The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-11-25
Gives Exhaustive Analysis of Business Conditions
 at Present Time
MAKES URGENT PLEA
 TO TRADE AT HOME
Board to Appoint Committee to Go to Washington in Regard to New Postoffice-Other Business
 Transacted at Meeting


 whole country this year show an in- crease in value of s1o4,OOo.ooo over that of 1913, according to statements made yesterday afternoon by Robert w. Ewing, president of the Birming- ham Board of Trade. in his address, An Analysis of the Business Situa- tion," before the November meeting of the board in the directors room of the Chamber of Commerce There was A large attendance of representative busi- ness men.
 Other than the address of MT. Ewing, reports of the fire insurance commit tee were heard. Secretary w C. Rad cliffe reported that he had written the Southeastern Underwriters association for the reports of its engineers on Sir l mingham and also stated that at the pr esent the insurance companies were
 not discriminating against this city in any particular
 J. D. Rosenberger reported that the city commissioners had acted favorably | on an ordinance regulating the activi- ties of itinerant merchants. Mir. Ros- enberger also called for a vote of
 thanks to the daily newspapers for l their hearty cooperation in this mat | ter.
 | The plans for the charter revision of l the Board of Trade were turned over l to Attorney Richard V. Evans, who will make his report at a later period. President Ewing was authorized to appoint a committee to cooperate with | the committees of the Chamber of Com
 merce in hastening action on the new postoffice. It is planned to make the Washington delegation of this commit tee as large as possible.
 Balance in Favor of America Mir Ewing in his address went ex- haustively into the conditions brought about by the European war and rre- dicted that the balance would be large | beginning his address he pointed to
 the fact that Congress has ad1ourned, that the tariff has been in effect long enough for business to become accus- | toned to it, emphasized the fact that | the regional reserve banks opened without ripple in the financial world although he said "the Legislation is revolutionary and epoch making in it's character These points MT. Ewing | brought out to show the inherent soundness of conditions in the United | States.
 He then considered the effects of the war both to Europe and America. de- l claring that it would result in the United States establishing as a fact l that independence which before had
 been only fancied. He pointed out the | fact that the merchant marine was be- h g increased without government aid {; that branch banks were being opened l in South America; that the markets of
 South America are now open to the United States.
 | MT. Ewing next gave statistics re- garding crops in the country other than cotton showing an enormous increase | in production and prices. He also
 to ouched in passing on the fact that recent reports have shown that the trade balance with the world was In | favor of this country.
 MT. Ewing then came down to this dis
 trict and mentioned things of which Bir-
 mingham should be proud, among which are the opening of the Warrior river barge
 line, the decision of the interstate com merce commission that the Birmingham
 Southern railway was a common carrier
 the selection of Birmingham as federal reserve city, the appointment of ". F. G' | Harding as chairman of the committed
 to handle the s135,Ooo,000 cotton pool and the announcement that Grant & Co. that 1t would lend the city $3oo.0oo. The Cotton Situation 1 Mr. Ewing then discussed the cotton sit-
 uation during which he had the following | to say:
 | Now, let us discuss freely and frank ly, for a few minutes, the situation as | to cotton which is so near the hearts of all of us, at the same time. which frank ly believe has been really allowed to oyershawod unnecessary other, conditions and things to hurtfui and unnecessary extent.
 Tt is generally estimated that the crop | for the state of Alabama this season will | be about 100000 bales in excess of 1913 | and 100000 bales on hand from last year. ! This means even without any war the cotton would have probably been worth | not exceeding 10 cents per pound, and So | the present price should not be considered | as low as some of our farmers seem to | think European manufacturers, 1t IS generally estimated, have been using at | least one-half of our cotton crops, ana the biggest portion of that market wcs cut ! off by the war.
 Now the nations at war, and notably England, have declared that cotton Will not be considered contraband of war and shipment of cotton will therefore be re-
 stunned for European countries and to 1 Manchester, the largest cotton manufac- turing center in the world, because the I men in Europe are going to war and | there is more need than ever to employ 1 the women and children in the cotton | mills, and they are as anxious to have our cotton as we are to send it to them and may be depended upon to work uI in the mills all that they can reason ably expect to sell.
 'The importation to this country o1 hemp, jute and products for the manu' | featuring of bagging. sacks. etc., beina 1 interf-rred with, our manufacturers ars 1 turning to the use of cotton to an extent fracture for such products.
 'The successful establishment and early
 use of the s1S50 900 cotton pool, by which loans will be made in the south on cot. ton, should safely tide us over until the
 latter part of next year, when with a | reduction of the cotton area at least 5t | per cenl. will help:
 Now, as to the price of cotton and | what the growers of octton should dc 1 about it, l would call attention to the | fact that prices are always comparative | The season immediately following the
 panic of 1893 saw cotton selling generally