The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-01-31

population and wealth; second, efficiency
of collecting officers. To illustrate: In the
item of poll tax, collections in 1885, 2.512
1896, 1882; 1897, sS,319.5O on street tax, 1885,
s11 $40; 1896 $14,943 1897, $14,409; 1893, $1725S
Health of the City
Special reference Is made to the reports
of the city engineer and the sanitary in
spector, herewith presented. In a commu-
nication addressed to me by DR.. E. H.
Sholl. chairman committee of health, JEFF
ferson county, he says:
I'm reply to your inquiry as to the health
of the city during the year 1898, 1t can be
very properly said that we have much cause
for congratulation. No CLINE is so Favored
that it escapes sickness and death, but IN
proportion to the large population, white
and colored, In the corporate limits OF the
city, we have been unusually favored Our
death rate for eleven months of the year
among the whites was only 9.6S per 1000 per
annum: the total, including sickness,
deaths by accident, ETC., being 1423 per
1000 per annum There are few sucn exnlD-
its as this in the land. With improved san
itation, active and steady cremation OF
waste products, watchful care and prompt
attention to necessary details, no city IN
the land can surpass us in all that could De
desired. There are few that Tor hea1th rec
ords can surpass us now.'
Experience has clearly demonstrated that
in a growing city like Birmingham garbage
removal cannot be properly and safely done
by the contract system. The amount OF
work ductuates so greatly that there is no
possible way of estimating the force re-
quired, and in placing fixed compensation
for thoroughly cleansing, either the city OF
the contractor must become the loser. inc
city should own and absolutely control It's
md nfn
or decrease its force as occasion requires.
trust your honorable body will take this
suggestion under serious consideration and
give it that thought which the Importance
Of preserving public health deserves.
The City Jail
Increase in population brings with 1t In
crease in crime pro rata. The city jail Is
too small for present purposes, and the de-
mand for more room increases with eacn
year. Not more than seventy prisoners can
be properly accommodated within its walls,
whereas the number incarcerated often
times exceeds one hundred. 1t frequently
occurs that the mayor is forced to release
those guilty of violating city ordinances on
account of inadequate room for confine-
ment Something must be done in the way
of charging the present building, or pro-
yiding some other means of confinement or
punishment.
The City Schools
Your administration has been distinguish
ed for it's interest in and encouragement OF
the public school system. Without the AID
given your predecessors by the O'Brien bill,
you have made a way to keep open the
doors of the schools and furnish to every
white and coiored child in the city seeking
the benefits of an education desk ana
faithful teacher. At times the way seemed
wi obstacles,
all of which were overcome by the interest
YOU manifested Had you lacked interest
or failed to study out the problem, the pub
lilo would have been denied the privileges
of our excellent school system. At the date
of this report the schools employ sixty-one
white teachers and twenty-five coioreu
teachers White children enrolled, 2,S2o;
colored children enrolled, 1,324; monthly pay
roll. $s,s4S; school buildings, white, 4; col
ored, 3; value of school property, $Soo,ooo'
Streets
congratulate you upon having appointed
a street commissioner, for which said ofh-
Ger your code provides. No department OF
the city deserves or requires closer atten-
ton than the highways from standpoint
of comfort, health and safety. The funds
derived from street tax alone now approx
mates annually $4,000, and this sum, judi
ciously expended, will accomplish much in
the way of maintaining and improving the
streets, and under the law the fund must
be applied exclusively to this purpose. vast
sums of money have been expended In
grading, paving and matchmaking the
streets, and they should not be neglected
or allowed to deteriorate or become dirty.
I recommend that you take under consider
alton the advisability of paving with Bel
gian block, brick or asphaltum, the follow
ing sections Of streets and avenues: Sec
ond avenue, from Nineteenth to Eighteenth
street; Twentieth street, from Central park
to Fourth avenue, and from B to Quinlan
avenue; Twenty-first street, from First to
Third avenue; Third avenue, from Eigh-
teenth to Twenty-first street, and such
parts of Fifth avenue as may be deemed
necessary. This work can be done under
the assessment plan without bearing undue
hardship upon owners of abutting prop
erty.
street Lighting
The streets of your city are inadequately
lighted, and I earnestly recommend that