The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-03-02
Petition in Behalf of St VIn-
 cents Also Considered
COUNTY FINANCES LIMITED
Chairman Motion Calls Meeting of Citizens Committee for This After noon at o'clock-Goes Be-
 fore City Council Tonight.

fore City Council Tonight.
 The board of revenue has refused to make an appropriation of $500 a month for the Hillman hospital. The question was settled yesterday afternoon, and the de- cison oS the board was given out in the form of a typewriter statement.
 After the board had acted on the Hhl- man hospital question, a petition signed by about 200 citizens was presented. It asked that St vincent's hospital be not forgotten in any appropriations made, as 1t was conducted on a charity basis,
 The statement of the board follows;
 Whereas, The Hillman hospital by its representatives duly appointed Tor that purpose did appear before this board and present the claim of said institution ask ing for an appropriation from this board to said hospital of $6o0 per month, or s7200 per annum; and
 St. vincent's.
 Whereas, A petition on behalf or the St. Vincent hospital has this day, towi., March 1. 1904, been filed with this board inc headlines of which are as follows
  Birmingham, Ala: Dear Sirs-We the un- dersinned citizens and tax payers or the county of Jefferson, hereby respectiully request that in your appropriations ID. charitable institutions, you oo not TOT set the St. Vincent's hospital as conuue'eo py the Sisters of Charity, but make eauai division We also respectfully call your at tention to their record for caring for the poor and afflicted since their coming to 1,t,. itpmiZpd table, viz:
 At old hospital, 166 .oo. ,ooo
 "At new hospital, 1900, 20; 1901, 56Si lsoz, 57s: 1903 806; December 1903, to Fepruary' 1904, s3 Total number of patients Witn- out remuneration, 240O
 Whereas, after duly hearing and con sidering all the arguments of said repre-, sentatives 1t was upon mouon oeciueo that said matter be held in abeyance pending an opinion from the attorney or inc said hoard with reference to the constitutionality. legality and advisioillty of said appropriation, or the leNy oh special tax therefor; and
 Whereas. said opinion has been nled with said board by said attorney, ana after a careful perusal and consideration thereof. 1t Is thereby shown to the con clusion of the board that there cannot pc levied a special tax, in addition to the constitutional one-half of one per cent already levied and collected to meet the demand of the representatives of said Hillman hospital and of said petition Tn behalf of said St Vincents hospital for said appropriations; and
 County Demands. Whereas. 1t seems now but short while when the facilities for caring for and handling charitable patients and cases at the county aims house will have to be materially increased, in the shape Of ad- ditiona1 buildings and grounds, which said property is the property of the county and of necessity must be taken care of at all hazards: and
 Whereas after careful investigation of the countys finances 1t is clearly shown that there remains now in the treasury of the county of funds available for such purposes as is now under consideration, sum not greater than will be required to meet the current demands of the county for the remainder of the fiscal year and,
 Whereas. the smallpox situation at this time is assuming so serious an aspect that in all likelihood q very large sum of msney will be needed to meet the de- mands in this line, probably much larger than the previous year, and, Present Contributions. Whereas this board feels that 1t has
 
 both the Hillman and St. Vincent's hos pitals, paying each the sum of $1200 per annum, which seems, though probably not enough. or as much as should be given, sufficient to care for all the acute cases in need of hospital attention: the chronic cases being now cared for by the county physician at the almshouse at the expense of the county, where said physician makes daily visits. Be 1t therefore resolved, by the board Of revenue of Jefferson county that in view of the above stated circumstances and conditions. and while each individual member of this board regrets the circum- stances and conditions, 1t Is the sense of this board that said petition or requests by said HIlman hospital and St. Vim cents hospital be not granted
 A. J. TARRANT,
 President Board of Revenue.
 In brief the written opinion of E. J. Smyer is that 1t Is possible for the board to make this appropriation, but nothing could be done until June when the an- nual appropriations are made. This the attorney says would have to come out of the general tax of one-half of 1 per cent. At present all the money secured from this tax Is apportioned but the gen. eral fund, as it Is called, can be relieved Dy the DOafu or revenue leVyinB d special tax to pay the interest on the courthouse bonds. This interest Is at present coming out of the general fund derived from the tax of one-half of 1 per cent but the legislature has given the board of revenue the power to levy special tax to pay this interest.
 Committee of Twenty-Five.
 T. H. Motion, chairman of the cti- zens committee of twenty-five, has called a meeting for this afternoon at 3 o'clock in the office of Mayor Drennen for the purpose of seeing if the city will aid the hospital. He urges all members of the committee to be present.
 In speaking of the matter last night, MT. Motion said:
 'If the city will not aid the hospital, my advice to the ladies will be to close 1t up. They can no longer support 1t by begging from the public. and l believe that they understand that 1t cannot be run longer in that manner. 1t must have city and county support
 The board of revenue has turned us down flat, and there is nothing left for HIS to do in that line I do not think that the city will act the same way"