The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-07
SELMA

Selma, February 6-(SpeciaI.) )-Success is in the air and every worker for the Near East Relief feels confident thas the quotas of both the men and womens s committees will be largely oversubscribed in Dallas county. Alrady the women woking under Mrs. H F. Ksndrick, have gone over their allotment of % orphans, and are rolling up good oyersubscrip- tion.
 J. Percy Day, secretary and treasurer for the drive, today announced that s72o is in hand from three of the mems com mittees and other contributions will be turned during the afternoon, bringing up this figure considerably. The quota asked of the men is 5000, and every penny will of the county.
 Mrs. J. F. Hooper, state chairman for women's work. is receiving hourly tele7 grams and telephone messages, telling of the interest being taken in the drive by her committees in different counties. Mrs. Hooper believes that every one of the 500 orphans will be cared for by the women of Alabama before the end ot the week.
 T. l. McGin, district governor of Ro- tary Clubs, returned to Selma last night after paying visit to the Cuban Ro- tary Clubs, and he is enthusiastic over the splendid spirit evinced and the wide influence being yielded by them.
 q found the clubs in Cuba composed of the leading men of the island, and much farther advanced in Rotary than 4al CntH Mr. clubs in America are yielding a greater influence on their communities than are these Cuban Rotary Clubs, and as an evidence of this fact I can cite the stand now being taken by the Havana Rotary Club, in attempting to arbitrate the rail- road strike, now in progress, which is tieing up the traffic of the island, and made it impossible for me to visit seY- eral inland clubs" The Rotarians have and unloading ships. working in har- mony with the striking railroad men, and attempting to bring about successful readjustment of the situation.
 Mir McGill visited the club at Matan- gas, where he was royalty entertained He came home impressed with the cos mopolitan character of the people and the progressive spirit of Havana. which he says is finer than that of any city he has visited before.
 Returning, MT. MeGill and his party visited Tamps, where he completed ar engagements for the district convention of Rotary Clubs to be held there February 1S-19, and which will be attended by large party of Selma Rotarians.
 Next week Mir McGill leaves for Ath- ems, Ga, to install new club, and from that time until the convention he will be busy visiting new clubs and giving charters. He will visit St. Petersburg. St. Augustine and Palatka, Fla, Bessemer and Sheffield for this purpose.
 The ladies of Mr. McGills party. Mrs McGill, Miss Flossie Hagerty and Miss Mary Axford were elaborately enter tained both by the Florida and Cuban clubs.
 Analysis of gas samples taken from the mains of Selma is being made in two laboratories in Birmingham, following the recent outbreak of cases of asphyxia- ton reported from different sections of tue city, for which no cause could be as- sfs ned. One death, that of Mrs. B. S. Talmadge. wife of the local manager of the Southern Bell Telephone Company, resulted from the gas fumes in the bath room of their apartment.
 Chemists from two laboratories in Bir- mingham have visited Selma and se- cured samples of the gas, which are now being analysed. An expert has also been summoned from the bureau of standards at Washington. and will probably conduct an investigation for the city.
 No further cases of poisoning have been reported since Tuesday. Up to that day almost dozen Selmians had suffered asphyxiatiation, and much excitement was caused by the situation here.