The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-22

the division of the public funds to be de- rived therefrom. would like to submit few facts I am informed that the dis pensaries and saloons are not to be al lowed oatside of cities or towns where there is police protection. To give this protection will cost the taxpayers of Bir- mingham over s100,0O0 per year, and yet I understand the cities are only to receive about one-third of the proceeds or license fees arising from the dispensaries or sa- looms. If the cities received three-fourths of this revenue the city's expense would still be larger than it's receipts on such account
 'The heavy increase of population in the cities and the extension of the mod ern citys field of activity has made the question of municipal government an in- crcasingly vital civic problem of the times, and the demands upon the larger and more rapidly growing cities are fast becoming such that it Is wellnigh i'm possible for any of these cities to meet the various and important city duties im- posed upon them.
 Notwithstanding all this there seems to have been a tendency with the past few legislatures to restrict or limit the city in the taxation of special interests, such as express companies, insurance companies, etc I am sure that the people living in the cities and towns only want what is clearly fair and reasonably neces- sary, but since more than two-thirds of the people of Jefferson county live in the cities and towns thereof, and these mu- nieipalities will have to stand more than nine -tenths of the incidental expense of a dispensary or saloon, it seems fair that they should receive at least two-thirds of the proceeds of such dispensaries or sa- looms, and in mo event less than one- half With highest regards am, yours very truly, ROMAINE BOYD"
 Captain Boyd in talking of the proposed dispensaries, said he did not care to be placed in the attitude of interfering with any measures aimed to give requested re- lief of any problems here, but that the
 division of the proceeds of the dspen- saries was 'manifestly unfair to the city if the city is to get only one-third of the money. He said the taxpayers of Bir- mingham are now paying sufficient amount of money for what they get in return, and he was simply calling att tention to the proposed dispensaries with view to getting the citys attitude prop erly before Senator Morrow, so the f1nan- cial part of the bill would be for the bene- fit of Birmingham.
 we have a great many financial prob lems to solve now, said Captain Boyd, land in the next few years daresay the city will have to work nightly to keep the wolf from the door. To follow up our troubles with these enactments which take away our power of taxation, or cause us to expend money and get no returns are problems which we must act against at once. I personally believe that Senator Morrow will quickly see the equity of the suggestion contained in my letter, and will remedy his measure in such way as to take care of our interests.
 "In drafting the dispensary bill, hope Senator Morrow will take into considera- ton the fact that Birmingham has need for all her funds now and all that she may legitimately get in the future"