The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-06
Police Force Cut From 60 To
80 and Placed On Twelve
Hour Basis
CHARITY DONATIONS MAY
Be SUSPENDED IN FUTURE
Resolution Requests Mayor and Police
Court Judge To Allow Salaries
To Be Outflow $4,000
Can Be Saved.
"As long as the light holds out to burn
The vilest sinner may return"

| tackled the finance question with sleeves
rolled up.
By vote of I TO IL the Mayors veto of
| the street tax was sustained, but the
resolution was Immediately re-introduced.
| While there were II votes in favor of
the tax it required IS to override the
| Mayors veto. The change in the ranks
| of those favoring the street tax was
caused by change on the part of AL
| derman Jack Greener. he voting to sus-
tain the Mayor, and the absence of AL
| derman John Copeland.
However, the subject was not dropped,
| resolution similar to that which had been
defeated except it made the street tax due
| July instead Of January of this year
| and provided that it be not effective after
December 81 of this year. Alderman
| Jones moved that the resolution be adopt
| ed, claiming that it was of a temporary
nature and did not have to lay over.
| The vote was taken and the street tax
| carried by vote of 10 to s. Alderman
Moore objected on the ground that in
| the city attorneys opinion, it was a
permanent resolution and should lay over,
However, under the ruling of President
Parker the resolution stands, until chal-
| lenged in the courts. 1t will, of course,
| be vetoed by the Mayor, and at the next
| meeting of the council the question comes
| up in the same form as it did tonight.
Alderman Copeland will then be in Bir-
mingham, and on account of the changes
in dates there is no telling, where the
various aldermen will stand
Debate For an Hour.
The veto of the Mayor was the first
paper read. Immediately afterward the
aldermen entered into an hours debate,
closing with Alderman Jones, who de-
clared that If the city could not borrow
from $4,000 to $4,000 it would be bankrupt.
Alderman Moore declared that the sum
could be borrowed.
Here is the vote on sustaining the
Mayors veto: To sustain--O Neill, Egg
gleston, Moore Cooper, Forney, Greener,
,Stockmar. For street tax-Burnett,, Heidi,
Jones. Estes, <lotz, Gum, Fulghum,
Gregg, Hogan.
Cut In Salaries.
The council wrestled with other very i'm
portant questions relating to cutting ex-
penses and raising revenue of the city.
The report of the finance committee
recommended that the salary ordinance
be adopted, assigning the same salaries
to the department as last year. d. r.
Copeland, with Egglestons second, intro
duced an amendment cutting down sal
aries to an annual total of $4,000 and re-
ouesting the Mayor and Judge Feagin to
cut down their salaries. The whole mat
ter was again referred to the finance
committee Here is the, amendment of
Alderman Copeland:
BE it resolved by the City Council, That
the following reductions in salaries be
made, to take effect March 1, 1908:
Treasurer's office to be reduced, per
Warden's office to be reduced, per
month NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. %
Engineers office to be reduced, per
month ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 50
Clerks office be reduced to ........... 100
Secretary to be reduced to ............ 70
Clerk of police court to be reduced to. 10
Attorney to be reduced to ............ $50
Meat and milk inspector to be re-
duced to .......................... 100
Plumbing inspector to be reduced to-. 10
Electrical inspector to be reduced to-. 100
Physician to be reduced to ............ so
Street commissioner to be reduced to. $50
Assistant attorneys office to be abolished.
"And be it further resolved, That the
Mayor be requested to reduce his salary
tic $500 per month, instead of $500.
and be it further resolved, That the
he tad
| to reduce his salary to $500 per month.
lowing to the conditions now existing
this would be very reasonable reduction,
thereby saving the city $4,000"
Further still the committees report
recommended that all charity appropria-
tons be cut out as a retrenchment. The
appropriations now made monthly are as,
follows: st. Vincent's hospital, 500; and
the following $50 each: Mercy Home.
United Charities, Boys Industrial school,.
Boys club, Salvation army. Alabama
Orphanage (colored). East Lake Orphan
age and the Rescue Home
Alderman Fulghum introduced SUBJ
stitute calling for the regular appropria-
tions, declaring that I'VE can't go before
the world as a city that gives nothing to
charity" Both resolutions were finally
returned to the committee for further de-
liberation.
Cut Down Police Force.
The next move was the passage of a
resolution introduced by Alderman Gregg
requesting and instructing the police COM
mission to reduce the force to so police
men instead of 60, and requesting that the
force be divided into two shifts of II hours
each, instead of the present eght-hour
shifts; effective April 1 and expiring De-
cember 81. This was passed and is final.
1t is now up to the police commission.
Chairman Copeland of the commission.
who was in the council chamber, stated
that he regretted it very much. 1t was
pointed out that by this measure 25 in
stead of 20 officers would be on duty at
time, and the city would be saved $4,000,
or as much as could be collected from
the street tax The measure seemed quite
popular with the aldermen.
Another action was the adoption of r