The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-02-08


 Commerce and Birmingham business The occasion was a dinner rendered Mr. Mapother by the chamber. Mr. Mapother said 1t had come to his ears that the Louisville and Nash vile was opposed to MT. Fords Mus cle Shoals project. He wished 10 contradict it and he told his hearers that they would be free to contra diet it in his name.
 The Louisville and Nashville .s heartily for the Muscle Shoals plan Of MT. Ford" he said "We wish t4. see that water power energy made to serve the south.
 We have heard that our road would not HkS to lose the haulagc ui coal that development of water power might entail through reduc- ing coal consumption But. Al- though we lost the haulase of c0di, We would get the haulago of iho in dustries that water power would cause to rise up and multiply
 "Aguin." snid Mir. Mnpother, "f
 Mr. Ford should have a surplus
 Of wHter power after <erYin. his
 own plnnts at Muscle shoals. the
 Louisville Rnd Nashville would
 like to make trinI of electricity
 in railroad operation. The branch
 from sheffield tO Columbia
 would he Ideal for it. We might
 try it ss far ns Nashville. On
 the Sheffield branch VIC have
 steep grades that permit n heavy
 locomotive 10 haul small loads
 only. It would beFa splendid op-
 portunity there 10 try out cIcc-
 tKicity in the operafiOn oF rnIl-
 road trains over difficult Erndcs.
 We arc for tho Ford plan because I means manufacture uf nit1:ttcs that arc so much needed by he soil of the south. In the good tao south would get out of that the Louisville and Nashville would also reap bene- fiji.
 Hoad Would Bcnefty
 Finally. in tho operation Of tie plants a Muscle shoals. largo quan. 'ittes of raw material WoIld b, hauled from points ia Alabama and Tennessee On the lines ot tue Louis kille and Nashville. We would pcne- fit from that.
 In the course of his rmafEs Ar. Mapother dwelt on the diff!eu.tics which the railroads face tn getting back into form and made statements showing several of these difficulties in detail. Ii was a plain matter-of- fact talk made In business like manner and was received with 1 marked attention by the gentlemen present,
 t1i. II. M' i1dmonda. first speaker Of the evening. spoke of the new re- zine Of railroads, which was that O. earnest effort to serve.
 Col. T. 0. Smith enumerated the many times that the Louisyille and Nashville had helped this distrirt from the time the first train on Inc south and north came here until the Louisville and Nashville's president. the late Milton H. Smith. suceessive- ly helped in the foundation of the old Sloss furnaces. the l3irmingham rolling mill and finally helped raI,e and furnished part of the money chat enabled building of the steel mil He also recounted the low ercigh rates made by the Louisville and Nashville railroad in the carly dsys of iron making here whici gave Birmingham iron a chance to get north of the Ohio river.
 Victor H. Hanson and others made short talks. k. A. Porter. president of the Chamber of Commerce. pre- sided.
 stili Helping District
 The Louisville and Nashville gave the first large order of the year for this lOI uomeStic consumption, plac- ing one for d5.000 tons at the Enslev mill and the same road gave the new car shops al Fairfield Ns first or der, which included three hundred gondolas and three hundred coke cars. This enabled that shop to start and keep going at time when little or nothing was doing in the way Of car building.
 Mr. Mapother is making a tour Of Alabama points getting in touch with the business men of the state in a friendly and informal manner. Those attending the dinner last night in cluded; W. J. Adams, J. Mercer Bar nett, Dan 5. Dimick, Dr. II. NJ. Ed monds. Thornton Estes, R. A. Por- ter Colonel ITO Smith. J. Frank Rushton, Victor II. Hanson, J. Coop CT, F. ]. Rowe. Reid Lawson, II. G. Mccormack, s. K. Earle, Dr. R r. Lovelady, D. F. McLendon. W. W. Tarleton, Wm. T. Warren. W. V. NJ. Robertson, IT,, Lee Cleary, j. II. Set tie, Richard F. Johnston c. l.. Bunn.> ". F. smith, C. NJ. Wiley. w. C. Boon h n