The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-08-22
SECRETARY PARKER
TELLS OF VALUE OF
STATE WATERWAYS
Banquet at Tutwiler Well
Attended, Speaker Tells
How to Put Birming-
ham on the Warrior

The banquet given last night, IN
honor of Walter Parker, assistant sec
rotary of the department of commerce,
was a most enjoyable and instructive
affair. The spacious dining room of
the Tutwiler was well filled with those
interested in putting Birmingham on
the Warrior" and in the discussion of
the river development many valuable
suggestions were made by the guest
the close "the two hours spent in
discussion were the two most momen-
tous hours in the history of the CITY,"
I DR.. ]. H. finder was POSTMASTER
and was particularly apt in the intro
duction of the several speakers.
A few words of welcome were
spoken by James Weatherly on behalf
of the Civic association and the city
of Birmingham. Mr.. Parker was intro
!, duced as the speaker of the occasion.
He outlined the progress of the ship
ping industry from the days when 1t
had an absolute monopoly of shipping
on through the time that it had to
compete with the railroadssand showed
how it was crushed by the roads. He
declared that the time has now come
when both are needed and that the
railroads are now anxious to build up
the waterways. He then offered a
suggestion as to what Birmingham
should do Immediately to get on the
water
MAN THAT is CAPABLE
IF l were confronted with your
II I NJ ~. ~
go about the matter in business
like way. I would search all over the
country to find a man that was cap
s able and put him in charge of the
movement and give him complete care
of the enterprise and have him devote
his entire time to IT. l would orr
game all the towns that would be af-
fected by the cheaper freight rates
and have them cooperate. Then get
capable engineer to make estimates
of the number and kinds of boats you
need and present them to your BUSH
ness men. Begin to raise money with
which to fight any hostile forces. Then
if you still need assistance go to
Washington and l assure you that you
will get it. You will then be really
on the Warrior and you will begin to
thrive and grow as you never have
before"
gineer was the next speaker. He
stated that the possibilities of Biz
mingham were the most wonderful
that he has ever seen and declared
that the city has a great future. He
also emphasized the Importance of
making Birmingham a basing point
and thereby securing cheaper rates.
Major Little af Tuscaloosa also pre-
dicted a great future for Birmingham
because of her limitless resources. He
declared that there was a relation be-
tween the improvements at Fairfield
and the ship plants at Mobile, and that
this relation was the Warrior.
VALUE OF RIVER TRAFFIC
Captain Kealhofer of Columbia
dwelt upon the value of the river traf-
fic in time of war, and J. R. McWano
described the difficulty there was al
ready in obtaining enough cars for
carrying on business. Congressman
George Huldleston expressed himself
as being in favor of the Valley Creek
canal project of connecting Birming-
ham and the Warrior with canal.
Senator Frank S. White said that the
Civic association will at once appoint
a committee that will cooperate with
committees from other towns and will
not rest until Birmingham is really
on the Warrior.
In closing the meeting James Wealth
erly stated that the two hours spent
in discussion were the two most mo-
mentous hours that had ever taken
place in the history of Birmingham.
He declared that the Civic association
and all other bodies would do every
thing, they could to carry out the sug-
gestions of Mr.. Parker.