The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-22
BIRMINGHAM GETS
 PUBLISHING HOUSE City Will Become Head quarters of the COlOred
 Methodist Church

The publishing house of the colored Methodist Episcopal church of Amer
 ca will be removed within the next six months If possible to Birmingham. It Is now located at Jackson, Tenn, where it has plant valued at be- tween S80,0O0 and sl0o,000, and a pay roll of approximately 5000 a week
 The decision to locate the plant in Birmingham was reached yesterday morning by the publishing house com mittee in session in Birmingham. Mem phis was bidding for the plant in that city. and Dr. J. c. Martin. president of the Solvent Savings bank, spoke in behalf of his city. The Memphis Board of Trade pledged to secure s5000 for the publishing house If 1t were located
 in that city and Dr. Martin made the further statement that he would give the officers of the institution whatever they deemed necessary in helping to properly locate the plant.
 Birmin ghams offer and invitation was submitted by R. W. Taylor, repre- senting the local Negro Business Mems league; J. O, Diffy, pr. U. G. Mason and E. l.. Snyder. w. Banks Everett rep | resented the Chamber of Commerce and made talk to the locating commis- sion. MT. Everett showed by facts and figures that Birmingham is destined to be the greatest city in the south with | in the next 20 years. and explained the many natural advantages of this com munity
 l The cash offer of Birmingham was
 5000, of which the negro citizens of Birmingham will pay half and the white citizens of the city, through the Cham Der of Commerce, will pay $2500. The commission by a to ? vote decided to come to Birmingham, explaining that while Memphis made a better offer from a monetary standpoint it believed that
 Birmingham's claims and the advant-
 ages here offered more opportunity for expansion than did the Tennessee city. | The members of the commission are
 Bishop Williams, Augusta; the Rev. R.
 T. Brown, Tuscaloosa the Rev. Ragan,
 Americus, Ga; Professor Goodman, Hol-
 ly Springs. Miss; pr. J. c. Martin, Mem
 phis the Rev. J. W. Turner, Birming | ham.
 The bishop did not vote, but before the voting began expressed himself as in
 favor of Birmingham.
 1 The location here of the publishing house of the colored Methodist church
 means that Birmingham will become the 1 center of colored Methodism in the south. | With the publishing house will come the headquarters of the church and all the high officials will have their offices l here.
 The plant which will be established | here will within a year after its location represent an investment of upwards of $250, ,000 At it's present location at Jack son, Tenn, the machinery alone Is worth l $1o,000. The property in which 1t is 1 housed belongs to the church.
 1 The commission yesterday afternoon inspected several sites which have been offered for sale to the church. There are two on Fourth avenue between Sev enteenth and Eighteenth streets. one of l which probably will he selected The price of these sites is something like s35-
 OcO and the church will erect a suitable building.
 | The beginning of the movement which has eliminated in the decision to remove the publishing house to Bir- Imingham started with the Rev. J. ". Turner last year. He began a quiet canvass of the churches in the south, lattending conferences wherever possi- lble, and telling of the advisability of
 selecting larger city in which to house the growing plant.
 1 The first definite move toward chang ling the location of the publishing lhouse was made at St. Louis in May of this year. when the general conference of the church was held. Secretary Will liam c. Radcliffe of the local Chamber of Commerce attended that conference and asked for the location in Birming- ham of the publishing house.