The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-17

crowd in the court room yesterday morning awaiting verdict from the jury when it reported its hopeless division.
 usually get what they go after, and we should have water route by canal to the Warrior river. This will give us cheaper rates to the sea, and our coal barges would fix the rate on shipping coal, iron, steel and coke to the outside world.
 Sub-Trea asury. <
 We ought to have the ub-treasury, and we will be in shape to get 1t when we consolidate our population. We have every other inducement to put if here We need the official census report show ing that we have a large city to insure 1t. We already have a live sentiment in Congress in our favor: we need the help that population would give us. We would then have a reserve center, and money would be kept here as it is in the large money centers. In Washington city you see nothing but new money-it is very scarce article here. If we had a sub treasury our old money could be exchang- ed for new currency or coin.
 New Government Building.
 We need new government building for our postoffice and federal courts Our little three-story red brick struc- ture on Second avenue and Eighteenth street is entirely out of keeping with the spirit Of growth and progress in Bir mingham. It Is entirely too small and Postmaster Carter is very badly crowd ed and. the increase in postal receipts will continue to make the present small quarters more greatly crowded in the fu- ture. Congress will give us a new build ing when we show that we have city of over l0O,O00 population. We ought to have a building that would cost at least million dollars, for it will not be long until our population will be a quarter of million, and we ought to have such building as will provide for the fu- ture. We already have new million dollar passenger station, and our new postoffice building should be In keeping with it., and this building should be built Of Alabama marble. This expenditure for the new building will not tax the people of Birmingham any, for 1t will be built by an appropriation by Congress. We cannot get new building until we show a rapid increase in population, for 1t is the policy of the federal government to erect postoffice or government buildings in keeping or in proportion to the growth of population. It would not be wise to try to get new postoffice building be- fore the next federal census is taken in 19l0 You see that 1t is imperative that we make a good showing in the census rating in order to get a splendid build ing in keeping with this great city, and we cannot get 1t unless this scheme of consolidation Is ratified on January G. Sewerage System.
 It is a matter of vital importance to the health of the people of Jones valley that we have a well constructed system of sewerage from East Lake to Wylam We have already spent about $3O0,000 for two trunk sewers through this valley and yet there Is no central authority to en- force sanitation in the 16 different towns from East Lake to Wylam
 There should be a. central authority to enforce sanitation in the towns included in Greater Birmingham, which includes East Lake, Woodlawn, Avondale, East Birmingham North Birmingham, Gray mont Elyton, West End, Fairview and Pratt City. There are 220O0 people living in the territory east of the Birmingham city limits to and including East Lake that have no sewerage system. Our fu- ture safety demands that this be done in the very near future, but 1t cannot be done unless this plan of consolidation is ratified on January G.
 Fire Department. The people in the small towns need the protection that comes from well paid fire department. It costs about $S0O0 a year to maintain a fire station, and no small municipality can afford this almost
 
 small town Is so low that the small mu- nicipalities have no money with which to maintain it. No town can carry on the work of municipal government successful ly on a 50-cent tax rate. That is the trouble with East Lake as we'll as other towns that are on the same basis of tax ation By the time you pay the salaries of your officials there is but little money left to pay for municipal Improvements The tax is large enough to be annoying, yet too small to be of much service Under Greater Birmingham, East Lake should have fire station, as she will add more than 5000 population to the greater city.
 Better School System. The concentrated force of Greater Bir- mingham will give you a better pubic school system than you now have, and the greater city will have to furnish this additional necessity. A first-cass public school system and ample fire protection you must have
 It is a matter well established that en- | terprises of the same character when con | solidated can be more economically ad- ministered under one central government 1 than by several establishments Much | can be saved in salaries alone. There are l now nine mayors in the territory includ- 1 ed in Greater Birmingham, most of whom | draw salaries. When these towns are con- | solidated under Greater Birmingham, the