The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-13

past year as president or this organ ization.
 Second. that the Chamber of Com merce is convinced and does now ac- knowledge to him that the results of his labors as President of this organ ization have proven of vast benefit to Birmingham and vicinity, and that such will remain not only as ben eft to this community but will even tually be held as monument fo his , ability. integrity, efficiency and good judgment.
 Third the Chamber of Commerce. hereby tenders to him it's profound thanks for the results obtained during his administrations
 Farm Movement Work
 'On December this committee, in com pany with the wholesale trades commit tee and representatives of other organ izatons and Of businesses interests gen erally, met with Mir. W. R. Baughman. campaign manager of the agricultural extension department of the International Harvester company of New Jersey and Chicago.
 "As the Birmingham Chamber of Com merce is representative of the entire busi- ness interest of the state of Alabama our members were no doubt to a man in thor
 
 character. realizing that even Birming- ham, with it's coal and iron, was in the midst of an agricultural district and that its future prosperity was so entirely de- pendent upon the prosperity of the farm CTS that they unanimously adopted the plans suggested giving Mir Baughman's organization written invitation approved by the directors of our chamber to come to Birmingham.
 'aIYD tO the nrpEenf lime % ip north Alabama have extended invitations to our organization, raising the necessary funds and making all other provisions for conveying the various experts to the speaking points the dates set The counties that have already been covered have attended these meetings in num- bers estimated from 50 to BOO An ac- curate number is kept Of the attend ance and will be published. It is so far estimated that 10000 farmers have heard the diversification speeches in 22 counties in north Alabama. The Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, which is cooper ating with chamber in handling the south Alabama counties, have arranged to put on the movement in Is counties up to this date with five more requests hay ing been added recently.
 "The information given to these farm CTS has been furnished under the slogan of Alabama Must Feed Herself realiz- ing that until the farmer grows his own home products for feeding his family and his stock that 1t will be necessary to mortgage his cotton to purchase these same materials imported from our sister states. The farmer is also given accur- ate information as to how much corn meat. hay, poultry, butter and other things are shipped into his state each year in order to absorb the cash that he gets from his cotton.
 l- il will have no doubt covered 50 counties in Alabama and 2O0,OOO farmers will have heard the greatest doctrine that has ever been preached to our southern people Tn states where this work has been done more than year ago wonderful results have obtained and the same organizations are requesting that these forces return to further advance this interest. While we know that it is impossible to get every one to respond at one tirne, we believe that enough seed will fall upon good ground to bring about a revolution in our agricultural system that will add more to the prosperity of our state than anything that has been done in the south since the Civil war"
 Wholesale Trade Report
 The Alabama Merchants convention was the main subject of the report of the wholesale trade committee Murray IfOWn, cnalffnan, In dlScuSSlnS Wnlcn the report states follows.
 ''rhe first convention was attended by about 300 merchants; nearly 14o0 from all parts of the state attended the 1914 con Vcntion. Wholesale firms manufacturers and bankers-57 in al-contrbuted money toward defrsying the expenses of this ccnvention-S2I45 being raised, and your committee is sratified to state that after carrying out an extensive entertainment programme there now remains in the treasury $232 as a nest egg towards the expenses of our next convention. These merchants were brought to Birmingham for two days, though most of them stayed the entire week, and in accordance with the precedent established in 1913 the iobhers and manufacturers of the city refunded railroad fares to all merchants purchasing a given amount-thousands of dollars worth of orders being placed in Birmingham during the week. These or ders will mean reorders and more busi- ness from many concerns who perhaps placed their first order in Birmingham during the convention.
 Having i400 live merchants in your city, some of them perhaps for the first time, showing them through your wholesale houses, manufacturing plants, banks, get ting to know them personally, means not only having business placed at the time, but a foundation for big business in years to come for the wholesaler manufacturer, banker, well as for the retail mer- chants professional man and I might say business public generally"