The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-01-06
CLAIM DENIED BY
THE ENSLEY COUNCIL
Contractors Want $500 Bal
anCe on Sewer Work
CURFEW LAW is PASSED
Convict Chaplain Hall Makes Eloquent
Plea to Keep Young Boys Off
Streets at Night-Alderman
Hollingsworth Resigns.


Ensley. January 5.-(Specia1)-Th
claim of J. e. Hollingsworth & Co.,
against the city for about $780, for bal
ance due on the sanitary sewerage con-
tract, was the knotty question that taxed
the judicial and financial capacities of the
city fathers, at the regular meeting of
the Mayor and Aldermen tonight. Their
deliberations resulted in the claim being
denied ard Holingsworth rendering his
resignation.
Another achievement that will put to-
nights session of the Council down in
the Steel Citys history, was the passage
of a eurfew ordinance. providing that
/ hereafter all boys under 10 years of age
/ who are seen on the streets of the city
| after o'clock at night, unless accom-
! panied by their parents or some grown
person, designated by their parents shall
| be subject to arrest and fine.
! ]. w. Morgan and w b. Bridge were
elected members of the Board of Educa-
ton for the ensuing two years. to sue
coed DR.. w. L. Rosdmond and A w.
/ Mucl1infuss whose terms have expired
The members of the Council present to-
/ night were, Mayor scott, Aldermen Rog-
/ ers, Sherman, McTyiere. Thompson, Hol-
4 lingsworth, Cusick, Patton, Vaughan.
Gre ham and Phillips.
i The city officials submitted their
monthly reports and the finance commit
tee ordered the accounts and bills of the
city for the pas month paid
Chaplain Makes Plea.
The Rev. ]. J. D. Hall then read an or
dinance that he had drawn up providing
for the enactment OF a curfew .aw in
Ensley. Mr. Hall then obtained the per-
mission of the Council to address them
or this proposed ordinance. 81 came be-
fore you" said Mr.. Hall, representing
the Women's Christian Temperance I'm
ion, the mothers of Ensey and l hope
also the fathers. 1t is unnecessary for
me to go into the merits of the law to
prohibit the lads of this city from be-
ing on the streets al an times of night.
THE time to begin most effective re-
formation is before the young man passes
the tender age of life. To do this effect
lively he must be surrounded by home
influence. The law does not propose to
dictate to parents how to rear their chill
dren, but it does propose to assist them
in this, the greatest of all responsible
ties
"a few days ago a mother carried her
only son TO the Boys Industrial school
at East Lake with the request that the
officers of the school take the boy that
he might be kept from running around
the streets at night At the same time
she made the pitiful confession that 1t
was impossible to keep her boy off the
streets.
over at the prison. where 1 have my
life work, are over 1000 convicts, wearing
stripes and serving sentences for crimes
committed, and caused In many instances
by having the privilege of being out on
the streets at all hours of the night"
Mr.. Hall was given the closest attention
by the members of the council and the
large crowd Of citizens present.
Alderman Sherman by request intro
duced the ordinance which was passed,
the rules being suspended for that pur-
pose.
In accordance with recent ordinance,
the committee reported favorably twenty
requests for whisky licenses for the year
1905 which were granted. Two reports
for licenses were reported adversely by
the committee, which report was sus-
tanned by the council.
Claims Are Denied.
The committee consisting of the city
engineer and the finance and street COM
mittee, submitted it's report on the claims
| of j. e. Hollingsworth for about $500
| against the city. The committee recon-
rnended that according to contract, the
| city did not owe the amount of the claim
| on the sanitary sewerage contract
! After spirited discussion, In which
several of the board took part, the re-
port of the committee was adopted by a
| vote of to 4.
AS the elimination of the discussion
| that ensued on the announcement Of the
| vote. Mr.. Hollingsworth arose and ten
/ dered his resignation as a member of the
/ board. motion was made that his res
! ignation be accepted, but as only three
| members of the council voted on this
proposition the motion was declared lost.
The MISUNDERSTANDING over the amount
of the contract seemed to have arisen
| over the variation of figures between the
contract and the bids The contract, it
is claimed, provided that elbows of the
sanitary mains should cost the city 40
| cents each. whereas the price In the
bids on these elbows Is fixed at $1.40 each.
Summing up all the elbows put In by the
contractors, the difference Between the
/ figures of the contract and the bids Is
| about $780,
The council decided to set February
| IA as the date for holding the general city
election to elect the city officers 1t was
also decided to meet next Thursday night
| for the purpose of arranging the details
of the election.