The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-09-14
CoaL Industry h General Satisfaction Possible Report Say

were held in open committee meet ! ing, not one iota of evidence had been | brought before the committee on ac- count of tonnage now passing through the port of, Mobile. nor 11- i'come now being derived from the port.
 Senator Acams in a fiery address in opposition to passage of the bill declared he had no secrets to conceal and that he was not hoodwinked by propaganda to the effect that the port 1 bill would cause no increase in taxa tions and accordingly he had voted for it's defeat Senator Adams ueclared grandchildren of the present genera tion would be paying taxes to retire the S1o,000,000 bonds issued for port development, and expressed himself a s extremely doubtful If one dollar of net income would be derived from the venture.
 The Senator from Chiffon, in dis cussing the bill as a whole. including the Brooks substitute. said no men, ton had been made of the exact loca- tion of the docks at the port, and that he had learned through diverse sources that 1t would be located somewhere down there." Senator Adams recalled an instance in years gone by when a contractor had been engaged to deepen the harbor, had said, "I'n take the mud cut of it, but
 
 ator Adams said that project alone cost thousands of dollars. and is to- day in the same predicament it was when the contractor began his labors.
 Senator Brooks preceded both Sem ators Oliver and Adams on the floor and after explaining provisions of his substitute entered an earnest plea for it's adoption, together with the bill as whole, to develop possibili- ties of Alabama's only seaport.
 Senator John Overton, succeeding Senator Oliver on the floor, present. ed statistics showing Talladega had voted in favor of the bond issue for port development by over 1,600 ma jority. Senator Oliver replied the people did not know what they were voting for at that time, and should the election again be brought before citizens of the state, 1t would be de- feated by over 100000 majority. Con- tinuing, Senator Overton belittled the remarks of Senator Oliver relative to people not knowing in what manner they were casting their votes.
 Senator Hutson, Morgan, demanded to know of the senate members what they were afraid of in casting a neg atiye vote against the measure. He said in various tours of the state he had not found solitary voter re- gretting having cast favorable vote in favor of the measure, and urged the senate members to place them- selves on record as providing a port for Alabama of which the state can justly be proud.
 Senator Ellis, Dallas, said the world was being operated by 95 per cent confidence and that as he had such confidence in the wisdom of the resi- dents of Alabama he favored the bill and urged his colleagues to cast af- firmative votes.
 Senator Waddell Of Russell de- clared his constituents had sent him to the senate for the purpose of aid- ing in passage of the port measure, they having expressed that desire at the polls.
 Senator Craft, Mobile, stressed the assertion of the late Senator John T. Morgan that next to the inter- oceanic canal at Panama. Mobile port offered the greatest possibili- ties to water traffic. The speaker stressed provisions made for tlt
 by nature and declared with its de- velopment, enormous tonnage would be sent there from the north, west and east and Alabama as well, that would compensate the state for it's eXpendi- lures.
 Among other senators to express themselves favorably on the measure were Senators Powell of Macon, Jones of Barbour and Duncan of Limestone.