The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-07-14
REFUSE REQUEST
 FOR SITE IN PARK City May Aid Association in
 Buying Acreage LONG SESSION IS HELD Park Commission Feels That It Has No Right to Grant Long Time
 Lease on Public Property

The question of whether the anti | tuberculosis association should be al- | lowed to occupy for an extended term of years a site in city park property over Red mountain consumed three hours of the park commissioners meet l ing yesterday.
 | And after an extensive ana elab-
 crate address by s. J. Bowie for tho association the park commissioners de-
 clined to recommend to the city com | missioners the request of the associa-
 tion. No one appeared to oppose the request
 The decision of the park commis-
 sioners was upon the theory that no
 official in the city possesses the right
 to allow any public building or insti- tuition to make permanent improve
 ments on city property for any extend
 ed length of time. The commissioners
 did not seemingly disagree with the
 members of the association as to
 whether the propositoin was a menace to public health or realty values. The park commissioners, it was announced. simply viewed the matter in the light of the general property of the city being protected rather than dedicated
 to any man or association.
 MT. Bowie spoke for one hour and half forcefully and clearly. He related the beginning of the work and told of the vast number of difficulties which had been met and overcome. He said that the opposition to the proposed 1 long term lease on the property was l based principally upon an indistinct un- l derstanding as to the precautionary 1 measures surroundings the tubercular patients on Red mountain. He called | upon pr. Cunningham Wilson to make | a few remarks. Dr. Wilson said he had much rather sleep in the associa-
 tion camp it is now conducted than
 any hotel in Birmingham and he would
 be less likely to encounter any tuber-
 cular germs. He said 1t was much safer
 to pass by that camp than to saunter | into the office of the president of tho commissioners.
 l He told of the intricate measures adopted to keep the dreaded disease | from spreading and recounted innum- l erable instances where the sites were in the heart of cities.
 | The park commissioners adopted a
 resolution introduced by Commissioner
 Robert Jemison, Jr., that the board rec
 ommend that the city and county get together, buy piece of acreage re-
 moved from the city, and give it to the association free of any and all costs.
 It was added in the resolution that
 the present site of the anti tuberculosis camp may remain where it is now until the park commissioners order its re- moval That will not occur until the commissioners have outlined some im- provements to be made at that park in the general scheme of things which will be planned by an expert.
 The park commissioners adopted the resolution unanimously and although they expressed the utmost sympathy for the work and lauded the unceasing toll and faithfulness of MT. Bowie and others for a cause so humane, they did not feel that they should prac-
 tically give up for a long number of
 years perhaps the most naturally beau
 tiful park In this city. Again. it was pointed out that Birmingham needed more parks and greater areas instead of donating some 20 acres.
 Commissioner Weatherly appeared and counseled with the park commits sioners and he will be formally in- formed of the park commissioner &C., ton. This in turn will be his recom- mendation to the city commissioners. The park commissioners transacted some additional business which had been laying over President John L.
 Raul presided and the entire member ship was in attendance.
 President Raul passed his vote on the tuberculosis site matter because of the fact that he Is president of the association as well as the park board