The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-01
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Leslnnlng again to feature the &C., tlvities of it's members, and I am sure all who were present at the lunch on Wednesday at the Southern club greatly enjoyed the straightforward interesting and informing talk of E. W. Barrett, editor of The Age-Herald.
 
 The first part of the talk was filled with some interesting data about the way in which MT. Barrett got control of The Age Herald, and it's growth Is but indicative of the manner In which many of the other enterprises in Birmingham have grown from small beginnings into great institutions, giving employment to hundreds of workers.
 
 But it is not the status of The Age Herald which I wish to comment upon. but the second part of the talk referring to Mir. Barretts efforts to promote the use of the spruce pine in the making of paper. I can well remember when those who were in- tcrested in the production of steel in this district were looked upon as be- ing impractical and visionary, and got the cold shoulder in the financial world.
 Report after report of so-called ex- perts were adverse. Some of them may have been honest ones, but quite few were, to say the least, biased, as Pittsburg and other steel centers were not anxious for Birmingham to make good and become a competitor. It was the old hue and cry that the south could never become 8 manufac- turer of steel, but must limit itself to digging coal and iron and ship the latter in the form of pig to the east and the west for manufacture.
 The same thing was true of cot south was the place to raise it, but the north was the place to convert it into yarn and cloth. There was a reason why the south had to suffer under this procedure as the war left it impoverished, but by and by the men of the new south" put their heads together and said the best place for cotton mills is near the fields in which it is grown. A few here and there formed small companies and began business, and 1t wasn't long before the big eastern manufacturers were themselves establishing cotton mills below the Mason and Dixon line.
 The day came also when steel was made in the Birmingham district, and it set new era, but it took many years before the community be- gan to cash in on it; and as a ma tier of fact we are just beginning now to pass from the raw material stage to the fabricated product: and I ex- pect to live to see the day when the great industries will be augment ed by smaller ones in which every variety of article will be turned out.
 It is small wonder, then, that the men of vision behold the thing done by MT. Barrett with spruce pine as of tremendous significance not only to this district, but to the entire south wherever the timber grows. If anyone thinks that the editor of The Age-Herald met with easy sailing in his effort to cut the timber and float it to the point of manufacture, they have another guess coming, as he found obstacles everywhere, but he kept going in spite of an upstream fight.
 It was held by some of the know ing ones that the spruce pine In Ala bama was as unsuited for paper manufacture as in the, old days the could not be converted into steel; but MT. Glade. 8 practical paper maker, knew better, and joined hands with Mir. Barrett to prove to the world that he could turn out a grade which would in every way meet the require ments of the newspaper publishers. The story of how it was done. as told by Mir. Barrett, made profound impression on those who heard him.
 I am sure that the thing which has been set going through the foresight and perseverance of Mir. Barrett Is going to be worked out to a happy conclusion, and that it will not be very long before the paper making business will add great wealth to Alabama. He has faith in the project and there are those behind him ready to back him up. I think he deserves all the good things which are being said about him at home and through out the country, and here is wishing him great success in his venture.
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