The age-herald., 1900-02-08
Strongly FaVos Municipal OWneT- ship of Public Utilities SPEAKS IN NO UNCERTAIN TONES Recommends That City Operate It's Own Water and Lighting Plants.
 Tonches on General Condi-
 tion of Municipal Affairs.


 mitted to the meeting of the city council last night Is as follows:
 To the Board of Mayor and Aldermen: It has been the custom of my predeces- sors, and is now a requirement. of law, that l should a. this period of the year submit written report relating to the general con- dition actual and prospective of the city affairs.
 I will not enter into the details of each and every separate department, but for this specialized information would refer you to the reports that have been submitted by the various city officers.
 Financial
 The total receipts from all sources dur ing the year 1899 were $2S1, ,692.05. There was expended on account of general expenses $253 2S1.S The entire interest coupon ac- | count was $95,10O. Of this amount $5S, 4O5 was, by the agreement of 1895, withheld ! from payment; the remaining balance, $H,- 695, being the actual payment on interest account.
 Since the last annual report of my pre- decessor the supreme court has sustained the validity of the Birmingham amend ment' to the state constitution. by which provision you are empowered to levy and collect a tax rate of one per cent. on all the taxable property, real and personal, in the corporate limits, instead of onehalf of one per cent, as heretofore.
 As the total assessed valuation within the city limits is $14,521 AS. the additional reve- nue from the increased rate will amount to $72, ,607.24.
 During the year 1895 an agreement was entered into with the holders of certain of our bonds by which the city would defer ! payment of interest on said bonds for period of five years.
 These deferred payments aggregaung s269 210 y,.d be due and payanle on the 13eh y-,,y of Amor and S interest must then be paid on this deferred interest your | regular annual Interest charge on the Da- sis of existing Indebtedness and rates will be $109 600 T.:f1s sum is $69,5 ,561 in excess or Wfqat you nave been paying on interest nc- count during any one of the pnst hVe years and the only source that seems now ayaiaT5le from which you are to meet f.Es Is ,rle $72 607 24 of add.ttonnl tax revenues on real and personal property. AS drausht has already been created against this new asset by lowering the street r'ax from $3 to $2 careful watchfulness must be co.gtars,ly used that the proper reia- ticrIcr rp is preserved between variable and uncertain asset and constant ana certain AarcJfty
 since Ifs deferred interest becomes TOW u now principle. the only provision that can be made for it is manleestly an addl- t.orul issue of bonds to that amount am aware tClat trIs VII meet with strong opposition locally, but the necessity IS upon us, the 1SuSe aS IedS4Dle, diiu we haNc rs, alternative. On the issue of bonds of July 29 1885, and prior thereto amounting to $55, ,OO0, wrtrl interest rates of and per cert the city now has the right Of re- domption.
 The reports of the board or education and the superintendent of public schools suo- m;,ted to this board are complete m every detail, and I ask your careful consldera- ton of Dnem
 Tine act of the legislature crea ting tine hoard of education provides that said beard shall annually prepare and hle Wlul phe mayor an estimate of funds required for the maintenance of public schools during the succeeding year and for the erection and repair of the requisite school build- ings. It is likewise made the duty of the board of mayor and aldermen to make pro-, vision for safd funds The wisdom of this act is universally conceded board or education ursettered by politicaa enVlron- nent, frames the estimates and directs the expenditures, and the board of mayor and aldermen must see to it that this estimate is allotted its just and equitable share Of public funds.
 During the past year you have paid to the board of education on account of school buildings S3375, and on account Of salaries, superintendent, principals and teachers, $34 366.
 Our school buildings are now insufficient to accommodate the large increase in scholastic population, and l hope you Will spare no effort to complete the new build ings, by the beginning of the fall term of 1900.
 The new buildings-four in all-are to be erected in the following localities: Jones' vile, Rolling Mill district Lakeview district and on the site of the Thomas school that was several years ago destroyed by fire. :
 l. is estimated that these buildings will tz.1x A1nf ha maintenance of the new schools will re- quire sl0,OO0 annually.
 The state tax or licenses, 1S99 on spirit ous, vinous and maE Hquors-all branches of that business in the city of Birmingham amounted to S25,631.25. By an act of the legislature the city of Mobile is allowed to apply the stare revenues from this source in Mobile county to her public schools. May it not in @ sense of fairness and jus,dce be asked, Why may not Birmingham in a county that pays-.one-sixth Of the taxes of the entire state, be permitted to enjoy the same lioerality? In no community in the state IS tnere 8 wider gulf between rap,dly increasing needs and slowly increasing re- sources. I hope this board will join with me in calling this matter to the attention of our representatives in the general as- semi1ly, and will sustain them in every possible way in their efforts to secure the passage of similar act flor Birmingham Fire Department The correspondence relating to insurance rates that has for some time past been pending between the Board of. Trade and the South Eastern Tariff association, rep resenting the insurance companies operat- ing in this field. has developed an inven- | tory of what is needed in the way of new | equipment to entitle this city to first class rating under insurance classifications. The plan calls for three additional stations. and l the chief of the fire department estimates | the cost of equipping these stations at $s,- | 550OO, and their annual maintainance at | $13, ,65O.0O.. The establishment of these sta | tions would materially lessen the amount l of insurance that our citizens are now paying.