Birmingham age-herald., 1895-01-17


 Whereas, A bill is now pending in the legislature of Alabama to carry out the provisions of said resolution; therefore be it Resolved, That the mayor and aldermen of Birmingham reaffirm their action of January 8, 1894, and request the senator and representatives from Jefferson county to lend their aid to the passage of the bill now pending.
 The mayor called Mr. Ensl .n to the chair while he spoke to the resolution He said the resolution adopted by tht council a year ago did not pledge the council to ask the legislature 10 leave the Sloss and Alice furnaces out of the city limits, and asked if MT. McCartin wanted to include them in his resolution.
 MT. McCartin said he did.
 Mayor Van Hoose said the citizens, or 2 majority of them, wanted the rolling mill to be exempted from taxation, but he feared ii the Sloss and Alice furnaces are included the bill will be defeated in the legislature. He opposed letting the fur naces go out, anu in fact he wanted the rolling mill to remain in the city and lei it's taxes be refunded. He thought the plant safer in the hands of it's friends here in the city than in the hands of the le5is- lature. The political complexion Of the legislature changes, and the next one may be changed.
 MT. Parker said he was present and voted against the resolution of year ago, which agreed to let the rolling mill go out, but under agreement to let the two furnaces also so out he and MT. Meade changed their votes.
 MT. Harrington said that after the adop- ton of the resolution last January the roll- ing mill had invested about S200, ,000 in raw material, and now they are arranging 10 put in three new sheet mills and other im- provements. If this bill is not passed it may upset the plans of the company and probably cause the mill to shut down,
 D. J. Fox was asked his opinion on the matter. He said the understanding at the time was that the two furnaces were to be included in the bill to change the limits. He didn't think it fair 10 keep the furnaces in and let the rolling mill out. The matter of taxes amounts to very little, but if a steel mill is put in the amount of taxes will be about doubled. President Caldwell of the rolling mill had urged the committee that visited him in Louisvil that his mill sold but little of its product in Birmingham, thus benefting the city, but not the com pany to any considerable extent.
 Mayor Van Hoose said it seemed to be a question of what is best for the rolling mill. The company had compiled with It's city should comply with it's part of it. He didn't see anything in the old resolution obligating the city 10 agree to leave out the furnaces.
 MT. Kettig favored MT. McCartin' 8 reso- lutiop, as he had been informed that the
  to jeopardize it..
 MT. Enslen said the city limits had been extended to enable the city to float $500, GOO additional bonds and he believed if the mill and furnaces were now taken out the bond holders can come in and enjoin the board from doing so.
 Ex- Mayor Fox addressed the board, say ing the bond sale was only S290, ,0J0, of which $40, GOO were issued and sold before the matter of extending the city limits
  bonds, sl5O, GOO, were sold prior to the passage of the bill extending the limits.
 The motion prevailed, Messrs. Enslen i, Jackson and Jones voting no and explain ing that they favored leaving out the roll. ing mill, but not the furnaces.
 Mir. Kettig offered the following resolu- tion:
 Resolved, That the mayor and'the chair men of the judiciary, fire and finance com mittees be appointed committee to con- fer with the Birmingham Water Works company to ascertain whether some means can be devised to reduce the present cost to the city for water furnished for fire, sanitary and other purposes, the commit tee to report to the board at the earliest possible day such recommendations as they may deem proper.
 The resolution was adopted.
 MT. Ward said citizens living on North Highlands want Seventeenth street opened. The people living west of the cemetery have to come around by Nineteenth street to get into the city. Referred to the street com mittee and city engineer for investigation. . MT. Mcknight was added to the commit tee.
 MT. Harrington was excused
 The resignation of Alderman Erwin Schilinger Of the Third ward was read. Applications of Messrs. J. D. Gresham, J. M. Haran and R. w. A. Wilda for the position of tax assessor were referred to the finance committee and the mayor, with power to act.
 MT. Sims called attention to the condi- tion of Twenty fourth street and the rail- roaGs.
 On motion the board went into executive session.
 EXECUTIVE SESSION.
 When the executive session had con- veped Mir. D. k. Dunlap, auditor and clerk, rendered his resignation, and the board accepted it.
 MT. A. J. Camp was then elected to fill the vacancy thus created. MT. Camp was auditor under the former administration. The salaries of auditor and treasurer were abolished and those two officials placed on commission.
 Alderman J. M. Gillespie, who has been acting city attorney since the 1st of Jan- uary, was appointed committee of one to go 10 Montgomery and work in conjunc- ton with the senator and representatives from this county for the passage of some law or laws by N hich the city's reven ues can be increased.
 The executive session then adjourned.