The age-herald., 1899-02-21
On Q Cash Basis

day.
 -. On a Cash Basis
 Among the most important provisions
 will be clause authorizing the city to
 make all of its street and sidewalk improve
 ments on a cash instead of ten year basis.
 As it is now, all of the contractors, bid on Ithe sidewalks and other work to be done,
 with the understanding that they are to
 get their pay ten years off. Necessarily
 they have to make allowances for discount,
 which increases the price 25 or 30 per cent.
 over what 1t will be in the future when 1t is done on a cash basis. Another important clause will be one giving the market inspec- tor power to examine and pass on all meats slaughtered in the city or brought into the city for consumption; also to examine all of the dairies in the district, their cows and management.
 We have another bill before the legisla- ture authorizing the city to refund its debt
 at a lower rate of interest. This bill has
 passed the house, and also the senate com
 mittee on finance and taxation. It was put
 on the senate calendar and was to have
 been given a hearing today.
 ,"There were. three other bills introduced
 in the senate, one authorizing the city of
 Birmingham to issue bonds for purchasing
 or erecting it's own system of water works,
 another to get it's own gas plant, and
 third authorizing it to get its own electric
 light plant. All three of these bills have
 passed the senate and the proper commit
 tee in the house. and are now on the house
 calendar ready for final passage.
 "All of these bills now before the legisla- ture will go into effect as soon as the gov
 ernor signs them. As soon as the city of Birmingham is ready to put them into act i've operation, the board will have to pass ordinances to that effect. I can't say yet
 what we will do about the municipal own ership bills. The board has as yet formed no plans.''
 Aldermen Kerr and City Attorney Lowe who are Colonel Altman's associates in pushing these bills through the legislature, went to Montgomery yes.erday morning. Many Others Leave There were a number of other Birming- ham people who went down to the Capital City yesterday morning, all of them having interests of various kinds before the legis- lature. Among them were Representative s. c. Davidson, Colonel J. F. B. Jackson, Tax Collector J. B. Francis, Judge of Pro- bate J. P. Stiles. A. G. Smith, E. H. Cab aniss Brigadier-General Louis V. Clark, State Mine Inspector J. deB. Hooper, Cap tain w. c. Ward, Alderman Henry B.. Gray and others.
 It is understood that no further attempt will be made before the present general as- sembly to revive the Greater Birmingham bill. Even those of Jefferson's representa- tvs who formerly favored the bill, now say that the question has been dilly-dallied with so long that it is better to let it rest. It is said that had this bill passed as 1t had been amended the map of the city would have been a peculiar one. little slice was made into the map of the greater city, so to speak, cutting out the Sloss fur mace, another slice for the Avondale cotton mills, another for the Birmingham Ma chine and Foundry company, and in fact each of the big industries in the new terri tory east of the city which it was proposed to annex, had its own little slice of "coun- try" while the city of greater Birmingham surrounded it almost entirely.