The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-21
OBJECTS ID ISSUE : OF SUBURBAN BONDS Bowron Takes Opposite View
 of FrieI Circular COST WILL BE TOO GREAT Bonds Will Not Bring High Enough Price and Bids on Work Will Not
 Be Keen as In Greater
 Birmingham.
COST WILL BE TOO GREAT

In reply to a circular letter sent out by T. H. F'riel of North Birmingham, calling meeting and speaking of the desira- bility of issuing bonds to lay storm sew CTS, James Bowron takes occasion to diff fer from the writer very materially on the plan.
 "The suburbs of Birmingham have formed themselves into a partnership, is the sentiment which he advances, land the interest of one is the interest of all. . Here is the letter:
 January 20 19OS MT. T. H. Friel. Chairman Citizens Com mittee, Birmingham, Ala.
 Dear Sir: Replying to your circular let ter of January 15, at the foot of which you ask me to attend a mass meeting as a speaker. and in which circular letter you intimate the desirability of issuing as much as $1O0,0O0 of bonds for the purpose of laying stone sewers beg to say that I will not be able to attend such meeting, as I will leave for New York tomorrow. As l see it. I am radically opposed to the policy as intlmated in your circular letter. After October, 1909, North Bir- mingham will be a part of Greater Bir- ningham, and each one of us will be equally interested; therefore, in seeing llldl dll puDllc expenditures are Indu6 III the best way and to produce the best re- sults You who live on this side will have to bear your part of the taxes of Greater Birmingham, whether they go to defray the cost of improvements in this part of the city, or in Elyton, or in Woodlawn I venture to express the opinion that all work which can be delayed until after October 1, 1909, should be so delayed, for the following reasons:
 irc4 T1o I(,, de Of ham can be sold at higher price than those of North Birmingham, or at low CT interest bearing rate, and. therefore, every tax bearer in the district will be benefited. It is manifest that an issue of $1.000 000, predicated on the assessment values of Greater Birmingham, would be much more negotiable than $100,G00 issue on North Birmingham.
 Second-Whether for the purpose of con- structing storm sewers, paved streets, or cement sidewalks. it is certain that such work let out on behalf of Greater Bir- mingham a whole would be of suffi- cient magnitude to attract larger competi- tion and lower prices for the work than you could possibly expect if the work is confined to North Birmingham
 Third-In case of such delay, you would obtain the advantage of the well-organ- ized engineering department of Greater
 
 tain a more experienced and expensive engineering staff than any suburb can af- ford to carry.
 As an officer of the Dimmick Pipe com- pany, and one, therefore directly inter- ested in the payment of taxes in North Birmingham, I beg to express the opin- ion that the street. improvements now going on will involve a great loss of money, and I regret very much to see them being made as they are made. It costs practically as much to grade the street, remove the dirt and lay the foun- dation of slag as 1t would if really good street was being laid. The present work of giving top dressing of chert without the material having been competed by a heavy roller. and without the use of any binding material, leaves the street open to the permeation of the water, and it is only a question of time when it will settle into hills and hollows and mud will churn up through the slag.
 My advice distinctly to every voter in Greater Birmingham is that you realize that we have entered into partnership. and the interest of one is the interest of all, namely, to get the best work at the lowest cost Yours truly,
 J. BOWRoN.