The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-02-27

iai -is 1tII
Legislation, state and municipal. as
s4s.,J ue ueemed advisable and neces-
sary to further the cause of public
education in general and especially to
provide for those compelled to leave
school at an early age in order to
make a living, the means and the OPP
portunity of fitting themselves for
more efficient and more remunerative
service.
sc. To study the problem of veca-
ttonal guidance and to recommend such
agencies and methods as may be help
full in assisting young people in the
wise choice of life occupation. Much
of the poverty, ineffieieney. misery
and unhappiness in the world may be
attributed to ignorance of vocational
conditions and requirements, and the
consequent unwise selection of Il life
career regardless of the necessary
training and preparation. or the
thoughtless drifting from one unre-
munerative occupation to another As
the result of the remorseless condt-
tions of such life too many drift into
the ranks of the unemployed and usu-
ally become vagrants and criminals in
society and anarchists in government.
The saving of men from such careers
| INTO the ranks of productive citizen
ship by educative agencies should
prove to be far cheaper process for
the state than the prosecution and
punishment of the criminal.
The committee submits its report
without conclusions or recommended
| tions at this time. We beg the assist
| ance and support of the entire member
ship of this chamber in the work here
In outlined. Respectfully submitted, T.
u. Moore, chairman, Il. NJ. jackson,
Robert Jemison. Jr., J. H. Phillips.
| George Gordon Crawford"
| Railroads
During the first half of last year your
committee received many complaints
| against discriminatory freight rates to
| Birmingham. So numerous and insistent
| We're these complaints and so wide the
commercial interests involved, that an in
Nestigation of the facts was undertaken
| with view of determining their merits,
| nature. extent and means of abating the
evil, If found to exist. Accordingly, a
| meeting of your committee was held.
Those making the complaints We invited
| to be present The details OF instances
OF discriminatory rates were gathered
| from complanants after which rate
! statements were compiled from current
tariffs, showing comparative rates of the
| six numbered classes applying from
eastern cities and interior points, all rail
and rail and water to Birmingham At
lanta, Chattanooga. Knoxville. Nashville
apd Memphis also comparative state
ments TO same points from Pittsburg.
| Louisville, Chicago, ST. Louis and New
orleans.
With this data in hand, second meet
Ing was held for its consideration.
report of the details of the matter and
things disclosed by the assembled data
was made to the board of directors May
| 70, 1913, In which the suggestion was OIL
fered that a conference be requested with
the chief traffic officials of the roads
| serving this city. a resolution by the
| board directed that the rate statements
be checked by a rate expert. not con-
neoted with any of the railroads or COM
| mercial organizations. This was done
and the figures embraced In the state
ment pronounced to be correct. 1t
further adopted the suggestion for con-
| ference with the traffic officials which
was arranged for and held July 23 1913.
At this conference there was a large at
tendance of traffic officials and repre-
sentative shippers. The statements show
ing the Determinations against Birming-
ham were submitted to these officials ana
many OF the features discussed. A ste
| nographic report was made of this con-
| ference and furnished each official also
a copy of the rate statements. c. b.
Compton, freight traffic manager of the
Louisville and Nashville railroad, on be-
half of all the lines, promised reply
| to the things complained of after he and
| those he spoke for had thoroughly I'M
vestigated and considered them. This
reply was made under date of August
q, 1913. and in substance declined to
make any changes in the existing rates.
The reply, however, offered the sugges-
ton that there were phases In our COM
plant similar to that made by tho At
| lanta freight bureau. which had been
| submitted and heard by the Interstate
commerce commission. but no decision
has been rendered, pending this decision
our complaint be held In allegiance. This
letter was submitted to the board of di-
rectors, and after considering It your
chairman took up with the traffic officials
the suggestion in relation TO the Atlanta
case, asking If 1t was to be understood
that Birmingham would share, without
making a contest in any benefits that
might come from the decision of the in
terstate commerce commission on ques-
lions already submitted and cited. such
as the adjustment of rates asked for by
Atlanta on freight from Ohio river cross
ings and eastern cities.
The replies received were all substan-
TALLY the same in declining t omal>e any
such promises. A full report of each step
| taken in this matter was made to the
board of directors. Since making report
of this last feature to the board your
committee has taken no further action,
| since nothing further could be done, eS-
F cept lndl VI Idhlls ii IOIlIldl complaint
| to the interstate commerce commission,
| and this your committee felt IL was not
authorized to do. Respectfully submitted,
NJ p. Northington. Chairman.
Industrial
The Industrial committees report fol-
lows:
| On account of the financial stringency
and congressional legislation due to
| change of national administration, the
| past year presented many obstacles to the
| advancement and location of new indus
tries. Your committee had a number of
! inquiries and had consultation with quite
| a number of parties. both local and for
| eign, to consider erecting plants in
| this district, but largely from above
| causes, very little headway has been
| made.
| The Furnas Ice Cream company of In
| dianapolis has established a southern fac
| tory for the manufacture of ice cream
and will employ from 15 to 20 people, a
| new building having just been completed
costing with capital stock of $4,000.
| The committee calls attention to com
| pletion OF the great wire and rod mills
Of the American Steel and Wire company
at Fairfield and the new plant of the
| National Cast Iron Pipe company, near
| Boyles. Both will soon begin opera
| tions. The resumption of work on the
| wire mill is the result of work by Presi-
dent Harding soon after his inaugura-
ton. The other plant has been made pos
sible by the efforts of strong Birmingham