The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-06-15

insurance, that of fire. To this must be
added estimates for the amount paid out
for casualty insurance. life insurance,
accident insurance, etc.
Cooper's Report
Here is the report on public utilities by
B. H. Cooper, chairman:
Mr. President-This commercial body
of representative citizens and all indi-
viduas of Birmingham well know what
our public utilities are and how well they
serve us. While the Board of Trade
may have pronounced views and would
like to put into execution changes. there
has not been anything effective done
along this line or any concerted action
by our we'll orga nized body. AS chairman
of this committee | would recommend
that we boost what we have and IL there
be knockers amongst us take away from
them the hammer. Be contented with
conditions as they exist and strive and
find ways to improve the existing stu
ation n ~
This committee would respectfully
recommend that this body of business
men of a great city should at once go
to work and devise means whereby our
municipality should own our present
water works system, or If practicable
bring to our community and city another
and operated by our municipal govern
ment. Bringing about a reduction in
cost, making water almost Free so essen
tial is water supply to the general pros
perity of a community and so closely re-
lated to the comfort and health of every
citizen 1t is wise and right to feel that its
supply should not be intrusted to those
whose primary object is profit. However.
the price paid for water is small com
I~J
to pay for lights. Lighs by electricity
this day and time is necessity. Blessed
by nature as we are surrounded by the
cheapest fuel in the world we pay too
much per kilawat for light and the bur-
den is hard to carry. the tax is unjust.
too high, and should be remedied right
away Birmingham should own and
operate It's electric light plant. l would
advise that we begin work right along
on this line. The question of municipal
ownership of street railway is debatable.
The recent finding of gas at our door
may bring about changes and enable us,
provided we take advantage of it, to
find a way to put into execution lower
rates for many necessities of life. The
changes that will be brought the future
will develop
w. 7. Cox for the street committee re-
ported:
ITO the president and members of the
Board of Trade;
LAS chairman of the committee on
streets l beg leave to submit the fol-
lowing observations:
ut is first our pleasant duty to call
attention to the fact that Birmingham
compares very favorably with other
southern cities of like size and population
in the matter of paved streets
I'm Birmingham proper there are nine
teen miles of paved streets. The word
paved is used in a general sense as
including Belgian block paving. bitulithic,
asphalt and vitrified brick paving. Ems
ley is the only suburb recently annexed
that could boast of paved streets.
THE number of miles of unpaved or
cherted streets in the city proper at this
time Is sixty-five. However. II we con-
slider Greater Birmingham the total num-
Der of miles of cherted miles would very
probably be 1870 or exactly twice as many
80 that in the territory of Greater
Birmingham are included approximately
twenty-five miles of paved streets and 100
miles OF cherted streets. A very credit
able showing when we remember that fif-
teen years ago it was question as to
whether we could properly number our
selves among the cities of the south.
LAS a committee we are not pleased
to recall the recent refusal of the prop
erIy owners 10 remove lne nedNy bciBldu
blocks in certain parts of the retail shop
ping districts and substitute a newer
and improved form of paving
1--WE are pleased to call the attention OF
the body to the proposed viaducts-the
one on First avenue between Twenty
sixth and Thirty-second streets, the other
on Twenty-ninth street from Avenue c
to Second avenue. These structures will
add much to that section of our city
will enhance the beauty of same and bes
of all will provide safe passage way
over a point now hazardous on account
of constant steam and street railway
traffic. We sincerely trust that nothing
will arise to hinder the construction of
these two viaducts. Respectfully sub
mitted, wv. I. cox, Chairman"
Following is the report of the member
ship committee. Board of Trade, by 3.
B. Burton, chairman
Your membership committee cannot
point to any decided increase during the
past year. but our membership today Is
az large, If not larger than any previous
year.
The field of operation of the member
ship committee is limited in view of the
fact that only merchants and manufac-
turers of Birmingham are eligible, and
In our membership today will be found
the largest. most progressive and enter
prising business house of every different
line represented in our city,