The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-08
E. Wilkinson Says Birming- ham Can Grind More than Alabama Produces-What Is Being Done Now
FULLY EQUIPPED TO HANDLE VELVET
 BEANS INDUSTRY
Says Chief Thing Needed is More Farmers and Grain Producers, Not More Mills to Grind Products

E. Wilkinson, president of the Western Grain company of Bir- mingham, says he can grind all
 the velvet beans that Jefferson
 county can produce and that he
 can grind all the corn meal con
 stunned by Birmingham without
 haif trying, If he only had the
 chance.
 MT. Wilkinson's comment was brought out by an editorial in yesterdays Age Herald, entitled, "An Industry That Would Pay"
 We can grind 60 tons of velvet beans
 day." said Mr. Wilkinson, "and we
 have a capacity of 4SOO bushels of corn
 meal 8 day The velvet bean indus
 try in Alabama is scarcely six months
 old, but Alabama people are alive to
 US possibilities. No less than 20 vel
 vet bean mills have been built in the
 state during that time. Next year we
 Will even be equipped here in Bir-
 mingham with dryers so that we can
 handle the beans right from the field.
 one paragraph of your editorial reads. The diversified product of the Alabama farmer is being shipped in enormous bulk to Peoria, H., there ground to meal and shipped back to Alabama for stock food The meal referred to, I pre- sume, is peanut meal, velvet bean meal and corn meal. Peanuts are handled by the cotton oil mills, as is cotton seed. They which is extracted, and the refuse is used for stock food
 WORK OF THE MILLS
 The oil mills of Alabama have ample capacity to handle all of the peanuts raised in our state, and feel sure are in the market offering higher prices than can be paid by mills in northern states. VelVet beans are for the first season on the market in this state in large ouan- utles and the millers of Alabama are Iully awake to their importance both for the producer and consumer
 mere are already well equipped mills grinding velvet beans in at least 15 or zo towns in our state. These mills have capacity to grind many times the volume or velvet beans offered for sale or de- sired for feed by feeders in Alabama. A~ S4ilPpiHS FclN6I bean meal to Illinois, not buying the product from that state
 If by meal the article referred to corn meal, the same condition exists. Alabama mills grind annually many times as much corn as Alabama farmers offer for sale, and the corn milling ca pacity of this state forces a large per cent of the output of meal to markets in states south and east of us. Birming- o1n Y,;,, ally than Alabama producers offer for milling purposes.
 CAPACITY OF LOCAL MILL
 The Western Grain company, with which am connected, can produce daily more Jim Dandy Meal than this mineral district can consume We also have a mixed feed mill and velvet bean mill. We can grind daily more velvet beans than all the dairymen of Jeffer- son and several other counties will con- sume. We are today bringing our corn from Illinois for our mill, because Ala bama, because they are in the heart of Illinois farmers have large surplus
 Peoria, H., may ship feed into Ala bama,, because they are in the heart of the greatest grain producing section of the world. That city has for a year past ground over 15O,00O bushels of corn daily. for the manufacture of alcohol alone After the meal has served this purpose, the refuse Is dried and sold for stock feed. I presume it is this feed made from Illinois raised corn that has been con- fused by the author of your article with peanut or velvet bean meal.
 MORE GRAIN PRODUCERS
 "No velvet beans, peanuts or corn have or will go north to be ground and re- turned to Alabama TOT feed. Birming- ham does not need more grain mills. It does need more grain producers to supply the plants already here. We need moro not mills.
 we then need freight rates which will permit Alabama grain to reach the Ala bama mills with the same milling in transit rates that western grain enjoys, thereby enabling an Alabama miller to distribute to Alabama consumers the fn- shed product made from Alabama raised grain. One further need is determina- ton and desire on the part of Birming- ham consumers to supply their necessi- ties with Alabama products, quality and prices being capitalized.
 '"This desire alone will greatly stimu- late the pay rolls of our city,