The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-02-13
OF SIMMONS
C0MPANY WANTS TO
PUT BRANCH HERE
Is Chairman of Board of d.
rectors of Great Manufac-
turing Concern = Can
Reach Trade Here

William H. Leahy, chair
man of the board of the Sim
mons company, the $4,000,
600 brass and iron bed manu-
featuring concern, showed I'M
usual interest when his atten-
ton was called to Birming-
hams advantages as distrib-
uting point. especially with re-
gard to trade with Cuba and
the other Caribbean countries.
II shall have our traffic manager make
a, special study of the Birmingham sit
uation," said Mr.. Leahy, who is in the
city ON business.
Mr.. Leahy went on to say:
81 realize as others do that distribut-
ing centers are being remapped on ac-
count of new freight tariffs, and many
other causes. A well-conducted business
must take note of these things. From
what has been told me / glimpse Biz
mingham's advantages as a distributing
point, and I shall ask our traffic man
aser to look into the matter fully.
$1,000,000 EXPORTS
do you know, in 1916 we exported 81
900, coo worth of brass and iron beds to
South Africa. By that time, however, we
began preparing for war ourselves, and
we became so busy supplying our own
country that there was decided inter-
ruption of the export business. l can
see that it behooves Americans to again
pay great attention to the export trade. =
The Simmons companys parent plant
is at Kenosha, Wis, but it has plants in
Canada and on the coast one in New
Jersey and a spring factory in Atlanta.
The company not only manufactures beds
and bed springs and spring mattresses,
but it operates the rolling mills and
other plants which make the shapes that
enter into the beds. 1t makes the beds
from the raw materials up.
The company has an agency and ware
house in Birmingham. This agency has
jurisdiction for Alabama and does the
distribution for this state. 1t has been
suggested to Mr. Leahy that with the
iron also here, birmingham would be
fine manufacturing and distributing
point combined.
Birmingham business men who have
visited Cuba and South America de-
clare that the demand for brass and
iron beds is very pronounced. and that
they are being imported in quantities
from the United States. People residing
in warm countries are taking to the iror
bed because it is so easily kept free Of
vermin.
ORGANIZATION
Speaking of California, where he re-
sides, Mr. Leahy said:
california and the west are forging
ahead rapidly because out there they
build from the ground up. There are
none to tell them about how they usee
to do and what grandfather and great
grandfather did. The initiative has full
sway out west. That is why they dt
big things.
Il can account, at least in part fol
the large amount of water pipe that BIT
mingham is sending to the Pacific coast
via ship out of Mobile. It Is due to thu
great irrigation projects that are beins
developed out there. This is going OF
all the time, and, of course, much iror
pipe is required.
1.-THE reason why you see so much Cali
fornia fruit on your city stands in th'
east is because the California fruit
growers are organized They have theil
traffic managers, their assembiage points
and their marketing agents. The ra1slr
industry, much as you hear OF it. is pu'
q drop in the bucket Of California indus
try. The fruit business is immense, ane
1t is immense because, as l have said
it has been reduced to business methods
the same as we employ in the manu1ac'
ture and sale Of beds
Mr.. Ieahy became much interested II
Birmingham while here and left the I'M
preston that he meant what he saft
when he stated that he would have the
traffic manager of the Simmons company
make a survey of Birmingham as
southern and export distributing center.