The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-02


 
 sume of operations for the four years from May l. 1905 to May l, 1909, Is here with submitted.
 During these four years Birmingham has emerged from the ranks of small cities into an acknowledged supremacy as the coming metropolis of the south. It has sprung forth modern city which draws to it every year thousands of fam
 flies who inevitably gravitate toward center which furnish all advantages that make life attractive, which secures to them health, wealth, safety and peace. This growth is due not altogether to natural resources nor to the assemblage of capital which exploits those resources. It is due equally to effective government, to the wise laws which have been stead fly enforced and have welded and guided this tremendous development. These advanced laws firmly and fairly put into effect over the territory some | time to be known as Greater Birmingham | will produce the same magic results and enhancement of values which have ac- crued to the central city.
 The following data from your different I departments reflects to some extent not only the growth of the city. but the ac- tive and progressive policy pursued by your honorable body in the building of great city.
 New Code. At the commencement of this admins tration your laws were in a chaotic con- , dtion. They had not been codifed nor published for 10 years, or since 1890 Dur ing that time more than 1000 ordinances, orders and resolutions were enacted. Many of them were conflicting and illegal; hundreds were unknown and inaccessible to officials or the public. To clear up this confusion men of ability were employed to prepare new code. Their work was done carefully and well. The code, went into effect in November, 1905, and was | published in convenient book form. They | were sold to the legal fraternity at popu- | lar prices. Since then this code, with its | various amendments has furnished a firm | foundation for municipal authority. City | officials understand their duties to the | public-the people understand their limi- | tations and rights.
 l Accounting Department. ] A similar chaotic condition@existed in 1 your auditing department. This was in no 1 way the fault of the auditor. but was due | to the crude and out of date system Of
 bookkeeping installed when the town was small and entries simple The system was practically nothing more than mem | oranda of receipts and disbursements To rectify this condition your honorable body authorized the employment of an expert accountant
 | This expert was recommended by the chief statstician of the United States l Census Bureau. His work was finished 1 and installed in October, 1907. As re- suit your auditing department is now a source of great satisfaction to all depart ments and to the public. 1t has direct connection and control of every depart
 ment as does the hub through spokes in x.rha ic cax-tp fo piftr
 and will be of increasing value during the years to come.
 The city's assets were appraised and an inventory of all its property made. Your bonded and other indebtedness was analysed and set up properly on your r books It is now possible to compare operations and expenditures with other cities 1t will reduce the cost and time of future audits, but best of all it has reduced the opportunities for official spec | ulations and carelessness to minimum. 1 Auditing Force. 1s05-One auditor, salary .... .... ....s1, 500 { 1909-One auditor two assistants, sal { aries .... .... 4.OO 1 Government experts who formerly spent a month or two here gathering their data now obtain it in two or three weeks. | Their remarks and commendation to | their department at Washington have ad- | vertised the city extensively. Bonds at Premium. On April of this year, after due ad-
 vertisement your honorable body sold $150000 school bonds at 10400S. You were
 offered a slightly higher price for the re- maining s200.O00, thereby gaining pre- mium of nearly $15.000
 While the condition of the bond market
 was a powerful factor in earning this pre-
 mium, another powerful factor was the
 clear cut, accurate information concerning
 your financial condition, which was ac- cessable to bond buyers in your auditing
 department.
 It will be interesting to know that this is the first instance, since 1890 when $100,-
 coo bonds were sold at 1o1, that the city has obtained more than par for 5 per cent bond
 Sinking Fund. In 1906 your sinking fund reached the credit side of the ledger. It now holds cash and bonds amounting to $19,274S4 A
 deposit for the year 1908 is now due. Up to above year your general fund had
 advanced to the sinking fund from year to year total of $127.1o es to pay bond interest.
 Owing to disputes and various interpre- l tations of the law which established this l fund its future operations must be settled 1 by the courts, Compilation of Records. l It was also found that vast numbers of records, deeds, minute books of council