The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-06-23
R. A. BROWN REVIEWS
 WORK OF CHAMBER DURING PAST YEAR
At Annual Meeting of Cham Der of Commerce Past, Present and Future Ac-
 tivities Are Outlined


 ing president, and is headed to another record of achievement under M. P. Northington, the new president, and O. L. Bum, recently chosen general man. ager.
 Interest in the work of this organization was never quite as great as at this juncture. The large ballroom of the Southern Club was filled last night when the annual meet ing was called to order by the retiring president. 1 Without further ado Mir. Brown read report of the years work. A brief sketch of the bigger things accomplished by the chamber during his regime would include | the folowing:
 i When MT Brown assumed the presi- dency the membership of the chamber l was 800. It is now 2,200 Two hundred and I fifty members have been added through | | secretary.
 | During MT. Browns regime Birming- l ham realized her auditorium projection 1 far voting the money with which to build it is concerned and the creation ot l the community amendment that led to ] that four to one favorable action In addition to the peoples $50o,000 Morris Bush has succeeded in having Sl0oOoo ad- ditional pledged by private citizens with 1 to Mr Dredictpd auditorium as an accomplished fact with i in a year.
 A PORT IN FACT ! The chamber stood behind the Warrior l project and, as MT. Browns report said, l the result is that we are now port in | fact with freight rate differentials that l bid fair to save the shippers of Birmms- I ham one million dollars per annum. | In place of the annual waste of $o9o- 00e of chert roads by the county, it is now headed to many miles of permanent road enabled by the $5,000000 county road ] bond issue which the chamber champion ed and succeeded in having voted by a tremendous majority.
 1 Likewise the chamber lined up Witn l the school interests of the city ana 1 financed the campaign that resulted in the voting of $25Oo,Ooo of bonds that will l build two high schools and fourteen grammar schools.
 The chamber achieved another victory at the polls when the people voted Sooo, : 900 of bonds for fire department eXpah- l sion and improvement.
 l A new city hall costing $500,0o0 is also to be numb bereG among the years activi- ties, the chamber heading the campaign that resulted in voting of bonds for thai purpose. l Mir. Brown touched on the financial ald given the national guard, result of which lis that, with it's help, four local companies are now organized and equipped
 AID TO STATE FAIR
 Aid to the state fair, an item Of when was contribution of $1,40o for the boys pig clubs, was mentioned.
 When Muscle Shoals was in danger, the chamber secured the services of J. Q Thompson, president of the Farmers Protective League, to go to Washington and remove prejudices that existe against the project.
 The remarkable work of the agricu.- tural and marketing bureau under T. F. Hay. Jr.. was chronicled. This bureau has done much to bring about diversifiea farming co-operative marketing anc closer relations between the farm ana 1.-the city.
 Under O. L. Bum the industrial com mittee had done splendid service. Birmingham's grain inspection burea4 is another accomplishment of the cham Der and under direction of M. J. Ken dric.. is assuring Alabama shippers ol the impartiality and reliability of the l grading and inspection of their shipments to Birmingham
 Compliment was paid Paoi Smith foi
 his excellent publicity work and tht | chamber was congratulated on securin= the services of 0. l.. Bum as genera
 mana ger. Applause greeted this declara
 tion.
 ! PLANS OF MIR. BUNN M Mir Bum had no written speech, but IT an off-hand manner, in which he got close
 to his hearers. outlined a few thing
 which he thought should be taken up
 Among them were these:
 Control of the Chamber of Commerce
 building by the Chamber.
 He thought the top floor might bf 1 rented to caterer and 1t would be
 for the good of the community 1T the
 various civic clubs and organizations
 would all dine there. besides having a regular Chamber of Commerce lunch con one day in the week. He would make the Chamber Bir-
 mingham's real civic center
 He thought it good idea for one of the Civic organizations to take on itself the marking of the streets of
 Birmingham.
 F He suggested that another organiza tion place Vulcan on top of Red noun tain and equip him with the biggest
 electric light in Birmingham that he
 might advertise Birmingham to in
 corners on the entering trains in the
 valley beneath.
 |l He advocated an industrial depart ment with the best man obtainable al N it's head to locate industries They are applying all the time. The thing to do was to have a man on the job of \ landing them and landing them right Mir. Bum thinks another good thing would be beehive manufacturing If building to house number of small. diversified factories under the same + roof. This building should be so arr |i ranged that any size of space, from \ 20xa0 feet and up. could be available to suit various kinds of tenant The N enterprise had proven successful in
 other cities.
 |. Other suggestions included cam- |i paign for more houses better feeling
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