The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-01
AIRED CHARTS
 SHOW PROGRESS AND. NEEDS OF ALABAMA IN CROP PRODUCTION.
Work of Marketing Commit tee May Be Taken Over By Civic Bodies and
 Greatly Extended

The Birmingham committee On agri- culture and marketing of which John H. Frye is chairman gave a luncheon yesterday at the Tutwiler and invited a number of guests to listen to speci- men illustrated lecture upon the work the committee Is doing in North Ala bama
 Chairman Frye stated that the com mittee had now been at work for two and a half years and the members be- lieved that the work had reached such proportions and was of such import ance that it should soon be taken over by one of the regularly organized civic bodies of the city
 Hill Ferguson was called upon to give the specimen lecture. Striking charts are used in these lectures which show the progress and needs of farm ing and marketing in Alabama. Mem bers of the committee are called upon from time to time to visit various communities. These Birmingham busi- ness men are to be joined by agricultur Ial experts representing the railroads the state department of agriculture, the Southern Bell Telephone company. the International Harvester company and the Alabama Polytechnic Institute at Aub urn. A field man will go out in advance and arrange the meetings
 The charts which show so graphically the message which it is hoped to bring to the people of North Alabama were prepared by T. F. Hay, Jr.. executive secretary of the Birmingham commit- tee. Explaining the work of the com mittee and it's purposes Chairman Frye said:
 The committee has asked you gem tlemen to attend this luncheon with a view to giving further account of it's stewardship, and to asking your con- sideration of some plans for the future which we consider important. Com parative figures show splendid growth in diversified farming in Alabama dur ing the past two years. And we have great confidence in the results that can be obtained for this city. for the Birmingham district and for the state of Alabama by organized and continu ous effort here in the interest of agri cultural development. But now that the war is over, we question the wisdom of maintaining separate organization, to do work of the kind which the Chamber of Commerce and the Civic associations are organized to do
 Ut is estimated that the state of Alabama has heretofore paid more than one hundred million dollars annually to other sections of the country for food and feed commodities. Needless to say a substantial part of this amount comes from the Birmingham district, for this district is the largest consumer of such commodities in the southern states. with the possible ex- ception of New Orleans. And 1t Is general agreed that the present con dition, by which We send out of our state so large a sum, can only be reme- died by improving marketing condi- tions. The solution of the problem would do great deal toward enrich ing Alabama. which in turn would en- rich the splendid district in which we live and reduce the cost of living and of manufacturing here
 "Of late attention has frequently been called to the difficulties under which our coal and iron interests are labor ing The advantages over the other sections which they formerly possessed seem to have been greatly lessened If not eliminated, by the high cost of labor and by changes in freight tariffs. A well informed man stated recently that the market for coal and iron in some of the large cities of the country is more extensive than the market for these commodities in the entire state of Alabama. We do not vouch for the absolute accuracy of his statement. but 1t emphasizes the need to develop our home territory.
 Coal. iron. agriculture, manufactur- ing and merchandising are the founda- tions upon which our city is built. And we come to call your attention to the trade opportunities along agricultural lines, and to ask that this work be taken over during the present year by one of the permanent organizations of the community. In closing may l mem tion another fact? Your committee took the leading part last year in a campaign for larger wheat production in Alabama. The estimates indicate that there has been an increase over the 1918 yield of 329,000 bushels. which represents an addition of nearly three quarters of million dollars to the value of farm products in the state.''