The age-herald., 1900-01-18
AN IMPORTANT
 RECOMMENDATION Uniform System of Street Rail-
 way Franchises. TO APPLY TO ALL NEW LINES
Transfer Tickets Will be Required Permission Granted B. R. & E, Go. to Make Connections With
 out Predijuce to City.

The city council at an adjourned meeting adopt an ordinance requiring uniform fran chises for all street railroads hereafter to be built In Birmingham.
 This ordinance will also stipulate that a transfer clause must be included in such franchises.
 The street railway committee of the coun- oil in making their report to the board last night recommended the adoption of an or dinance in consonance with the above.
 Petitions for franchises presented several months ago were reported favorably by the street railway committee last night.
 The committee recommended that the city attorney, the city engineer and the chair man of the judiciary committee be instruct ed to prepare ordinances granting these franchises The committee also recom- mended that the franchises be uniform and that they must contain a provision requr- ing all street railways operating under them to adopt and carry out the transfer system.
 Permission Granted
 The committee recommended that the Birmingham Traction company be allowed to make the connections at Avenue E ana Twenty third stneet and at Avenue + ana Twenty-seventh streets, the same to De re- moved at the will of the board and to be without prejudice to the city in the ques- ton now at issue between the city ana the street railway company. The company must, however, reimburse the city for the expense of grading the streets and paving the sidewalks and for putting in the curb ing along Avenue G from Twenty-seventh to Twenty-ninth streets, and Twenty ninth street from Avenue G to Highland avenue, and along Highland avenue from Twenty-ninth to Thirty-second street. This agreement must be in writing and signed by the street railway company before the connections are made.
 This recommendation of the committee was adopted.
 The contention between the city and the Birmingham Railway and Electric com pany, owners of the Birmingham Traction company is the question of issuing transfer E tickets. The franchise of the Birmingham Traction company stipulates that passen- ger paying full five cents fare on any one of that company's lines is entitled to transfer ticket good on any other line of that company. The Birmingham Traction company bought the Highland Avenue and Belt railroad, which they operated in con- nection with the Gate City and the North Birmingham lines.
 Subsequently the transfer system was ex- tended to this line.
 Where the Hitch Come -
 A fax, ,,,oofbS o1o NI,a Tirrninol, m Trac- tion company sold out to the Birmingham Railway and Electric company, and the lat ter company undertook to make some changes in the Highland avenue route. In order to do this, connections had to be made between the Avondale line and the Highland Avenue and Belt line at Avenue E and Twenty third street and Avenue F and Twentyseventh street. When the company began putting in these eonnec- tions they were served with notice by the city authorities not to do so and at the time mo reason was assigned for this or der. It developed later, however, that Mayor Drennen ordered the work stopped until an investigation could be made as to whether the Birmingham Railway and Electric company could be required to ob- serve the transfer system required of the Birmingham Traction company over the lines they formerly controlled In the meantime Mayor Drennen wanted a writ ten agreement signed by the Birmingham Railway and Electric company by which the transfer system would be continued on the Highland Avenue and Belt and con- meeting lines.
 The street railway committee, to which the matter was referred. investigated the matter and recommended that the railway company be permitted to put fin the con- meeting tracks temporarily in order that mo inconvenience might result to the resi- dents in that portion of the city. If the matter cannot be satisfactorily adjusted the tracks put in under the agreement are to be removed.
 This recommendation was adopted by the board
 PRATT CITY MAKES