The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-26
WHY PEOPLE WANT FORD


 To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 We have read stories of the great wealth of gold of the Kondyke and the riches of Mex ico; we have pictures portrayed to us of the vast mining industries that one time existed in the vest but if Horace Greeley lived to- day the voice he used through pen and paper to advise, Young man, go vest would read ''Young man, go south" Alabama with her great water power to guarantee cheap power to the manufacturer, that is, if the manufac- turer of that power were concerned with and not against the upbuiding of this section, and would lend his aid through this power to en- courage the location of plants to develop these wonderful resources and deliver to them the current at such prices as would enable them to compete with any other.
 The south has been particularly blessed in the shape of timber and agricultural lands but we have investigated very little, and few of the people of the south are acquainted with the vast riches underlying the soils between the Rio Grande and the Ohio river, from the gypsum beds of Texas to the zinc beds of Mis- souri, It was Alabama that in 1882 furnished the raw material from which was made china ware surpassing anything in America and the equal of any. From her mountain sides were gathered kaolin, free of ferric oxide; fespar also free of ferric oxide, and the ball clay as a binder. We have tales practically free of lime and alkalis; we have soapstone, free of otralite, tremerlite and lime of pyrite. We have pyrites showing 52 sulphur content, free of arsenic. We have barytes free of strungen. We have gold quartz on property in stringers running from $70O to $1 1,500 per ton. We have mica molybden, and then just think of the property where the shale is exposed in cuts in enormous quantities free of magnesa; and on the same property quantities of lime showing 99 carbonate with coal that will coke less than so the same railroad; with power line available within short distance for cleo tricity for the manufacture of cement. We also have gypsum in the state of Alabama, but this has not been proven by sufficient test 10 state the quantity. There are also caves con- taining the guano from which might be recov- cred nitre and salt peter. We also know that there are great quantities of material that have potash that can be recovered in merchantable quantities.
 Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee have the greater portion of the metallic aluminium bear ing ores in the form of bauxite. Of course, we appreciate the fact that there are great cays not only in the south but elsewhere, that carry alunlina in oxide form. We have all the pig ments for paint in quantity, such as oxide of iron, ocher, umber and cseana. These are Ala bama products. We also have carbonate i1 marble, and there are hundreds of usages for this class of carbonate besides the ornamental usages. There is no doubt that the Alabama Marble company of Talladega county, out from Sylacauga, could exist if it never sold a cubic foot of marble for ornamental or building pur- poses as the high carbonate content of their stone makes it exceptionally valuable for many other arts. This Alabama Marble company also owns green, gray, rose and black and white marble for decorative and building arts, and with the proper amount of capital would be of incalculable value. As to our iron ore, coal, dolomite and lime, there has been so much said about it that the closeness with which it is as- sembled puts it in position to manufacture iron and steel in competition in quality, quan- tity and price with any portion of the world. And there is undeveloped coal, iron ore, limc- stone and dolon,ite in the hands of individuals if properly assembled, to compete with any op- eration now in the south. These properties should be investigated and developed. These are only part of the many valuable things undisturbed and uninvestigated but going into other states in the south we find fleurspar, zinc, lead, copper, corborundum garnet; and then we find in the precious stones the dia- mond of Arkansas, and the beryl, the ruby, the sapphire and the amethyst in other states of the south; and the collection of beautiful pearls from the mussels on the shoals of the rivers and the creeks of the south. Then there has also been found cinnabar and hallocite, and many traces of other minerals which were not inves- tigated.
 The development of these untold values and bringing to the people of this country the bene- fits of their riches can best be brought about
 c. c. NESMITH
 Birmingham, February 26, 1922.