The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-12-16
BESSEMER DOUBLES
 |TSL|QUOR LICENSE
Council Increases Amount from
 $500 to S10O0
RETAIL CLERKS ON STRIKE
About Seventy-five Members of the Association Affected-Merchant Decline to Give Out State
 ment-Bazaar in Progress.

Bessemer, December 15.-(Special)-The city council met tonight and after hearing some petitions and reports of commit tees took up the work of fixing the license schedule for 1904.
 The school committee recommended the erection of high school building to com mence as early as practicable. The com mittee recommended that an election be called to vote on bond issue for the purpose of raising funds to erect the building. It recommended that the build ing be three stories high with twelve rooms; to contain an auditorium, chemi- cal laboratory, a gymnasium, a music room, a kindergarten and recitation room.
 The council decided to call a mass meet ing of the citizens to discuss the plans before deciding on the date of the election and the amount of the bond issue.
 All the city officers made their regular monthly reports for the month of No- vember. The report of Chief of Police Wallace showed that POT arrests had been made and $12S9.50 fines imposed during the month. All the other reports showed the conditions of the city to be most gratify- ing.
 The question of license schedule was then taken up. Several changes were made in the schedules. The liquor license was raised from $500 to s1000 a year. Sev- eral other changes were made in the schedules but in almost every instance the license was raised instead of low cred
 Lively Discussion.
 The board had a lively discussion over 41 l. T1.gI Light and Power company. It pays at present $50 per annum. The discussion arose over the assertion made by a mem- Der of the board tfat the company re- quired it's patrons to make a deposit when their houses were wired. The company, it is stated. paying the depositors interest on the amount paid in and when the lights were discontinued the money, with interest, was refunded Some of the mem- bers of the board thought that the com pany should pay 5000 for this privilege. For while it looked as if that amount was going to be imposed upon the compa- ny by the board. Mayor Huey interfered, however and had the matter postponed until the next meeting. It was decided to hold conference with President Jem- ison before a final disposition is made of the matter.
 Clerks Strike.
 The Clerks Protective association of Bessemer by a unanimous vote tonight de- clared a strike. There are between 70 and 75 clerks affected by this action. The trouble between the merchants and clerks has been brewing for some time. There seems to be a difference of opin- ion as to what the 'bone of contention" really is The merchants claim that the clerks contend that they should empty only union men and the request that i'll case they did not employ union clerks they should surrender their union cards are unjust The clerks on the other hand claim that they are willing to allow the merchants to employ non-union clerks but that they should encourage their clerks to connect themselves with the union The new contract called for some changes in the opening and closing hours, but these contentious were not considered, and the whole trouble hinged on the ques- tion of the mechants position in regard to the union.
 In the office of Dennis & Golson across the street where number of people were making merry at the Baptist church bazaar, the merchants were holding conference behind closed doors. In Myr- tie hall, a short distance away, the clerks were holding a meeting. Over in the Trotter building a committee from the other labor organizations and com mittee from the clerks were awaiting orders from the merchants to appear and state their side of the question. At 10 o'clock the merchants announced, by tele- phone that they were ready. The com mittee consisting of George B. Squires of Washington, second vice president of the Clerks International association; D. U. Williams, secretary-treasurer Of the State Federation of Labor; Ed Veitch president of the Bessemer Iron Makers local President Doyle of the Bessemer Carpenters local, and a committee from the Bessemer clerks went before the mer- chants
 Merchants Hold Conference.
 After an hours conference they came