The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-20
Birmingham Companies Ex- pect to Be Ready to
 Leave by Thursday
MANY NEW RECRUITS OFFERING SERVICES
 ON MEXICAN BORDER
Crane Company Gives It's Men Six Months Pay and Job When They
 Return

The call to arms has stirred the city mud the district and the response on the part of the national guardsmen has been inspiring.
 The first news of the mobilization or ders, conveyed to the people of Bir- mingham by The Age-Herald Sunday night, caused the prompt answer Of the members of the companies in this city.
 All were ready and anxious to go, and the enlistment yesterday surpassed ex- pectations. Nearly 200 new men, seeing the chance for service in protecting the border states. and possibly an invasion of Mexico, joined the colors. The work is going on with rush and last night oth- CTS were applying for enlistment. While no positive orders to move have been received, local officers of the mili- tia are hurrying the enlistment work with feverish haste so that they can get to the concentration camps which will be located at Montgomery. But the most pleasing fact to the local guardsmen is the prospect that there will be no long delays before actual service begins, as was the case in the Spanish-American war; The men will be needed on the bor- der and just as fast as they can be gathered together and recruited to the full war requirements, they will be has, tened to the border states.
 ABOUT 750 WILL GO It was estimated yesterday that no less than 750 Birmingham men will be ready to move not latter than Thursday. The four infantry companies two batteries of field artillery. one sanitary company, and an ambulance corps, which will be organized today, will be ready to answer the call for actual service by that time. Some of the companies which are more nearly on a war footing, may leave the city tomorrow.
 All day yesterday the steady stream of men in khaki and olive drab flowed through the streets of Birming ham. At the city hall, where the infantry com panies are mobilizing, and at the armory of the two field artillery batteries on Avenue B, crowds of interested specta- tors gathered. The enlistment corps are busy and several hundred signed up and were examined during the day. Other en- listment stations were established at va rious points around the city and 1t is ex-
 
 in this work today
 EVERY HOME REACHED
 Practically every home in Birming- ham was reached by the call to arms Few domiciles in the district were with out relative or friend among the men who were called to the colors. And as the enlistment continues, more and more will be the interest in the situa- tion.
 The business firms of the city and the corporations came face to face with a situation and all responded nobly ac- cording to reports circulated yesterday The men were told to go and answer the call and to rest assured that when they returned, their places would be open for them. The officers of the local companies were highly gratified at this situation, but it was no more than had been expected. Few. if any, of the en- listed men tried to be relieved from actual service.
 CRANE COMPANY'S ACTION
 The first of the local corporations to realize its patriotic duty probably was the Crane company, which issued the following statement though Col. w. H. kettig, manager, yesterday:
 All men who are in the employ of the Crane company and who are mem bers of the state militia, will be al- lowed full pay for six months while in military service. The positions of all men will be held open until their re- turn, and if they are in military ser vice longer than. six months, some pro- vision vii be made for them"
 The Tennessee company has a large number of employees who are members of the militia. and while no official statement could be secured yesterday on account of the absence from the city of President Crawford, it was stated unofficially that provisions would be made for the men who went into the service. Business firms and other cor porations in the district generally have made similar announcements.
 Birmingham is not excited over the call to arms, but the city and the dis trict are stirred with a kind of sup pressed patriotic fervor. The attraction of khaki uniform was everywhere ap- parent yesterday, and the man who was clothed in the garments of Americas s fighting men was the center of ad- hiring and interested groups. The militamen have assumed their proper