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

 Total .... .......... :. .$27SO55 29 A total of s1. .SO0000 for the four years. test suit is now pending in the su- preme court by which the city hopes to gain the right to name any number of different materials in the street paving ordinances. thereby insuring much greater competition in letting contracts for street pavement than is possible under the pres ent system of naming only one kind of material in such ordinances.
 Underground Wiring.
 Under an ordinance passed in 1906 all wires of the Western Union and Postal Telegraph companies were put under ground in various parts of the city, hav- ing already constructed COCO feet of sub way. The Peoples Telephone company is also using conduits in the central dis trict Both companies have plans under way for future work along this line. As sistance in pushing 1t should be given by the city All poles on your principal thor oughfares should be removed.
 The city has also put its fire alarm wires underground wherever telephone conduits are laid. It therefore will be seen that the only wires remaining over head are the trolley and feed wires of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company.
 1t is herewith recommended that an or dinance be passed requiring everything but trolley wires go underground as rapid ly as possible. Having stipulated in the ordinance the number of blocks it would be fair for the company to put under each year
 Grade Crossings and Viaducts. The grade crossing problem has been att tackled with more or less vigor and no success by every administration for more than 20 years past.
 The railroads have always been willing to confer, and would confer and draw plans. Action however, has at each con- Ference been extended to some future day. After many conferences and pressing the matter further than had eyer been done before, it was found that the city really had no power to force the railroads to act.
 Realizing this situation your honorable body delegated representatives to go to Montgomery at the last session of the leg islature for the purpose of having a grade crossing bill passed. You were successful in having enacted measure which gives all cities authority to force the building of viaducts wherever needed, subject, however, to certain restrictions and re- muneration in regard to property rights and damages.
 The railroads are questioning the const- nationality of this bill, hence you have suits now pending to test the validity of same. These suits involve viaducts or l Second avenue to Avenue C.
 House Numbers and Street Signs. A large majority of the houses in the city have been made to obtain street num- bers Hundreds of street signs have been provided and many streets renamed where they were duplicated Much assistance was given in this work by the postoffice department.
 A city forester directly under the charge of the city engineer has been giving scientific attention to all public grounds, school grounds, parks, street trees, etc. This branch of the government Will pro duce immediate and attractive resul If properly pushed and organized. It is herewith recommended that you purchase 15OOO street trees and give them to citi zens who will plant same under proper supervision.
 Health Department.
 Immediately on going into office in May, 1905, your honora ble body commenced to pass advanced laws looking to cleanliness and better health conditions
 In addition the department has from time to time been augmented as shown herewith:
 1865
 One physician.
 Two sanitary inspectors.
 One chief meat and milk inspector. One assistant milk inspector.
 Two assistant meat inspectors
 Salaries, $61S0.
 1909-
 One health officer.
 One physician.
 One chief meat and milk inspector. One assistant milk inspector
 Two assistant meat inspectors.
 Four assistant sanitary inspectors. One clerk to department.
 Salaries, sl2,12o
 Death Rate.
 1905. 1908
 Per c. Per c. White , . 147 133 Colored oi.o zcl Total .... .... H.I HA Besides the fundamental and compre- hensive health, sanitary and food regula- tions incorporated in your new code, the following ordinances have been passed from time to time. They are responsible for the splendid reputation Birmingham has made as healthy, clean community, with steady declining death rate: Clean street ordinate.
 Garbage can ordinance.
 Weed cutting ordinance
 Ordinance abolishing dry closets. Ordinance requiring screening of wells, tanks, etc.
 Ordinance requiring screening of mar kets stores, etc.
 Requiring drainage and filling of ponds. Requiring cleaning of stables.
 Placing trash boxes in streets.
 In addition an annual cleaning day was adopted. As result such nuisances as dry closets, old wells. stagnant ponds, old barrels utensils, slop buckets. etc., have practically been swept out of existence. More than 3S0 dry closets have been forced to connect with sewers or have been demolished. Your streets since that time have been kept in such condition as to attract favorable comment from all visitors As further result smallpox has been almost eliminated and other | courageous diseases greatly reduced both in prevalence and virulence.
 Typhoid and House Fly. Your honorable body is urged to pass A more effective ordinance looking to- wards the extermination of the house fly. ! Tho ordinance passed recently will not ac- complish it's purpose It is now known that the fly is responsible for the spread of typhoid.
 We can keep this disease with us or E C ZE M A 8
 CAN BE CURED BY
 E. C-Z N E H