The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-10-23

of the state. the Decatur Ice and Coal company has spent over $20,000 on the and improvement of it's ice plant. The LyleTaylor Grain com pany has greatly increased its mills and plant. They make all kinds Of foodstuff and make meal and flour also. This company has corn crib which holds 3500O bushels of corn. The city of Decatur is improving and re- pairing her paved streets at cost of about $10,000. It is quite probable that within a few months Decatur will spend about s160,000 in paving other streets which have never been paved before. The Decatur compress, which was recently rebuilt here, Is one of the largest and best equipped, congresses in the south. This compress handles about 150,000 bales of cotton year. Decatur is the fourth largest cotton center in Alabama. Besides much wag- on cotton thousands of bales of cotton are shipped here annually by rail and by river. The Southern Express com pany is having built here an express office building to cost about $10,000. When this building is completed work will commence on the enlargement and improvement of the Union Passenger station and about s10,000 more will be spent on this work. The Tennessee Valley bank is spending several thou sand dollars on the improvement of it's banking house here. A new front is being added to the building, new fixtures are being placed in the build ing and marble floors are being laid. This will be the incest and most mod ern bank in this section of the state. The Colvin building on Bank street is being improved by the addition of a new front and marble floors.
 TO BUILD LIGHTING PLANT
 Sometime ago Decatur voted an issue of $50,000 for the building of municipal plant. Owing to the high price of material the building of the plant has been delayed, but it is ex- pected that it will soon be built now.
 The Owl Drug company here has grown into one of the largest manu- lecturers of medicines of any concern in the south. They ship their medicines from here often times in carload lots
 In recent years Decatur has grown to be a wholesale market of no small importance. There are located here a number of wholesale grocery and dry goods houses. Owing to the low freight rates by rail and by the Tennessee river Decatur is an ideal wholesale market for all kinds of goods.
 BAND DEPOSITS
 The bank deposits of Decatur are over s1,Ooo,OOo, the largest of any city of like size in the state. The banks are prosperous and sound.
 Decatur is noted for her hotels. her handsome churches and homes and her well paved streets. The water supply or the city is the purest and the best to be found anywhere.
 The city is well lighted with a white way and has one of the best street car systems to be found in any city of like size anywhere.
 The health of Decatur will compare most favorably with any. locality in the United States. The health report of the state health department gives Decatur one of the lowest death rates of any place ill Alabama
 FUTURE IS BRIGHT
 There are many large things in sight in the near future for Decatur. The United states government owns lot here ana sometime ago Congress appropriated S6O,- uvo TOT the building of postoffice biuld- ing here. It is expected that this will pc built soon. A number of large fac- tories are seeking locations in Decatur ana several have almost decided to come. A number of men are here now with view to locating factories here.
 Besides fine cotton market Decatur is coming to be good grain and produce market. There are parties here at this time who want to buy 2O00,0Oo bushels of corn. Poultry and eggs are shipped from Decatur every week in car load lots.
 The recent location of the S4,0OO,OO0 ni- trate and powder plants for Muscie Shoals is helping Decatur and is giv- Ing new life. It is believed here that in the near future the government will build the big $20000.000 nitrate plant at Muscle Shoals and at the same time utilize the 680,O00 horse power there. If this is done Decatur and the entire valley of the Tennessee will prosper as they have never prospered bfore.
 NO VACANT HOUSES
 Today there Is hardly vacant residence in Decatur and there is not man to found here out of employment. The farmer. as general thing, has plenty to eat at home and is getting a good price for his cotton.
 In spite of the war and the frequent cries of hard times and high prices Decatur Is prospering today and improv- ing and growing and her people are thriving and contented ana would not Fnsw that a great war was raging in the world if 1t were not for the call from Uncle Sam for the young men of De- catur and Morgan county and the entire country to take up arms in defense Of our kindred across the sea and the per- petuation of democracy in our own be- loved country.