davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Mexican LabOrers

A Houston special to the American Lumberman says: One of the most inn portant announcements which have been made with regard to the labor conditions in south Texas Is the removal of the head tax and other restrictions which have heretofore been imposed on Mex ican laborers This is expected to go a long ways toward relieving the short age of help which has prevailed for many months in the lumber industry of south and east Texas. Following the imposition of head tax of $S and the fear of being drafted, Mexicans in large numbers left this part of the country and returned to their former homes across the border, leaving the lumber mills and logging camps seriously de- pleted of help.
 The yellow pine industry is experience ing period of uncertainty owing to the tangled railroad situation, although the order for the diversion of shipments to gulf ports is looked upon as the opening of brighter prospects. Weather conditions in the north and the em- bargo on shipments east of the Missis- sippi have effectually tied up the move ment of yellow pine and mills are com blaming that it is impossible to get out deliveries which have been on the books for three and four months, their money being tied up in the meantime.
 There is a good demand for retail ma terial in the west. but prices are some what weak, while in the north the mar ket has stiffened. Cantonments have been buying good quantity of lumber. The appeal of Secretary McAdoo to dis courage home building has come at time when the lumbermen were prepar- ing to meet good demand in this di- rection.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
REPORTS OF SHIPBUILDING l
 PLANTS ALONG GULF COAST

l Gulfport Miss, February 23.-(SpeciaL) Mississippi is working overtime in doing her bit toward turning out ships for Uncle Sam. At Gulfport considerable ac- l tivity has been In evidence at the naval | station for the past several months, but another place which has also been active is the Gulfport Shipbuilding company S plant at the foot of the basin. Just how much work is going on al this shipyard is not known to many for the reason that the pier is accessible only to. those who have passes, and passes are held by only a few.
 At present there are approximately 17o men working at the plant, and craft un- der construction number two large four masted schooners and three large barges, the latter measuring 200 feet in length which will be used in the oil carrying trade. The schooners are for J. w. Som erville and associates and will be used in the lumber carrying trade. Thus far it has been possible to get material enough to keep building operations going on without interruption. The framework has about been completed for one of the
 
 practically finished.
 A dredge is now at work to secure depth of 15 feet in front of the ways which is considered sufficient to float almost any vessel that might be built at Gulfport. The sand from the dredging is being pumped in the small basin lying in front of the traction companys power house. When this basin has been filled the Gulfport Shipbuilding company states that 1t will add extra heavy machinery to its plant which was constructed sev- eral months ago over the aforesaid basin. The new equipment will be heavy enough to dress down almost any kind of tim ber
 The Gulfport Shipbuilding company has come to Gulfport to stay, it is said, and has enough work in sight to keep it busy for a long time to come.
 BIG PURCHASE AT PASCAGOULA At Pascagoula, the International Ship building company last week purchased the Watkins property. adjoining their
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Y. M. c. A. Man Who Dared
By Francis B. sayre, in Harpers Ma


 azine.
 l shall never forget the story that was told me of 8 certain incident on Vfmy Ridge We had been making our way one morning up Souchez valley, where thousands of brave French troops had lavishly poured out their lives to stem the German thrust, and shortly came into full sight of vimy ridge. There was the ridge whose name has very sacred by the washing Tn human blood-a long, low, scared hill, swept bare of any sign of life except for it's deserted zigzag trenches and a few gaunt, naked tree trunks. Up over those shell-torn slopes we went, carefully picking our way around the shell craters and through the maze of tangled barbed wire. We passed the old front-line trenches and started across the furiously torn ground of No Mans Land, covered with the dreadful debris of the battle which had ragged there. And then we came to the spot where this thing had happenel. as related by Canadian of- ficer: Within half an hour after the ridge was stormed," he said, before the line had even been consolidated, there suddenly appeared among us from no one knows where, Young Men's Christian association secretary, serving out hot coffee to my men. Every one else was lying flat under the storm Of shell fire; but he was standing at his work. utterly oblivious of everything except the men he was trying to serve. I've never been much on religion God knows" he went on. "but somehow the sight of that young Y. M. c. A. secretary standing there. the only man erect In all that rain of shels-well, that is what gave religion to me-
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
WONDERFUL RECORD
 FOR FAST BUILDING


