Birmingham age-herald., 1895-03-31
Was One of the Questions Dis cussed at Yesterdays Meeting OF THE FATHERS OF THE CITY The Bo nd interest Also Figure Largely in the SeSSion-No
 Definite Action.

The city council met in adjourned ses-
 sion at o'clock yesterday afternoon to
 consider the matter of the city issuing
 script. The members of the board present
 were Mayor YanHoose and Aldermen Har-
 rington, Ullman, Enslen, Pearce, Jacksons
 West, Kettig, McCartin, Gillespie. Meade,
 Parker, Sims, Mcknight and Jones. The NJ. c. Reynolds Lumber company
 asked permission to erect a corrugated iron office building at Avenue D and Twen- tieth street. The matter was referred to | the fire committee with power to act. Chairman McCartin of the police and sanitation committee stated that eight new wire brushes for cleaning the sanitary sewers were needed, the cost of which will
 be S4S. 60. The mayor was instructed to 1 purchase the same. | A motion to go into executive, session prevailed, but on reconsideration was lost. Mir. Kettig then offered the following resolution, which evoked considerable dis | cussion:
 | Resolved by the mayor and aldermen of | Birmin gham, That the sum of S.3, 700 be | and the same is hereby set aside and appro. priated out of the revenues of the city of | Birmingham for the purpose of meeting | the interest on the outstanding bonds of | the city.
 | Be it further resolved, That for the faith- ful carrying out of this arrangement the | mayor is hereby authorized and required to | execute the city's notes for the purpose of | procuring funds for the payment of thts | interest. In case of deficit or delinquency | in the income of the city, said notes shaii | be first preferred prior claims on all in- comes of the city, from whatever source, l which shall have preference over all claims | against the city and shall bear interest at
 the rate of per cent per annum. | Resolved further, That the city auditor is l hereby instructed to have prepared new city warrants in blank form in accordance with 1.-the provisions of the city code, and that on I and after March 30, 1895, warrants be I drawn by the auditor on the treasurer for
 all approved claims against the city, and l that the treasurer shall file and register | such warrants as the code provides, paying | them off in rotation as he may have availa- t-ble funds on hand not otherwise set aside l or appropriated.
 | Be it further resolved, That said war | rants be received by the city in payment of | all taxes on real and personal property as- bessed during the year 1895, or the year | thereafter, but said warrants be received | for no dues to said city.
 |, Resolved further, That all taxes due the l city for the year 1894 and preceding years, | and also all license and other dues during /the year 1895 (except heretofore especially \ 'mentioned), must be paid to the city in
 cash.
 Belt further resolved, That said warrants | bear interest at the rate of per cent. The 1 interest, however, shall begin on the first | day of the month following the date of is- | sue of said warrants, and end on the first day of the month preceding the payment or collection of said warrants. Warrants for | less than the sum of S5 shall not bear in- l terest.
 Be it further resolved, That if any of said warrants be presented in payment of taxes l Gas heretofore provided), the interest on | said warrants shall cease the day said taxes l are due and payable to the city. MT. Mcknight moved to lay the motion l to adopt on the table, but withdrew the l motion to table in order to let the members | discuss the resolution.
 Mir. Kettig said that under the present | arrangement the city is paying cash for | everything and unless this is stopped de- | fault on the interest of the city's debt will | be inevitable. If this resolution is adopted | it will tide us over until next year. It is | our duty to pay the interest. If you don't t l agree on this plan of issuing scrip, then I you can adopt another. The plan is to 1 collect all taxes for this year in cash and
 let this scrip be good for taxes due subse- | quent to October. l estimate that we will l nave enough coming in to pay the interest 1 and have little over at the end of the year. l Steiner Bros. had agreed to take $50, GOO of | scrip at 97R bearing 6 per cent interest. 1 It is said the issuing Of scrip wi be an l injustice to the fremen, policemen and l other employees of the city, but suppose 1 you do not issue scrip, it is inevitable that | we will default sooner or later aud then the l bondholders will send coupons down here
 and we will take in coupons instead of 1 cash. I am opposed to defanlting on the 1 interest and believe If we can tide over this year we will be all right.
 | Mir. Mcknight was opposed to making the employees wait for their pay. The l bondholders, he said, objected to the l police and fire departments and the schools
 Kept up. He said until the city did default | on it's interest nothing could be done. | MT. Gillespie expressed his fear that the scrip would not be sold.
 l MT. Uilman didn t want to default. He l said grave situation confronted the city. l If we default, said he, it will give Bir- l mingham black eye that she will never
 get over. If any gentleman can show me
 how we can default on the interest and
 avoid issuing scrip l will say 'Down with the resolution,' But if we default on
 every cent of interest from now to next | January we cannot then meet our other ob- ligations. The prospects for revival of business in this section, he said, were very
 bright and he thought it possible that by l fall the city would have money to take up | the scrip and meet all its other obliga- | tions.
 | MT. Enslen said he would favor the reso-
 lution If it would raise any money for the
 city. But it won't, he said. What scrip | is issued will come right back into the l treasury.
 Mir. Meade said he had not posted him.
 self on this, and as the chairman of the
 finance committee had he was willing to l vote Tor the plan advocated by him. MT. McCartin believed it would be a per. fectly feasible piau. If we are not wiliiu [
 to bear our own burdens, he asked, who | will bear them for usf
 Mir. Sims said he was in favor of paying thn mi 1nQt oA
 but he didn [ want to give the bondhoiders l inc preference over the emploves He said