The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-17
VARIOUS FEATURES OF
 CONTRACT DISCUSSED

forced them to reduce the Ensley fare
 sooner or later and it Is only natural course of events that the lights should
 be lowered in price. Their proposal to give the cent fare to Ensley without transfers is very niggardly on the part of corporation that has received the patronage and fayors this company has received from Birmingham. The com pany is far sighted enough to see that
 wave of dislike and rebellion against
 monopoly and anything that even
 shows a glimmer of graft is sweeping
 the states and cities and are now get ting busy with long term contract to settle their fortunes for the next 10 years.
 q am in favor of the municipal own ership of all public service corpora | tions and some day Birmingham will l hold an election to issue bonds for its
 own waterworks. gas and electric I plants and street railway installation. | Then the surplus earnings of these
 companies would be turned into the city treasury and give us public parks
 civic improvements and other features
 of city life that straitened finances
 cannot afford"
 1 W M. Franklin of Franklin, Stiles & | Franklin, wholesale grocery company: "On general principles I am opposed
 to signing up for any sort of supplies
 course, think the city. of Birmingham
 would make a mistake in contracting with the Birmingham Railway, Light
 and Power company for lights and cal
 service for this length of time.
 ITO do so would keep out competi-
 tion which is certainly the life of bust
 ness. If another company should come | into this city and establish an electric
 or gas supply house, the citizens of Bir-
 minham would feel the difference i'm
 mediately in better prices, better serv. | ice and other genuine concessions. II doesn't fail to work in other lines ot commercial business and it Is reason able to suppose that 1t would prove an admirable scheme in this case" Rev. Dr. George Eaves: "The Ensley | car fare reduction does not do good where improvement is most needed. refer to the man of moderate means who cannot afford to live near the | heart of the city. If he wants to gc to Ensley from his home in one of the suburbs 1t will still cost him 10 cents
 because the transfer privilege is not allowed.
 l "I have in mind a man who works il | Ensley and supports family of six or | a moderate salary. It costs him 20 cent! | a day to get to and from his work. He purposily lives in a suburb where h,
 can get cheaper rent What good is | such men as this? And it is for the | poor mans benefit that the car fare should be regulated. A , cent piece does not make much difference to the | man downtown who wants to run out to Ensley, but 1t makes a lot of diff ference to the poor man who is forced to make the trip twice a day.
 | William R. Rockett, deputy clerk and register of the city court: q think the city should accept the proposal of the Br- mingham Railway, Light and Power com. pany If no better concessions can be got. ten from them. I do not, however, think that it is the best arrangement that car be made. The features do not approve are the no-transfer agreement, and enter | ing into a contract for 10 years. seems best to me for the city to go into ar agreement, probably the present proposi | tion, for five years, and at the end of tha time try to make better terms with the company"