The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-12
COMING OF THE ENGINEERS.

The meeting in Birmingham tomorrow of the American Institute of Mining and
 Metallurgical Engineers, is an event of
 no ordinary meaning to this community
 and to this state. We often speak of capital and labor as the two chief ele-
 ments in the development of resources.
 There is another element without which
 the other two cannot attain the ultimate in progress and achievement. This third element is the trained technical and in- ventive genius which continually opens up new industrial vistas, which analyses, Icalculates, measures, outlines, directs and inspires. It is the element which
 visualizes and yet reduces to practical programs. It. discovers the location, character, adaptability and quantity of
 the raw materials. It is the intelligence that determines what use may be made of each deposit, and explores new combina- tions, new fluxes, new tests, new pro- |cesses and continually extends the from tiers of industrial possibilities. It looks
 not only forward into the mines, quarries
 and sources, but it examines the tailings land the dumps, discovering there resid- ual wealth, greater than that previously utilized. That third element is the engi-
 nee1fng sagacity without which all manu- facturing, reducing and combining plants and processes would still be in their primitive state.
 The. engineers are those upon whom
 capitalists and captains of industry de-
 pend for that expert judgment which tells
 them to accept or reject processes and materials; which counsels them to enter or keep out of certain localities or fields; which outlines the preliminaries in each forward step; which advises, recom- mends, condemns; which leads and brings up the rear of the industrial procession. What they say goes, not because of their official authority, but because of the more compelling authority of their train ing and experience. They are the ones who know. When they don't know, an industrial loss results, just as when they do know, an industrial benefit ensues. They can make or break locality, plant or process by the sheer weight of their opinion. Capital doffs its hat to the technical expert, for without him industrial capital is as helpless as whale on a shelving beach.
 And so the coming of these engineers from far and near means that Birming- hams industries, Birmingham's processes, raw materials and Bir- potentialities arc to be sub- jected to the close and comprehending scrutiny of men who see below the sur face and whom no false front can fool.
 When they depart for their several and widely separated spheres of activity, they will know things about Birmingham that are basic and fundamental. Birmingham awaits their visit with the confidence that springs from the consciousness of natural endowment in materials and opr portunities that will make an irresistible appeal to these men. If they are favor ably impressed and will convey that inn pression to others, then Birmingham will receive the prompt and significant atten- tion of the whole world of industry, ,capi- tai and enterprise. A favorable verdict means the hastening of that greater ex- pansion to which this district has long looked forward.