 Jacksonville, Fla, February A.-(Spe- cial )-What is believed to be record for fast building was established at Camp Joseph E. Jackson at Black Point near here recently when 104,000 feet of lumber were converted into an army warehouse measuring 150 by 60 feet in less than three hours. A working gang of 2S0 men were moved to the site on which the building now stands at 10:50 o'clock in the morning and at 1:45 the same after noon the last nail had been driven and the building was ready for occupancy. The sills of the building are by B timbers and exactly three minutes after starting work they were all set. Four teen minutes later all the floor Joists were in place. Then enough of the floor was laid so that the posts could be erect ed and the remainder was laid while the building was being closed in. There was no rehearsal or drilling of the men and no picking of individuals or gangs-but Ill the material was on hand.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Shipbuilding Company's
 Prodigious Activities

The movement of lumber from the Mo- bile district has been much restricted of late and shippers find 1t almost impos- slble to get a shipment through to any northern or eastern interior point, says a special to the American Lumberman The car situation is unrelieved, so far as the millmen are concerned, and,
 while they report there are plenty of caPs in this ~seetion., the railroads,- -ofs ac- count of the embargo. refuse to load them with freight destined for eastern or northern points, the idea being to re- tain them here to transact interstate and government business in this section. One of the largest shipping firms in this city has not been able to make single shipment of lumber outside of the local district for. the last three or four weeks.
 While the car situation is unrelieved 1t has grown worse, so far as the mills are concerned, for under prevailing con ditions they are accommodating stocks which they are unable to get shipped and they find that government business is about all that is moving freely Prices are said to be steady. though with noth- ing to base prices on, except the feeling Of the mfllmen as to how much he can get; however, in most deals, government prices prevail.
 The Chickasaw Shipbuilding company has already received about 6,O0O, GOO of the 4o,000,000 feet of lumber which it con- templates will be necessary to meet it's requirements. It has about 5000 men en- gagged in laying a railroad to connect with railroads leading into the city, and Is also building trolley line of three or more miles in length to connect with the city system at one of the suburbs, so that very soon the questions of freight and passenger transportation will be solved.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Lifting Red Mans Burden

by EVanseune Cole, In the World Out
 look
 It is very worth while to give the In- dian a square deal. He has proved him self capable of great things. Two pres idents of Peru have been Indians One of Mexico's greatest presidents was an Indian, and Bolivia has had at least one great Indian president. One expects them to excel in warfare. The Araucan- ian Lantare was the greatest military chteftain South America has produced ex- cept San Martin. and we have had Gen. John A. Logan and Gen. Eli S. Parker Numbers of our senators and congress- men have been proud of their Indian blood and Thomas c. Moffett who knows the red man well. says that fin the professional world today, on farms, among leaders in business affairs. the Indian, educated and Christianized, is taking his place; clever Indian lawyers are looking out for the interests of their tribes; capable Indian physicians are ministering to the needs of their own people; earnest Indian preachers and teachers are spreading among the reser- vation the seed of the gospel message: aggressive Indian agricultural experts are teaching the younger generation how to improve land and crops; the new Indian is helping in the forward movement ac- tivities of his country"
 The white mans disease and vices have burdened the Indian. but his schools, medicine, Christian morals and faith can, If he so wills it. lift that burden and make his red brother once again free man.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25

present holdings in Pascagoufa, Miss The price paid was $500 The tract em- braces the old Watkins home on the river front and runs back to Pascagoula street, taking in the baseball park, and con tains about 50 acres. The land will be utilized in building more homes for the companys employees. About 40 houses have already been finished or are under construction, and 200 houses in all are to be built
 Filling for the ways of one steel ves- sel have been driven, and piling for the eight sets of ways for the wooden yes sels now is going down.
 BIG THINGS AT BILOXI
 Biloxi is certain to get the Liberty Shipbuilding company said J. E.. Breaux, Jr.. chairman of the building site campaign, in which an effort is being made to raise fund of $3500. We only need few hundred dollars yet and this is certain to be secured by the lat ter part of the week. The people of Back Bay have gone into this thing in way that has done our hearts good and have rolled up an additional S300, more or less, unknown to members of the committee and in addition to what MT. Tucei and myself and others have succeeded in rais- ing. I am now very confident of suc- cess, because I think that inasmuch as there are only 9ZUO UT 9oVU DelW6cl1 us anu the mark that we can easily raise this amount"
 MT. Beaux showed letter from Gar rard Harris of Washington, who has been working manfully to get the ship building plant located at Biloxi. He stated in his letter that the company has number of contracts and will be ready to begin the work of constructing the plant within the next two weeks.
 MT. Harris also explained that the com pany could have gotten contracts for the construction of F French ships and that if Biloxi had hustled and worked up the money for the site that the ships would now be under construction here n- stead of being built elsewhere. MT. liar ris expressed the highest regard for the men back of the Liberty Shipbuilding company. stating that he knew them per sonally, and that he could vouch for them.
 This plant will employ about 20o0 men when completed, which will add greatly to the demand for homes along the coast.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Industrial Actiuity In
 the Birmingham District
In Spite of Handicaps, Situation Continues to Im- prOye-Tennessee Company's Vast COnstruc- tion Work in Its Fairfield Division
 Humming

