The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-19
Exum and Lane Want Gen. eral Light and Water
 Scheme Formulated
COMMISSIONERS TO
 ACT AS COMMITTEE
Weatherly Claims City Can Save Con. siderable Money by Putting the North Birmingham Plant in
 Commission at Once

At the commission meeting yesterday President Exum and Judge Lane out voted Commissioner Weatherly twice. The report of Martin J. Lide on the Norwood situation was incorporated into a resolu- ton that the entire commission look into municipally owned water and light plants. Mir. Weatherly, powerless to pre- vent 1t. witnessed his pet Norwood light ing scheme consigned to what he termed "a remote and incidental place in a mas sive question which will not be reached tor months"
 The controversy between MT. Weatherly and Judge Lane as to who should ap- point the committee to look into the water and light plants to be owned by the city, was sDnoothed over by President Exum who suggested that the commits sion be made a committee. No objections were made to that by MT. Weatherly, but he wanted the city engineer to be mem- Der of that committee, and offered an amendment to the general resolution to that effect. He was voted down.
 In respect to the general resolution appointing the commission as commit tee MT. Weatherly voted no. He told the commissioners that the report oi MT. Lide should be adopted at once, as cent on the investment, and if incorpo- rated into the general investigation Il would hardly be reached in several months. President Exum reminded MT Weatherly that as a member of the spe- cial committee he could bring up the Norwood matter whenever he felt like 1t. Mir Weatherly observed that even if he should do that it would be voted down as was the original motion. They all laughed.
 The final resolution empowers the com mission to call ing MT. Kirkpatrick or any other expert or employ whomsoever they pleased.
 Lanes Original Resolution The original resolution as introduced hy Judge Lane follows;
 Be it resolved by the board of con- missloners of the city of Birmingham That the members of this board be, and they are hereby appointed, committed of the whole with authority to thorough ly investigate the acquiring of a muni- cipally owned water system for the city of Birmingham, either by purchase ol condemnation of the plant of the Bir- mingham Waterworks company, or ths purchase or acquiring of water sources available to the city of Birmingham. Be it further resolved, That this com mttee shall also have full power to in- vestigate the acquiring of a municipally owned light and power plant to furnish light and power to the city of Birming- ham; said light and power plant to be acquired in conjunction with water plant, or otherwise.
 "F'ull authority is hereby granted to this committee to investigate thoroughly the cost of municipally owned water and light and power plant; and this commit tee shall also have full authority to em- ploy or appoint an expert or experts to report upon any or all matters per taining to the acquiring of municipality owned water and light and power plant. and to secure whatever information may be necessary in this work by any method it may elect.''
 Weatherly's Amendment
 The amendment of Mr. Weatherly fol- lows:
 Resolved. That the members of the board of commissioners, and the city en- gineer, be and they are hereby constituted and appointed a special committee to in- vestigate, or to cause to be investigated, and to report to this board as soon as practicable:
 First-A preliminary plan for munic- ipally owned waterworks plant for the use and benefit of the city and the in- habitants thereof. including the estimated, or probable, cost thereof
 'Secohd-A plan, if practicable, for the more efficient operation by the city of it's present electric plant at North Bir- mingham which shall include a practica- ble plan for the extension thereof to other parts of the city, and the cost thereof.
 'Third-Upon the feasibility of the citys constructing and operating its own plant for supplying electricity and power for municipal and for private. industrial and commercial purposes, and the probable cost thereof.
 ''The committee hereby appointed may. if it thinks proper report upon the ad- visibility and cost of such plans, either separately or in conjunction with one an- other