The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-07
SLEEPY SOUTH
 IS WIDE AWAKE
Forbes Finds Florida Metropo. lis Hustling, Progressive,
 Prosperous City
By b. 0. F0NeEs

IN THE souTH. Feb. s.-.There i: nothing of the sleepy south. anopt Jacksonville. It has been said that Jacksonville merely fills tAe roles oI doctor and undertaken in Fiorioa 70 tourists; 1t simply gets 'em coming and going" s
 That's a slander.
 Jacksonville does more than that. Jacksonville is more than that. very
 Jacksonville, whatever 1t may have been in times past, Is today wide awake. hustiins. progressive. prosperous city.
 "when came here twenty-five years ago." said Mayor Alsop to me, Jack sonviile had population of 26,0o0. It now has more than 100000 in the city proper and more than 12b.ooo. including its immediate vicinity"
 And 1t is now growing faster than ever before. Not only in population, but in industry, in general business ac- tivity, in home building, financial strength, in civic betterment, in both railroad and marine traffic. .
 business man who was visiting Jacksonville to look over the opportu- mites 1t offers asked me whether re- garded tho middle west, some smaller city there, or Jacksonville, as the more
 
 throw in his lot with.
 My reply was that, other things being equal, would choose the port, as I always figured that the possession of first-class water shipping facilities an invaluable asset. an asset calculated to facilitate very greatly the building up of any city.
 He said he guessed he would locate in Jacksonville.
 Jacksonville certainly has excellent rail and water transportation facilities.
 More than 120 trains are handled at Jacksonville every day, spreading out like fan to tap and serve all parts of the southern, western and northern territory.
 As for harbor and dock and steam ship equipment, the city need take off it's hat to no other port on the coast.
 It has spent and is now intelligently spending several millions on piers, warehouses and the most modern equip nnent of all kinds.
 ss Its harbor boasts of thirty feet of water at low tide-although it should be added that the rise and fall of the tides are extremely slight.
 It has steamship services plying both north and south along the coast, to Central and South America, to the Pa cific and across the Atlantic. (Any con- cern that wants details should send a request to Mayor Alsop, or Commits sioner Owen, or the Chamber of Com merce).
 Let the business men of other cities take note of this fact:
 Jacksonville's Chamber of Commerce has membership of 1,700. It owns it's home, worth quarter of a million.
 As reflecting the interest taken in the chambers activities, it may be re- marked that several hundred men of affairs, including the leading bankers and the mayor, took the time to attend a luncheon arranged by the chamber and presided over by Banker McQuaid, on the day of my arrival and had the patience and courtesy to sit through what fear was rather a long fa- rangue by. the writer.
 How is this for growth?
 In 1900 Jacksonville's bank clearings averaged only s1,00O,000 a month Last year they exceeded $650, ,000, ,0O0.
 Building permits were inconsequen- tial In 1900. whereas, last year they passed the $7,5oo 900 mark, an increase Of fully 100 per cent over 1920.
 Postal receipts have jumped from under s1oo,000 ,tosabove Ss2o,o00.
 Perhaps the most wonderful of all Jacksonviile's exhibits" so to speak, ios Us tnuntciPaHy owned ~eieotrfc fght and power plant. Although charging, I understand, the lowest rate of any city in America with one exception, this venture has proved a veritable gold mine Tor. the citizens and has done not a little to attract new industries.
 The record made deserves column to hself.y t'7
 JacksonVille is administered by a mayor and five commissioners, all re- sponsible men of affairs. Mayor Alsop, elected at the last election, is a go- getter, one of his fortes being his abil- ity to attract new industries and new capital to the city.
 Yes, the south is on the forward march Copyright. 1924, by B. c. Forbes).