While there is still some complaint of railroad congestion, the industrial sit nation in the Birmingham district as compared with a few weeks ago, shows marked improvement At some of the mines the coal output is practically at full capacity, and if production is below normal at any of them, it is mainly be- cause of car shortage.
 Blast furnace operation is being pushed with energy, but in many cases handicaps of one sort or another prevents high record productions. The Woodward company, for instance, with all of it's five stacks going-three at Woodward and two at Vanderbilt-is making pig iron at the rate of about 32,o00 tons a month, when it's normal capacity aver age is 4o,000 tons.
 Bad weather and traffic congestion have caused falling off in iron output in all districts, but with the approach Of spring conditions promise to grow better. The demand for pig metal will
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Buying Lumber for
 Army CantOnments

Although the severe weather continues to tie up building operations in the north and middle west, Beaumont lum- Der manufacturers report growing de- mand for all kinds of lumber. Stocks in most yards are badly broken and the retailers are buying heavily in expecta- ton of big spring business, says a Beaumont special to the American Lum- herman. A number of large orders for yard stocks were placed by Texas and Oklahoma retailers last week and much of this material has been shipped, cars being moro plentiful. Many mill men in this district report having secured all the cars needed during the last week, but few stated that cars were scarceS The general opinion among Beaumont lumbermen is that the car situation will again tighten up before many weeks, and for that reason they are rushing all shipments while railroad equipment Is available. That the same belief is entertained by retailers is indicated by the heavy buying of yard stocks, the dealers being anxious to lay in a goodly supply before the car shortage is again felt.
 In addition to the great volume of shipbuilding timbers now moving from mills to shipyards where government boats are being built the government also is buying considerable lumber for the construction of warehouses, sheds and other buildings at army canton ments. Several unusually large govern ment orders for this class of material were received during the last few days by Beaumont mills.
 The temporary relief in the car stua- tion has enabled railroads to secure the delivery of a large volume of car mate rial, ties and bridge timbers, although the latter have been rather scarce Beau mont manufacturers again participated In this business.
 No lumber of any kind Is being shipped eastward, due to the embargo on this and other materials east of the Misss- sippi river, and while yellow pine manu- lecturers are somewhat affected by this embargo, the hardwood dealers are the chief ones affected. The market, both in yellow pine and hardwood, Is reported strong, with an advancing tendency"
 The local strike of house building car the Builders exchange signed a con tract with the Carpenters union grant ing the $1 a day increase in wage scale demanded by the union. The workers agreed to complete all contracts entered into prior to January 1 at the old scale of s a day and S7 day, respectively Two hundred carpenters were affected by the strike and for two weeks build ing operations in Beaumont were prac- tically suspended.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
THE HUM OF INDUSTRY IN THE SOUTH
GREAT IMPROVEMENT
 IN COAL SITUATION

The Black Diamond, in its issue of Saturday, said:
 Reports from all over the country this week show a very decided inn provement in the coal situation The country has been struggling with zero weather and snow. Then the weather moderated. the snow disappeared, transportation improved and consump- tion of coal was reduced
 The big change everywhere was a diversion of coal from retailers or household channels to steam channels and the improvements in factory pro- auction as a consequence. The relief was so great that retail dealers have actually accumulated a little surplus of coal to tide themselves over the cold wave, which is at this minute sweep ing the country and in the meanwhile factories are running on almost nor nal schedule.
 With the immediate problem of get ting coal for the householders out of the way, the country Is concentrating It's attention upon the next problem This Is to get by some device enough coal to carry the householders through the next winter without dis turbing even temporarily the factories and transportation programmes. This
 
 spring the country is already looking aaxioxusly to the future.
 The task of safeguarding the coun- trys immediate future cannot be done unless a liberal portion of the domes- JIG coal is bought and stored during the summer months. It Is encourage inG that arrangements to that effect are quite generally being made now. Even the fuel administrators who were on the opposite side of the question year ago are now outright advo- cates of coal storage. They are mak- ing plans and preparations even now WElch will allow the householders, who are able to do so, to supply themselves With a portion of their coal during the coming summer. In fact, 1t was announced this week that, under safe guards against hoarding, the house. holder IS to be allowed to store an- enracite. This is contrary to an un- oerstanding which was prevalent for some weeks. The fuel administration knows now that the nation must de- cloe between storing coal in summer or enduring a famine in the winter. IL mas made choice of the former.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Stop Selling Off the
 Good Breeding tSock

