact that Sir William Wilcox, one of the world s great engineers, the intellect that de- signed the Assuan dam, whereby the Nile can be controlled, is to be the
 guest of honor of this congress and is
 to deliver an address.
 A Great Undertaking
 The agitation in favor of the reclama-
 ton of lands in the south which are now I
 it should be successful, will be of practical importance not only to the
 south, but to the rest of the country
 There does not appear to be any pri-
 vate interest to be subserved by this proposition, since the lands which It has sought to reclaim are either in the lownership of the federal government or of the state.
 | Congress can be relied upon ade- quately to legislate so as to perfect an organization for the reclamation Of these lands and 1t is understood to be the purpose of the members of the National Drainage congress to place the entire proposition in the control oi the interior department, excepting in cases where drainage work entails q river improvement. Then that work will be done in cooperation with the war department.
 The details of organization, however can safely be left to Congress. The scien- tific and commercial features of the plan are of special interest at this time, wher there is a growing disposition greatly to enlarge fields wherein agriculture can be made profitable. MT. Edmonds reports that there are some 75.0OO,O00 acres O. swamp land or overflow land in the Uni
 ted States which can be reclaimed with | out prohibtive cost being entailed. The cotton crop of the south, whose average | yearly value of recent years is approxi- mately $1 ,000, 100000, is grown and harvest
 ed upon only about 100000 acres. All most all of the land in the United States now under surface water or swampy is ' of a fertility which is equal to that char eteristic of the valley of the Nile. It is ,i peculiarly adapted to the cultivation oi corn.
 About 50,0OO.00O acres of these swamps or water-covered lands that can be re- claimed at comparatively small cost lie | ;,, tla Cf,t,aa re Q trn a can a that had been invested very profitably 1T the timber industry of the northern benin sula of Michigan found that voc-tor no longer possible since Michigan timber was practically exhausted. This capital turned it's attention to the south ant was especially impressed with the cy press timber in some of the great swamps of the south. Some day there will be large development of the cypress tim Der industry in the south. Some of thu swamp lands of the south cannot be re claimed at reasonable cost. at least by l any of the methods known to men of sci | ence of the present time. But much thu i larger part of the swamp lands of thu south can easily be reclaimed, and tha portion will prove especially attractive t . the farmer. Louisiana has done wonder ful reclamation work. relying almost ex
 clusively upon the capital of that stat'
 or of statets which are neighbors to it
 There Is no state in the union which hal
 been so greatly and so successfully oc cupied in reclamation as has Louisiana
 At the approaching national drainage con
 gress some of the leading engineers o
 the United States and of Europe wil
 be present. and it is expected that tn f--x ~-S