The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-05-28
FRANCHISE GIVEN
 PEOPLES GAS %. An Fiction Will Be Held on
 the Matter OPENING OF STREET Motion Says It Is Necessary for the Mine Rescue Station at West
 End-Weatherly Will
 Investigate
OPENING OF STREET

The Board of Commissioners held a meeting yesterday morning without Pres- ident Culpepper Exum being on hand to preside A number of very important actions were taken up, with Commissions CT James Weatherly acting president. he having been elected with the vote of i Judge A. O. Lane.
 The meeting was featured with the granting to the Peoples Natural Gas com pany a franchise to build into Birmins- ham a pipe line for the sale of natural gas. This ordinance will. however. cost the recipients $1OOO and 1t will be sub ject to a referendum to the people in 30 days. This is the first time the com- mission has granted any franchise and the statement that the people could vote upon it provided it was. called for invoked minute of interest from those so &C., customed to no reference to the electorate in the granting of franchises
 This is the second franchise to bring natural gas to this city. from Fayette. where gushers have been found. The former one was given to the Providence oil and Gas company by the council and was passed by the commission yester- day until next Saturday for discussion. It will assuredly ba confirmed by the commission. It was announced by Com missioner Weatherly that tax of $l000
 would be required from the Providence
 company as well as the Peoples. and that | the companies securing the grant must
 bear the expenses of advertising it to
 the electors for referendum if the people
 so desire.
 ID ID ~ D
 appeared for the Peoples company and
 stated they would willingly pay the tax of 5000 and would be willing to refer | their claim to the people for a vote if the commissioners so wished.f .ff .. ~
 This proposition, however,, is not ~ex- pected to develop.
 In addition to discussing the franchise grant the commissioners heard from T. H. Motion, one of the creators of the commission, relative to the opening of street for the mine rescue station in West End Foreman Brown of the bureau of mines who Is to be in charge of the sta- ton, announced that the United States would not be inclined to street construo- ton until it was assured that the city would see to 1t that a good street was constructed as well as guttering, sidewalk Improvements and other work. The com missioners were told that J. H. Wood ward who donated the site, had been re- quested to share his portion of the ex- pense and he was unwilling to do so be- cause he assumed the position that in giving the site free he had done at least enough for one man.
 | Commissioner Weatherly said he was inclined to believe that MT. Woodward had done enough for one citizen and that the street work should be done by other l interest
 Inasmuch as the government will not build the rescue station unless the work Is done, and in view of the fact that the city has no inclination to do such work 1 at the initial cost, the rescue station Is believed to be in jeopardy. Is was stated by MT. Brown that the contract had been let for the building and work would begin just as soon as the question was settled.
 The proposition was referred to Com missioner weatherly. who will look into every phase of the situation before giv- ing any opinion. It Is believed that the Work VIII pc unuertdheh py the cty.
 The anticipated consideration of the bond issue was not taken up yesterday on account of the absence from the city of President Exum. He will be present at the meeting tomorrow. at which time 1t Is anticipated that the bond issue will be taken up
 It is stated that the most minute in- formation will be given in an official communication to the people as to what is intended to become of the money from | the bond issue.
 The commissioners desire to inform thoroughly the people as to their inten- tions and will not hesitate to take them into their confidence.
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