The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-07
City Council Meets But Takes
 No Action
NEW HEATING FRANCHISE
Street Railroad Company Declines the One as First Granted and Coun- ell Changes the Terms of
 the Contract.


 night the petition of the Peoples Tele- phone company, to be allowed to increase the rates now in effect on telephone ser vice. and which was referred to the ju- dietary committee at the last meeting of the board. was not brought up for con- sideration and the committee did not render report.
 The reason that report was not given by the committee Is that the mayor is still i'll at St. Vincent's hospital and could not be present at a committee meet ing Yesterday Mayor Drennen addressed a letter to Alderman Thach, chairman of the judiciary committee. in which he stated that he was opposed to granting the telephone company authority to make on increase in the present rates charged, and that in case any of the members of the committee were in favor of granting the petition he hoped the committee would defer rendering a re- port until he could meet and confer with the members. The mayor was not able yesterday to meet with the committee and the matter was not presented to the council last night.
 Meeting opens.
 The council met at 7:3O o'clock, when Clerk J. 0. Murray called the board to order. Alderman Harry Jones was elect ed to act as chairman. Aldermen Green CT. Wheeler, Linnehan, Ward, Kerr, J. R. Copeland, D. R. Copeland, Gum, Gra- ham, Altman, Heidt, Thach, Jones, Stockmar and Gray were present.
 of ha locf fxxrn Including a called session, were read and approved. Alderman Kerr, chairman of the finance committee. read the regular monthly pay roll for the city, and 1t was adopted.
 The chairman of the finance commit tee read the assessments on the follow ing improvement ordinances:
 Number 126-Providing for sidewalk paving, Thirteenth street Avenue I to avenue to Twelfth street, Twelfth street, Avenue to Avenue K, Twelfth street, east side, Avenue K and to Avenue l.. Number 12S-Providing for sanitary sew CTS on Charles avenue and Florida street.
 Alderman Kerr said that he had receiv- ed recommendation from the board of education that the city purchase a lot at Third avenue and Twenty-fifth street, on which 1t is proposed to later build a col ored public school. but the communication was not read. It was referred to the finance committee.
 Street Improvement.
 Chairman Graham of the street commit tee was granted further time on the mat ter of street improvements.
 The city engineer was instructed to draft an ordinance covering street im- provements in the vicinity of Glen Iris. Chairman Gum of the police and sani- tation committee, reported that Frank B. Lathrop had been employed as assistant engineer at the city hall. The report was accepted:
 Chairman Gum said that lockers were needed in the police muster rooms, and the matter was referred to the finance committee
 Chairman Thach. of the judiciary com mittee, reported that the Birmingham refused to accept the proposition of the city that under a franchise for steam heating rlant it furnish the city hall and iail with heat free of charge, but that the company offered as a sub stitute to give the city per cent of the gross earn ings of the plant after 1t was in operation five years. The committee recommended the adoption of the substitute. which was done. The proposition is practically l k1 .z associates several years ago, when the installation of steam heating plant was considered
 A petition from about five hundred wage-earners, who 1.-Two in Birmingham but work at Ersley. that the council pro- vide some means for haviug the street reilway company resume the five and half cent rate to or from Ensley, was re- ferred to the railway committee. In the petition the statement is made that the men now have to pay fare of ten cents each way, whereas formerly a rate of five and a half cents each way was granted.
 Wants a Market.
 Alderman J. R. Copeland made a mo- tion that if the vacant store rooms in the city hall were not rented out within sixty days that the matter be taken out of the hands of the mayor. and It was adopted. In making the motion Alder man Copeland said he was in favor of converting the vacant store rooms Into a market if they could not be rented. as the city was receiving no revenue from them at present.
 The city engineer was instructed to have the sidewalk at Twenty-frst street