The age-herald., 1900-08-02
Discussed at the City Council
 Meeting Last Night.
CONSIDERABLE OPPOSITION
Mayor Drennen Reports on Progress Made in the Effort to Sell City Bonds-P. J. Newman Elect
 ed City Warden

 Walton, agent for property owners along that taoroughfare, who oppose the work at present.
 In the absence of any report from the street committee the matter was passed until another meeting.
 The bond issue was considered in execu- tive session, Mayor Drennen, of the spe- cial committee, who returned from New York last Monday. making report as to the progress the committee had made to- wards selling the bonds prior to his de- parture from New York. He had nothing definite to report, and in expectation Of hearing from Colonel J. J. Altman and K. Fl Kerr, of the committee, who are still in New York, the board adjourned subject to the call of the chair
 P. J. Newman was elected day warden at the city jail.
 Twelve members of the board were pres ent when Mayor Drennen called for order at S:15. They were: Mayor Drennen, Al dermen Lynagh, Wheeler, Rainbow, Camp, Mcknight, Meighan, Williams, McNally, Heidt, Thach and Gray. Alderman Har- rington came in a few minutes later.
 The first thirty minutes were consumed by Clerk H. D. Wood in reading the min utes of three or four pervious meetings, and on the approval of these several rou- tine matters were considered and disposed of.
 The Mayor submitted the report of Ac- countant J. E. Starke, who recently exam ined tie city books. For this work MT. Starke was to receive $225, but he exam ined the books for thirteen months instead of twelve, as the original agreement called for, and the question of eompensating him for the extra work was referred to the Mayor with power to act.
 The ordinance authorizing the construc- tion of a sanitary sewer in the northwest ern portion of the city in the vicinity of Ninth avenue and Fifteenth street was confirmed as previously adopted, no one having appeared to protest against it.
 The purchase of a safe for the warden's office was suthnrized.
 An ordinance was introduced by Alder man Williams and adopted empowering any officer of the city to enforce sanitary rules. This was merely an amendment to the old ordinance, which provided that only the town marshal could enforce the rules. Birmingham has no town marshal.
 An ordinance requiring owners of lots below street grade to fill in the same was also passed under a suspension of the rules.
 Street Light Contract
 Chairman Heidt of the committee on lights submitted the contract with the Consolidated Electric Light Company, which the- board at the meeting held last week authorized the Mayor to sign. The et ia tO ion duripp which time the city agrees to use not less than 150 arc lights, and to pay for same at the rate of $6.66 2-3 per month per light, or ssD year, the lights to be of 2,O9O-candle power. The city reserves the right to change the location of the lights at such times and as often as the Mayor and All dermen may desire. The contract begins September l, 1sOO and at the end of five years the city will have the right for re- adjustment of the rates if at that time any of the nearby cities are getting lower rate If, however, the rate should be made lower than the Consolidated Compa- ny would care to accept that company may decline to enter into a new agreement, in which case the city may declare the contract null and void.
 The cities to be taken as a basis for the are MODlie anu hOul6OluSly in Aabama Memphis, Nashville, Chatta- nooga and Knoxville in Tennessee, and Att lanta, Georgia. At the present time Knox vile is the only city that gets arc lights as low as $50 per year, the next lowest paying $S4 therefor.
 The vote on the final adoption of the con- tract was unanimous, but Mayor Drennen in casting his vote stated that he opposed ten-year contract. but that he would vote aye because of the unanimous acceptance of the contract at former meeting of the board.
 Dr. w. M Jordan's bill for $50 for at- tendance on J. w. Davidson, who was run over by the fire chiefs buggy some time ago was referred to the finance committee.
 Alderman Williams asked for the loca- tion of an arc light at Fifth avenue and Twenty second street.
 Fifth Avenue Paving
 Alderman Mcknight stated that several gentlemen were present to participate in discussion of the question of paving Fifth avenue. He said the street committee had reported favoraby an ordinance author izing the paving of that avenue, but by re- quest the report was held up for while. He suggested that a chance to discuss the proposed ordinance be given those present who desired to do so.
 T. H. Motion took the floor and stated that he appeared as the representative of the owners of 600 feet along Fifth avenue and in behalf of a large majority of the property owners along Fifth avenue from Fifteenth to Twenty-seyenth street. He stated he had a petition opposing the work at present which was signed by a majority of the property cTners to be affected. He said it would be an expensive Sob, and insisted that the city should begin at the center and work towards the outskfrts in mak-Ag Improvements. He said there were HOO feet of property in Fifth avenue be tween Eighteenth street and Twenty y-sev enth street owned by widows and that if forced to pay for tlaese improvements now