The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-01-02
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
 AND ELSEWHERE
Mhncie shaalr Fnture

MSscIe shoals Future
 "The cartoon in The Age Herald Fri day was suggestive and timely prop ably as to the Muscle Shoals being doomed, as far as the farmers getting cheap fertilizers is eoncerned,y sald Ma son Dillard. However, not by any means has the fight been given up for the government to operate the plants as the farmers of the United States are going to fight and ask the gosernment to give them the relief
 Should they fail in this, the plants will be operated later by private cor poration as A commercial proposition but those who have worked so faith" fully for this the greatest development in the United States, sincerely hope the government will not take from the farmers this chance to get cheap rel i tiiizers, and revolutionize the farming interest of the country.
 These plants are all completed at cost of some $To, 900, 900, and would have been worth ten times the cost if the armistice had not been signed. Just such works ended the war.
 "only s1o,ooo,0oo is needed to com pIete the dam. The present appropria- tion on the dam will not run out be- ! fore the last of the summer, and by that time the dam will be over 50 per cent compieted Navigation is forever barred from the river as it stands, ana aside from the big power the naviga- tien must be cared for. Some 5000 men are employed on the dam, and about ,5oO men are at the plants.
 "rhe whole proposition is too big and too important for any lot of business men to destroy, and it would be serl- ous condition in our political affairs II it should be done
 | Locked Like \ Bridge ! The passenger platforms recently 1 placed at Second avenue and Twentieth street for the convenience of pas sengers getting on and off street cars are proving very puzzling to some Of Birmingham's visitors. For instance:
 yesterday a disheveled citizen rushed into my office all out of breath to tell me that during the early hours of the morning several country wagons load ed with produce had been seen being driven over the wooden platforms at much inconvenience to the driver, horse, wagon and platform" said Fred Moore An inquiry as to why the drivers were driving their horses over the platforms elicited this reply: We'll il calculated that the wood bridge must have been put there to cover up a hole and I decided that maybe if there owas a hole there with such we'll built bridge over it for the traf- flee the rest of the street must not be safe.'"
 Needs Hotels
 Birmingham is badly in need of an auditorium and additional hotel facili- ties" said W. E. Deesworth of Chicago,
 'T have spent some time in your the best in the south. However, spend Ting my time at hotels, I have noticed the crowded condition of them and es- pecially is this so when there is a football game, convention or any event of note here.
 | q have read much about Birming- hams need for an auditorium and feel that if there was one here the ma- jority of the large conventions that meet in the south would come to this city, as it is geographically the center of the south. But in order to accom- modate the crowds that would attend these meetings more first-class hotels are needed" Better Business
 The Christmas trade this year was most satisfactory" says George Me Cleery, manager of the s. H. Kress company.
 Tt was with us the greatest since we ]opened in Birmingham. This applies to lChristmas week as well as December as a whole. l cannot state it positively, fbut I think that our good business was helped by advertising. as we did more than ever before during the holidays We haye never been large advertisers from the fact that we felt that our lines did not need it like some others but am convinced that it pays to moi only give good values, but to use space in the papers to let the people know about them"
 | Left-Hand Turn
 People have already begun observ- ing the new traffic code, although il
 has not yet been formally put into ef
 feet Before it is enforced the president Of the city commission, pr. N. A. Bar rett, will issue proclamation.
 T wasted about an ho1r getting tc the office yesterday morning tryins
 to avoid the left-hand burn at the sever corners specified in the traffic code,
 said William Ratliff. T went arounc and around town trying to park ir front of the building and at the same
 time avoid left-hand turn. This sec
 tion forbidding tho left-hand turn oi
 seven of the corners in the loop section will, I believe, prove a disadvantage ito autamObile driyersv