The age-herald., 1900-12-08
MEETING OF THE
 COMMERCIAL CLUB Several Important Matters Up
 for Consideration WATER RATES DISCUSSED Report of Committee Which Had Cues tion Before lt Adopted-Want the
 Street Tax Abolished-Letter

1He 1OI1HeTtidl OluD Held US regular
 monthly meeting yesterday afternoon and
 adopted a resolution requesting the City Council to abolish the street tax ordinance.
 and also a resolution expressing it as the
 sense of the club that the City Council had done unwise thing in retiring Sam
 uel Ullman from the board of education. | The legislative committees report on water
 rate was adopted communication from Congressman Bankhead was read in which l he stated that he is doing all in his power
 to secure an appropriation for the build ing of tue Warrior canal.
 The board of directors met at 3:3O clock and elected the following new members Walter K. McAdory,-N. H. Sewall, E. J. Bryan and J. c. H. Jones.
 The club was called to order at clock | by President Kettig, who stated that he
 had just returned from the Southern Indus trial Convention at New Orleans He said that number of interesting subjects had been discussed at the convention and that the discussions and mutual interchange of | ideas and suggestions would result in good l to the South
 | He submitted a letter from Cardinal Gib- | bons in which the latter expressed his re- gret at not being able to accept an invita- ton to visit Birmingham.
 Letter From Bankhesd. The following letter from Congressman John H. Bankhead of the Sixth district was 1 read:
 Washington, D. C., December 5, 1900. w. H. Kettig, Esq., Birmingham, Ala: My Dear Sir-Your esteemed letter of l November 2S has been received and it's con | tents noted
 The letter to which you refer was re- ceived before I left Alabama for Washing ton, together with number of other let ters from valued friends in Birmingham bearing on this same subject. am some what at loss to understand how the re- port that l was opposed to the Valley river | canal project could have gained circua- | tion. have certainly never said so to any, one. It has been suggested in letters to me that had said in the committee room | or somewhere else that the canal was all l right, but where would the water come from? It is not my business to supply the | water, and presumed that the engineers | Knew what they were talking about when | they reported a sufficient supply of water | Tor all purposes. My business is to secure an appropriation for the canal if possible and to this end I have been working ever | since the engineers reports were filed. [ CHI hOl piCpdISu Just at lHlS tune 10 say | what the action of the committee will be- | The chairman of the committee, MT. Bur l ton, Is making desperate effort to hold | down appropriations for rivers and harbors | all over the country, and, 1 am sorry to say, is meeting with considerable success | in the committee.
 "I had thought that my record touching appropriations for the improvement of the waterways in Alabama was pretty well known, and l regret more than I can tell | you that any of my friends would suppose | for moment that I am not actively sup | porting every project that looks to the cheapening of transportation throughout | the State I do not write this letter for | publication, but you can say to the Com | mercil Club of Birmingham that there is l no truth whatever in the report being cir culated if it is being circulated, that I am I not actively supporting the canal project. | At, the same time 1t must be remembered | that the engineers reports recommend ap- | propria tions aggregating more than $i0O,- 100000. These reports and recommendations l are being severely reduced by the commit tee and large number of them omitted | from the bill entirely. The Tennessee, | Coosa, Tombigbee and Warrior rivers and | the Mobile harbor are all pressing for l large continuing contracts. Of course, l cannot meet the expectations of my>friends 1 in all these projects I can only do the 1 best can having in view the interest of l the whole State. MT. Underwood and my | self are working with a perfect understand l ing on this canal project. But, as I said | in the beginning cannot with any degree | of certainty predict what will happen. We will do our best, and mortal man l could do more. Truly yours,
 "J H. BANKHEAD." It had been reported here for some time past that Congressman Bankhead was cp- posing an appropriation for the Warrior l canal, and President Kettig of the Commer-
 cial Club addressed letter to him several | days ago, asking him to define his position 1 with reference to that question. A communication from the Birmingham
 Trades Council, asking the cooperation of the Commercial Club in an effort to have the street tax ordinance abolished was read. This gave rise to considerable discus sion in which nearly every member present participated. The Trades Councils resolu- tion accompanying the communication from Secretary Williams of that organization, demanding the abolition of the street tax
 ordinance, was adopted
 communication from Dr. Eugene A. Smith, State geologist, was read, in which
 he asked the club to communicate with the Secretary of the Interior and urge that the government geological survey be continued in Alabama. The secretary of the club was
 instructed to take the matter up with tine Secretary of the Interior.
 A communication from Maj Frank Y An derson, asking the appointment of a com
 mittee to take up the question of an ex-
 hibit at the Charleston Exposition next year was referred to the secretary. Water Rates.
 Judge J. J. Banks, chairman of the legis- lative committee, read the report of that committee on the question of cheaper rates to water consumers in Birmingham In this report, which was published sometime
 ago, 1t is stated that the present contract between the cifv nf Rtrufnghap and tba