The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-06-13
CITY MAY HAVE ID
 GO ON SCRIPT BASIS
Failure of Bond Issue Will
 Mean Disgrace
LANE TALKS PLAINLY
Says Situation Is Pressing and Per sonal Enemies of Commission Should Not Be Permitted
 to Defeat Issue

That the city would be forced. in all probability, to adopt the script system to meet the employees pay rolls and that the city of Birmingham would be utterly disgraced financially if the bond Issue failed to carry was the startling declaration of Commissioner A. O. Lane yesterday afternoon. He said that the city was now in bad shape, as everyone knew, and that he could not see any way of escaping the script system unless the payment of all debts was authorized by the issuance of bonds. The city Of Bir- mingham has been on the script basis by reason of it's own weak financial con dition once before That was during the first administration of Mayor A. O. Lane At that time the city employees were given paper for money which was discounted heavily, resulting in the wage earner getting about 75 per cent and fiever over 90 per cent in money for script whose par value was s1. Judge Lane characterized the script system yesterday as 8. miserable proposition, in- volving amending Annoyance and finan- cal ruin for a great many men who are dependent upon their earnings to carry them through their obligations. When it is taken into consideration that all po- lcernen. firemen. engineers, city hall em- poyes officials, school teachers, jail at taches, laborers and all additional off cials or employees are given monthly paper rather than real money, the loom- ing up of such contingency does not meet with any favor from the affected employees. The merchants who carry the employees the coal dealer, meat mar kets and all who receive patronage from the city men would necessarily be com pelled to receive the script in payment while the banks would in most cases hoot at the idea of taking script for their matured obligations.
 The commissioner said in addition that besides the effect it would have locally in working injury upon the employees, the commissioners, merchants, bankers and everyone would be dscredited by forcing the city into insolvency. issuing script and defaulting the most pressing and just debts.
 A Miserable Expedient
 "The stuation,' says Judge Lane. "came upon the city in the early days when few were residents here and when the management of affairs was In the hands of the aldermen. We could not stave off the result. Those were niser- able times for the city employees, their merchants and in fact, the entire city. The excuse for that was the youthful ness of the city, and the unsettled con- ditions at that time. Now we have new business-like working organization. Birmingham has grown most phenome- nally and I cannot believe that the mer- chants, bankers and other citizens and voters will permit this first request of their commissioners to go by default It is certainly clear to the citizens who read thoroughly our statement that con ditions are faulty in the city hall with out having been created by the com missioners. They certainly cannot expect us to perform financial miracles and work out the financial salvation of Bir- mingham with such conditions existing.
 Confident of Success
 'I have talked to many prominent citizens about thls bond issue and they assure me that 1t will carry. l believe them. I do not think the progressive men of this city can well afford to per init this proposition to be defeated by those who are angry with the commis- sion, who have habitually opposed the commission idea and those who have profited in the past by their connections with the city administration. There are a few well informed men qualified to render sounder opinions who are opposed to the issue, so I am informed. But l would suggest that they look carefully into this request and render judgment based upon what is to come and what exists right now before they cast their ballot And again l am convinced that the opposition is more active than those for the bond issue. l would beseech the interested voters to bestir themselves for this bond issue and make the ma jority for it overwhelming.