The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-02

but they will not be above that hgure'
 It Is said that planting in this section will not begin before April 15, and farm CTS will be handicapped from the start with wet land and weak stock. There was so little corn made last year that much of the stock has been nnderfed and is in bad condition.
 A man who Is a good. judge, however, says this will be an excellent year to plant cotton because of the prices 1t will command at the end of the season.
 There has been some little corn planted already and while the land has been very wet it Is not thought replanting will be necessary except in a few isolated cases.
 Fall oats look well and there Is every prospect for fine crop.
 -~-S-~-s-S-S%-&-e-~-A-e%- ~ A-4-A-AAAN-NAA-A and this generates dust rapidly. Street sprinlxling is as essential to the health and comfort of a city population as street sweeping and the removal of garbage matter, and the recognition of this fact has induced us to take over this work as a proper function of the street de- partment, to be paid for out of public funds.
 Fire Department.
 The fire department naturally grows in importance as we increase in population and the number of costly buildings and heavy stocks of merchandise are being multiplied. The fire losses in the city for the year 1902, by reason of two con- fagrations of unusual size, saks store and the Moore-Handley building, both containing large stocks of merchandise, reached the unprecedented total of $s0S97 on buildings and $232, 526 on stocks togeth- CT $313. 423.
 The efficiency of the service has been materially enhanced during the past year by the following additions to equipment:
 One frst-class engine, one twin-tank chemical engine, three hose wagons, 4OO0 feet of new hose. the installation of the sixty-five-foot aerial truck and new Game well alarm system.
 We have also contracted for another flrst-class engine that has not yet been delivered.
 The expense account of the fire depart ment for 1902 was: Salaries. $39 2l465; fire hydrants. s14,909 55: running expenses, Sl0,- S5772; total $64, 9s1.92.
 As to the personnel of the force their faithfulness and effieienry are well estab- lished. and this, with the stock of ap- paratus at their command, gives to our people a protection against destructive fires unsurpassed by any city of anything Ike commensurate size and means.
 Police.
 The roster of the police department since the increase of October, 1901, con- sists of one chief one day captain, one night captain, one patrol driver, four mounted patrolmen, forty-three patrol men.
 The expenditures in this department were s53. TOO, an increase of $S,620 over the year 1901. The cost receipts from fines and penalties imposed by the Inferior Criminal court were $2619O, $630 over that of the previous year. The number of ar rests on all charges were 11,S2S, an in- crease of 1Sl9
 As above noted there has been no addi- tions to the police force since October, 1901. Its increase has not kept pace with demands on 1t incident to a growing pop ulation, but this should be considered by you as soon as our means will warrant.
 This department of the city govern ment, has as in other cities been at times unjustly abused and ridiculed This method of dealing with one of the most important branches of the city govern ment is neither just to the department nor creditable to the city. The proper method of remedying such evils is not
 seusine the department as a whole but by pointing out the specific acts of incompetency or neglect of duty and rid- ding the department of such officials.
 Water.
 For some years past there has existed just cause for complaint on the part of our citizens against the quality of water furnished them by the Birmingham Wa ter Works company. These complaints have lapsed into obeyance since that company has undertaken to construct plants for the filtration of It's water. Two such plants are now in course of nstalla- ton, one at North Birmingham, with a capacity of 5,OO0O0O gallons, and one on Shades mountain of 5000,00O gallons. The first mentioned plant is to be completed within twelve months, and the last named within eighteen months from October 1, 1902. In case of failure to complete within the designated time, the water works company Is to collect no rents for the use of fire hydrants until said plants are com pleted. It Is devoutly hoped this process of filtration will remedy the ills we have so long had to endure, as to the quality of the water. It will leave untouched the question of rates, which l regard as ex- cessive. In the event this company should fail to agree to an equitable basis for set tlement of this question, in the near fu- I project now under consideration of the city owning and operating It's own water supply.
 Parks.
 Profiting by the experience of older cues that have been negligent in this regard, and following the precedent of our early predecessors in office, we have secured titles to a tract of land of sufficient area in the vicinity of Five Points that has been set apart and is now being improved as a park.
 We have also acquired by purchase the block of land known as Behrens park These properties have materially en- hanced in value since purchased, and would readily sell now for double the purchase price. When you are put into indisputable possession of the three small parks on the Highland avenue car line, and they are improved, and your claim to Lake View park is established few cities will be better provided with public parks
 Extension of Limits.
 It has recently been said in public print by an eminent financier and shrewd ob- server of industrial conditions, that Blr- mingham had become the Pittsburg of the south. However valid may be our claim to this distinction, the greatest difficulty we have in impressng the commercial world with our status Is the small pop ulation credited to Birmingham by the last federal census. It happens nowhere else within the range of my knowledge that as many as four or five separate and distinct municipalities, each having It's own charter and government are so huddled together as to be 5fUfd oil only hU tho qfattitorv 1ina 1adnfrar