The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-10

j. Ward yesterday.
ut is true that the city cannot refuse
to issue license when one is asked for
and the money furnished. Still, there is
no restriction placed on the city as to
how it shall arrange its license schedule.
There is a great problem. Everyone
knows that a man of well-known bad
character should not receive a license to
dispense near beer, for the simple reason
that it is apparent that he intends to vio-
late The late. Still the city as l have
stated, has no other alternative We
declined to issue a license to a man
wishing to sell soft drinks in a certain
restricted territory. He applied to the
courtsl for and received a writ of man
or the inducement for a new enterprise
on a great scale? The answer to this
question is to be found in the demand OF
some of the manufacturing interests for
large supply of cheap water for cooling
purposes, such as condensers, water jack
cts, and for cooling rolls. Obviously,
with an entirely different line of pipes,
such water could be supplied more cheap
ly, because 1t need not be filtered, nor
would the storage reservoirs connected
with such supply require the same care
and expense, either in construction or
maintenance.
LAS all large manufacturing establish
ments which would call for such supply
are likely to be located outside of the
municipal limits, to avoid city taxation,
Dir as,asrl Il,
| could undertake any such enterprise with
| out further legislative powers. 1t would
in fact, be simply going into the business
of furnishing manufacturing water for
the profit that was in it, and would not
be in any sense the caring for the health
or the necessities of the taxpayers and
residents within the city. On the other
hand if the county had legislative pow
ers conferred upon it to supply such wa
| ter, two reasons might be given in favor
of such action first, that all the inhab-
itants of the county would be benefited
IL by such action the location of new or
the extension of existing industries could
be secured which would give employment
to numerous people and greatly enlarge
the assessable value of the county sec
ond, that such water being used wholly
or chiefly for cooling purposes and not
for evaporation in boilers, could be after
its use either turned into the sewers for
flushing purposes, thus improving the
sanitation of the county, or turned into
Village creek.
Report On VanAoose Canal.
"a reference to the report of the war
department to Congress on the sub
ject of what we commonly call here
the VanHoose canal will show that the
department considers the project en-
tirely feasible and that for about six
and half million dollars we could
have navigation from North Birming
ham to Mobile, which is greatly to be
desired. The only anxiety shown by
the report was as to the sufficient sup
ply of water to make good the loss
from evaporation, seepage and lock-
age. The turning into the canal of
the surplus water brought into the
Birmingham district for cooling pur-
poses. together with the large quanti-
ties of mining water pumped out of the
coal mines ought satisfactorily to over
come this deficiency or danger
"As to the particular way in which
such supply of water could be best
brought to the Birmingham district |
have nothing to offer. 1t is a matter
to be determined not by opinions hasti-
~ expressed but by the careful meas
urements and surveys of an engineer
ing force. Their figures and calcula-
lions alone should decide whether
supply could best be brought from the
Warrior or the Coosa river. The late
Senator Morgan. in discussing this
matter with me years ago, told me that
he was assured by the county surveyor
that water could be brought from the
upper forks of the Warrior river down
Murphree's valley by an open irrigation
ditch by permission of the Birmingham
Mineral railroad upon it's right of way
for about 100000. Even if this sum
were doubled it would be very cheap
solution of the question.
Get the Required Power.
81 can only personally recommend,
therefore, the ascertainment by en-
gineers definitely of the best and
cheapest way for delivering to the Bir-
mingham district supply of cheap I'M
filtered water for manufacturing pur-
poses only, and further that our lead
ing lawyers get together and prepare
for submission to the next session of
the legislature such bill as may be
necessary to confer the required power
to construct and operate such plant
upon the county, including the partici-
patton of such of the cities within its
limits may desire to become par
ties in the undertaking. think such
an act should provide that no contract
should be let under its provisions for
the construction of the necessary pump
ing station and pipe lines until con-
tracts had been made with customers
for the supply of such water to such
an extent that the water rentals de-
rivable therefrom sh oud meet the in
terest on the bonds. and thus prevent
the scheme from becoming a burden