The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-04-13
Prominent Men Are Behind Movement and Another Conference Will Be Held Today
SPEAKERS TELL
 OF CONDITIONS IN
 VARIOUS COUNTIES
Aid of Mrs. Mathis Will Be Enlisted in Meeting Most Serious of Problems Now Confronting Alabama

VIII OHef fele1 to AlabamlanS who are now paying $1O6 6OOO,0 GOO annually to dealers outside the state for foodstuffs- -inaugu- rated a few days ago-when Mrs. G. H. Mathis was selected to head a strenuous publicity campaign, reached a bed rock basis yesterday morning when the special committee named met at the Chamber of Commerce and flashed implements of war on the food pirate.'
 An executive committee was named and Will meet today at the Chamber of Com merce at Il o'clock, ready to do business. Mrs. Mathis has been asked to meet the executive committee as soon as possible and confer, submitting a plan of acti on that will immediately become a reality.
 PERSONNEL OF COMMITTEES
 The executive committee is headed by John H. Frye and associated with him are: w. D. Wood, J. D. Moore, B. NJ. Allen, Robert Jemison. IT,, Louis Pizitz, James J. Smith, Murray Brown, Frank s. White, G. B. Mccormack, John L. Cox, and John $. Pierson. This committee will have full power to confer with Mrs. Mathis, fix the amount of expense for the campaign, Mrs Mathis compensation, and to raise the funds for carrying on the work.
 finance committee was named com posed of Oscar Wells, chairman; Dona Id Conner, Joe P. Mudd, J. c. Hodges, R. A. Porter and Frank Fowlkes.
 Several splendid talks on food condi- tions, diversification, and the matter of getting the proper thought into the minds of the farmer about raising food crops, were made by members of the commit tee.
 s. W. Lee who was named as chairman of the general committee, asked to be ex- cused on account of pressing business, anc w. c. Allen was named as chairman. MT. Allen accepted the chairmanship and presided at the meeting. MT. Allen inn medately impressed the committee with the fact that the time for action was now and that a small executive committee could accomplish the work with more rapidity than larger committee.
 We have the right person if we can secure her services, for I am positive that Mrs. Mathis is the most important person in Alabama, and has established a national reputation in her line-farm diversification. Everywhere I go I hear of Mrs. Mathis-the farmer woman" said MT. Allen.
 GET MRS. MATHIS TO HELP
 MT. Allen first called upon Frank Will lis Barnett, who further stressed the inl- portance of securing Mrs. Mathis serv- ices, due to the universal recognition of her efforts throughout the state.
 Mrs. Mathis should be used to engage the attention of the people of Alabama, as she is the one person in this state who can engaged the attention of all the peo- pies of the state-the farmers
 "I believe that the money realized should be used to defray the expenses of Mrs Mathis and the publicity work that must be done, and that the matter of going into the seed business should he a secondary matter to be taken up later if necessary. There are thousands of acres of land all over Alabama that have been turned out to the grass on account of having no labor or tenants to cultivate it-the negroes have left these farms. People do not believe that condition of necessity confronts us. and they need Mrs. Mathis to go up and down the state and tell them "the actual existing facts" concluded Mrs Barnett.
 TELLS OF SELMA'S WORK
 S. w. Lee was called upon to tell of feed conditions, and he briefly gave the