The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-20
SETTLEMENT OF THE GAS TANK PROBLEM ' BRINGS LOVE FEAST Commission Is Mediator Be tween Ford and Palmer
 Terrace Citizens HAPPY ENDING FOR
 VERY VIKING ISSUE President of the Gas Company Tells Delegation That He Wants
 Their Good Will Above
 All Else

Through the mediation of the Board of Commissioners yesterday the controversy between citizens of Palmer Terrace and the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company over the location of a gas tank was adjusted to the satisfac- | ton of all concerned.
 l The adjustment of the difficult question
 of loca tion of the gas holder by media
 ton ended in the most surprising eXpres- | sions of good will between all parties in- terested and in answer to an appeal or President Ford that he wished to have
 the friendship of all the people of Ensley,
 rousing~ resolution was introduced and passed extending the thanks of the dele gation to the company and its officials | and offering every aid and co-operation | in the final adjudication of the transac- 1 ton. | Never before in the history of this city has an official body formally tried media | ton between public utility corporations
 and the people with grievances. And Il
 is expected that that action will be fol- lowed strictly hereafter by the commis- sion where there is the slightest chance
 left to get the people and the corpora tions together.
 | The final result of the meeting yester-
 day was attained by President Ford maS- ing considerable concessions, President 1 Exum of the commissioners offering his
 unofficial services in the sale of a site
 and concessions on the part of the people 1 It was finally decided that the company would be issued a permit to build the gas holder in what Is locally known as the old ball ground, near Tuxedo June ton of the Ensley and Tuxedo car lines. Just as soon as the offer of that property
 wasiamade the company sent an agent to
 Ensley to close up the deal because of the very short time left in which to get to work on the gas holder.
 Conference With Ford
 At a meeting held yesterday morning a delegation of citizens offered Mat Sloan, assistant to the president of the company, a compromise on the question, which MT,
 Sloan said would have to be submitted to President Ford The delegation was
 promised a conference with MT. Ford at | l:3o o'clock in the afternoon, which was | convened promptly. MT. Ford made a statement in which he pointed out rather gingerly that the company had moved one or two times before and that the gas | tank must be erected somewhere. He said it would be folly to expect a gas | tank serving Palmer Terarce to be erect | ed somewhere far removed from the com munity it served He pointed out that the | oinIxr nN an6anRpr residential values, however much it was urged that the tank would affect them He then stated that the company would move the tank from Palmer Terrace to the | ball ground If the community would take | the Palmer Terrace lot for its value,
 s250o. He said also that signed agree
 ment with adjacent property owners liv-
 ing near the new site would be fair in the | premises and he wished that to be one of
 the conditions.
 President Ford also said that the di-
 vision must be made quickly. He pointed
 out that work had already been held up on the gas tank and that something must | be done at once.
 l The delegation agreed to furnish the
 ball park site at the price of 5000 and
 gave verbal assurances that no objections
 would be raised. The hitch in the nego-
 tiations started when the delegation com | batted the proposition of buying the Palmer Terrace site from the company.
 This was insisted upon by Mir Ford, who
 pointed out several facts and recounted | that the value would go up. Finally, to
 settle the matter President Exum said
 that he would go in partnership with MT. Ford and sell the site and urged that the other agreements be entered into
 | In order not to hold up the work and | to anticipate any objections to the new l site. the commissioners then and there
 gave a permit for the erection of the
 tank.
 Mir. Ford's Remarks
 In speaking of the purchase of the old
 site by the delegation in order to pro- | tect his company President Ford said While I am talking I will say this.
 want the friendship of you people of l Ensley. I want that far more than any
 money involved in this transaction. did
 not start this controversy and am will ing to meet you more than half way | What I want rather than the sale of this l lot is your good will and cooperation in
 this community problem. see look of I