The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-17
For the Good of
 tll le Community

 Among the important importatons hatchets, hammers small tools, knives for tapping rubber trees and similar articles These all made of steel and until the world disturbed international trade rela tons were imported mostly from Germany, which had made study of the South American trade and the preferences of the people with respect to the things they had to buy from other countries.
 Birmingham makes iron, some of which is converted into steel In the of time, if this district is to maintain itspromnence industrial center, all of the iron produced here will have to be worked into steel and the steel into finished products.
 Hatchets hammers knives and similar tools ought to be made in Birmingham of Birmingham steel just as cheapy as anywhere else in the United States, and when such industries established here they must of necessity look to the south for their customers
 The Warrior river being developed commerci- 7 ally by the government, affords Birmingham all water route, with consequent cheap freight rates to South America. To reach the ports of Latin America shipments would not be made single mile of railway, except the short distance from Birmingham to the Warrior river.
 In order to get the South American trade however, the manufacturer must know what South America wants and make it. The hatchets and hammers and knives they used to and the kind theyaemand diff fer from similar tools in this country The knife used in tapping rubber trees for instance differs from the ordinary pruning knife the knife used in tapping
  will not takethe because of that difference.
 Thomas E. Tyler, who has recently come to Bir- mingham to make his home, for number of years general agent of the American Credit Idemnty com pany which underwrites mercantile credits. In his pacy of general agent he had charge of South Ameri can credits for that company and made close study of conditions and trade requirements in those tries
 Speaking of South American trade requirements, he said
 "The merchants in South America demand and accustomed to receiving long credits, They will not buy thirty sixty days time as do the merchants in the United States In fact they could not we'll do under existing conditions. All Latin America IS agricultural and the people depend upon their annual crops to pay their debts The merchants peled therefore, to the accounts of their custo for periods varying from few months to year, and necessarily they cannot pay their debts to the manufacturer thirty sixty days after invoice or de- livery as is done in this country.
 ."Two American banks have established branches in South America which will enable American manufac- turers to handle South American business to greater extent than before but in order to get part of this business Birmingham must form some kind of connection with them or with some similar insti- tutions. .
 "From my experience and investigation covering period of years convinced that the only way Birs
  hold in South America will be by direct methods They must inform themselves to the customs and needs of those people and prepare themselves to meet those needs and requirements
 Probably the only way in which they do this, certainly, the most effective way, would be to send representatives down there to study conditions and customs, and their languages The manufacturers could club together and send two three or half dozen to South America and keep them there for a long enough period to gain the necessary nforma- ton then turn to the manufacture of the things de- manded by South Americans, and make them the way they want them
 "The Chamber of Commerce and the Civic associa- tion organized, understand it, for the promotion of the commercial and industrial interests of Brming ham, might take the lead in this movement. Repre- sentng all the diversified interests of the community there could be- suspicion of selfshness individual preferences but they would go the representatives of all the manufacturers of Birmingham, and their ports would be equally accessible to all.
 The city that gets in this business first is the that is going hold it, and, therefore, is essential matter"
 Mr. Tyler suggested that marketing facilities for the handling of own products destined for the South American trade and the imports from South