The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-14
COMMISSION HAS 4 LIGHT DAY IN
 S[ASH|NG WORK Reduce Interest on Loan of $300,000 From 6 to
 5 Per Cent MAKE $216O CUT IN
 THE SALARY LIST So Far GA Positions Have Been Abol- ished With an Annual Saving
 of $72,474.5O for
 the City

The Board of Commissioners yesterday abolished three position in the city, trans ferred one man from the police to the department of prisons, borrowed by reso- lution s30OoO0 and ordered corporal pull ishment on three little negroes rather than for them to pay s2oo and serve 1so days on the streets.
 The work of yesterday was the lightest the commissioners have had since they have been in charge. No action was taken relative to the fire department or the city financial offices
 The position of superintendent of the North Birmingham Water Works plant, held bq V. P. Emrick at $125 per month was abolished, and Engineer A. J. Par sons was instructed to assume charge of the entire works. This has been ef- fected. The posts of assistant wardens of the city prison, held by Tom William son and N. A. Matherson, the former at $7o and the latter at s65 per month, were abolished. R. w. Weaver, a desk ser-
 
 structed to assist Warden Tuck. Just why Tom Williamson was displaced can- not be unraveed at the city hail. He was the senior in service even of Warden Tuck, and to have retained him would have involved no greater outlay than is paid Weaver. No charges, 1t is under stood, were preferred against Williamson, who is popular among all the city hall officials The commissioners, however, make few explanations.
 Weaver was instructed to work 12 hours per day, whereas the former rule was an eight-hour days work. This may have cut some figure in the changes. The city by the work performed yesterday saves per month s1so, or s216O per year. Up to the present time the general cutting has saved the city s72,474.5O per annum and 1t required the aboishment of 64 positions and cut in four salaries to do it.
 The commission ordered all work on Park avenue stopped until there could be completed searching investigation into what is being done. Commissioner Lane remarked that he was of the im- pression that Park avenue was in good shape and. needed no fixing.
 Change Made in Loan
 A sum of $S00,OO0 was ordered borrowed by the commissioners yesterday after noon and the officers of the Birmingham Trust and Savings company will look after it. President Exum was instruct ed to give the citys paper for this sum, which will be loaned by the banking in terests of this city Heretofore New York has been placing the temporary loans in Birmingham for the city Henry B. Gray, president of the Peoples Saving bank, hold the citys note for $500, ,OOo due within few days. He requested a re- newal and said he understood the money was to be borrowed for enc year. The commissioners could not see it and in- formed President Gray that the note would be paid when due In addition to the combined banking interests here, Otto Marx & Go. offered to float the loan for per cent. which is per cent cheaper than has ruled heretofore in matters of this character
 ooN pioJ Soiu iiC Wouu oStoil- modate the city at a lesser rate of in terest if the commissioners would pledge the entire income of the city to protect the loan. This was declined by the com missoners, as they ruled 1t would not be legal to overstep 25 per cent of the city's income.
 An ordinance was adopted fixing fire ward at Wylam, wherein there now ex- ists no regulations of this kind. The usual regulations were fixed by the board