The age-herald., 1900-07-18
A NEW CONTRA
 FOR STREET Llu.
Will Probably be Recommended
 at Meeting Tonight.
FIFTH AVENUE TO BE PAVED
Many Aldermen Absent from the City, and Acting Mayor Graham Ex- presses Hope That Those
 Here Will be Present

Tonight will be a regular meeting night for the Board of Aldermen. but the Mayor and a number of Aldermen are absent from the city, and unless evtry member of the board who is in town attends there will hardly be quorum. Acting Mayor J. F. Graham expresses the hope that all who are here will strain a point and answer to the roll call, as several important matters will come up for action.
 The committee on lights is ready to re- port on the proposition of the Consolidated Electric Light Company to supply the city with street lights for term of ten years, beginning on the first of September next. As reported in the Age-Herald of yesterday the committee has decided to recommend the acceptance of the Consolidated Com panys proposed contract, which would re- quire the city to pay only $50 per light per annum as against s10S paid that company during the past ten years; the company furthermore agrees to readjust the price to a lower scale at the end of the first five years if 1t should be found that any Southern city of Birmingham's class was getting it's electric lights by contract for less than $50. In other words the company
 
 more than $50 per annum for ten years, but at the end of five years to charge no more than a price equal to "the average price paid by seven cities nearest Birmingham of like size and conditions" Knoxville now gets the cheapest street lights-$SO be- ing the price paid. That city uses 250 lights. Atlanta uses 569 lights and pays at the rate of $S4 Chattanooga, with 225 lights, pays at the rate of $S7 Memphis with SIS lights, pays $90; while Nashville, with BIO lights, pays $91.25
 Birmingham is now using only TIT lights, but there is a demand for a large increase. Every one knows that light is a great pro- lection to a city. Every electric light in the city does good police duty and those persons who have studied the situation and the economy of lights say that the city fathers would act wisely if they increased the number from IF to 300. Mayor Dren- nen favors increase to 225, and Chair man Heidt favors an immediate increase to 2S0 The city now pays for the IF lights $1S,954 per annum-150 lights at 10S and 27 at 102. At $50 per light it would have to pay only $1S,000 a year for 225 and only $20,- 900 for 250. As stated yesterday, MT. Heidt was a strong advocate of municipal owner ship of electric light plant until his re- cent visit to Jacksonville as a member of special committee to investigate the working of the plant there. He had been led to believe that $9O,OOO would build and equip a plant in Birmingham But he says that after he became acquainted with the facts in Jacksonville he changed his mind. He found that Jacksonville, starting out to
  up the amount to S150,0OO and that an addi- tional $25,OO0 is how being called for to make necessary Improvements. And yet, he said, the Jacksonville management was thor oughly honest and business-li1e. Alderman Kerr, a member of the committee sent to Jacksonville, was, like Alderman Heidt, a believer in city ownership, but he re- turned home in favor of continuance of the contract system, just as MT. Heidt did The Consolidated Company is spending large sum of money on the betterment of it's plant. and when it's new machinery is in operation next fall it's policy will be to re- duce the price of lights to private consum- CTS, and thereby greatly extend it's busi- ness.
 As Mayor Drennen has given much thought to the question of street lights, Chairman Heidt said that he thought it only proper courtesy to inform him by wire of the action of the committee, and ask him whether the committee should make its report tonight or wait until after his return. Unless the chairman receives a message from the Mayor to ''go ahead" no report will be submitted by the committee at tonight's meeting of the board.
 The street committee met yesterday aft ernoon and decided to recommend the pay ing of Fifth avenue from Twentieth street to Twenty-sixth street with vitriolized brick, the work to be like that being done on the South Highlands. The committee also decided to recommend improvements in Cullom Place.