Judge c. E. Thomas, president o1 Prattville Stock Farm, Prattville, Ala and one of the most successful live stock men in the southeast. said in an article in the Prattville Progress:
 "On account of the scarcity of feed and the many depressed conditions bott in the United States and in Europe many thousands of cattle, sheep and hogs are being put on the market and we find on referring to the United States statistics that we are today short more than 2S,0oo.Ooo cattle, 54.0O0,O0o sheep, and 32,000, 900 hogs.
 With these facts before us you can see that it is shortsightedness on the part of stock raisers in Alabama to con tnue selling our breeding stock. In lieu, thereof, we should be increasing our herds, enlarging our pastures, and getting ready for the much higher prices that are sure to come I have tried continuously for the last few years to en- courage the further enlargeing of our pas lures, and getting ready for the further growing of hogs and cattle, and it has been with much difficulty that I have convinced many stock raisers in this country to this effect. For your infor- nation am glad to state that we are shipping from the PrattvilIe Stock Farm each month from $150O to 5000 worth of pigs, shipping them into all the southern states, and we can see the demand is growing heavier each day.
 T hope that this short bit of infor- nation will be encouraging to the breed- CTS of this country and they will all prepare to take advantage of the great opportunity that awaits them''
 Fourteen Hampshire sows and a Hamp- shire boar were purchased for $25O from Prattville Stock Farm. Prattville, Ala, by G. P. Wilburn, Yazoo City, Miss, this having been one of the largest in- dividual sales of pure-bred hogs of high quality ever made in Alabama
 MT. Wilburn was accompanied to Pratt vile Stock Farm by W. R. Richt, farm demonstration agent of Yazoo county, whose success in organizing cooperative hog sales is widely known, and the two selected the Hampshires that were pur- chased.
 Prattville Stock Farm broke all its records in Its sales of Hampshires in January, filling orders for pigs, gilts. sows and boars from many section of the south.
 Judge c. E. Thomas. president of the Prattville Stock Farm. and Carl Adams, secretary and manager, are doing great work in helping to upbuild the live stock industry in Alabama and the southeast
 A carload of Hampshires were shipped by express recently from Prattville Stock Farm to Montgomery. Ala. From Mont gomery the Hampshires were forwarded to points in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
MONTGOMERY HAS
 KEEN INTEREST IN
 STATE INDUSTRIES
Citizens Have Been Invest ing Extensively at Mobile
 and Muscle Shoals

Montgomery, February 24-(Special) business in Alabama this state breathed a sigh of relief Saturday when it was generally known that striking miners in the Birmingham district had returned to work and that the federal government would work out @ plan whereby the min CTS and coal operators might be given justice.
 Early in the week it was feared that the strike might be a pretentous one which would have affected general busi- ness in the state. Alabama is in closer touch with the industrial activities in the Birmingham district than ever be- fore and this strike was depressing es- pecially in Montgomery and Mobile. But throughout the disturbance there was some realization that the government would not stand for any prolonged strike at this time and if necessary would take over the industries affected and operate them until the end of the war.
 Statewide interest has been created in the development work at Mobile and Sheffield brought on by the construction of the shipbuilding city near Mobile and the governments construction of the ni- trate plant Muscle Shoals. Citizens of Montgomery are daily finding business in Mobile and Sheffield and so great has become the interest in Muscle Shoals and surrounding territory that Montgomery people have purchased or obtained op- tions on important real estate there with the intention of developing it or placing 1t on the market at a later date.
 Many Montgomery people have been in- terested in Mobile for several years, but at present a great many new ones are involved in development work, especially In the drilling for oil and in industries brought on by the construction of the shipbuilding plant.
The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-02-25
Indian Progress

From the World Outlook.
 The Indian population of the United States exclusive of Alaska is about $50, 00e. or roughly one in every 2S1 of the whole population.
 The numbers are increasingly slowly In 1916 the birthrate was s1.s5 per 1OOl and the death rate only 2SS3.
 Of the one-time savage Indians Of OUT country. four times as many now live in modern houses as do in primitive tepees tents and other temporary structures. and all but 5000 wear modern dress.
 About three-fourths of the North Amer ican Indian children are in public or mission schools, but 70 per cent of the whole number still cannot read or write English.
 Dartmouth college was founded by an Indian.
 The first woman teacher in Wisconsin was an Indian, Electra Chimney. She taught in the first free school Wiscon- ain had, school established by Mohicana from New York.