The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-01-28
Attempt to Enforce Law
Works Hardship on Coal
using Concerns
SOFT COAL BOUND
TO PRODUCE SMOKE
Careful Stoking Will Help, But Will
Not Enable Manufacturers TO
Come Within Terms of
the Law

The manufacturers Of Birmingham,
especially the smaller ones, are thor
oughly convinced that the Weatheriy
smoke ordinance. if enforced, will work
a hardship on them, will greatly increase
the cost of their operations, will deter
outside or proposed manufacturing plants
from locating in this city and most of
them believe it matter of impossibllity
to comply strictly with the terms of the
ordinance.
A petition signed by fifty manufacture
ing companies of the city whose pay roll,
it is claimed, represents total of 81
100000 annually, has been presented to
the city commission asking that the board
repeal or amend the smoke ordinance for
several reasons The petition has been
placed on file and will be acted upon at
some future date.
Provisions of Ordinance
The salient features of the amended
Weatherly smoke ordinance upon which
the petition is based are that six min
utes are allowed for firing up any boils-
or plant producing smoke. during which
time black smoke is allowed to issue from
the stacks or flues; that after that time
no smoke will be allowed to issue from
the smoke stacks and doing so will lay
the manufacturer liable to arrest and
fine; that future construction of manu-
featuring plants or equipment which will
make smoke shall be regulated by the
city smoke inspector by issuing per-
NIT to the manufacturer and before the
submit the plans of his smoke consum-
ing or eliminating device to the inspec-
tor for his approval.
Several of the signers of the petition
were interviewed yesterday as to their
Objections to the ordinance and upon
what such objections were based. Sew
eral stated that they had no plants with
in the city limits which would be affected
by the ordinance and others that they
used electricity as power, but that when
the petition was presented to them they
signed it out of sympathy for the manu-
facturers who did use steam, because
they believed that the ordinance worked
a hardship on the latter and they were
all interested together.
Donald COmer's Views
''The ordinance probably affects me in
a particular way in which it would not
affect some Others" stated Donald Conner
of the Avondale mills. The only way
that we could eliminate the smoke here.
at least partially, would be to install
one of the automatic stokers such as is
now used by the Birmingham Railway,
Light and Power company. This stocker
itself would cost $4,000 and to install 1t
we would have to move our side tracks
and our coal dumping trestles behind the
mill The total cost of the installation
would reach $4,000 or more and 1 am
not satisfied then that it would answer
the purpose intended. i am inclined to
believe that elimination of smoke at the
manufacturing plants of this city is inn
possible on account of the kind Of coal
which we have to burn here and which
is the only kind we can get. | think this
is what any expert engineer would say
IL asked about the matter.
Imposition on Manufacturers
Il think the commissioners should con-
fine their anti-smoke activities to the new
fellows, the fellows who are building
manufacturing plants in the future, and
should let us old fellows alone until re-
0eNdlS are ntttSSdIN. ne DIoDtt ut-
vices or smoke consumers can be installed
when plant is being erected but 1t is
a very different matter after the plant
is built The present ordinance will work
a hardship on the old manufacturers as
1t now stands"
Il think the smoke ordinance Is an inn
position upon the manufacturers of the
district who burn coal for steam power
purposes" said Wade Wood. president of
f1,.@ ftpa1 ho .raff or1R- f1fIr
plant is not directly affected as we use
electricity for power. However, we joined
in the movement and signed the petition
through sympathy for the manufacturers
who used steam, in an effort to aid them
to get some relief from what we regard
as in imposition
Ordinance Not Practical
II don't believe Mr.. Weatherly's or
dinance is practical" stated DIR. r. w
Boland of the Birmingham Machine
and Foundry company. Its terms can
not be complied with and the expert
ment of attempting TO force the man.
ufacturers to comply with 1t will do
them great damage and cause them
loss of money.
..The main thing about it is, how
ever, that it will hurt Birmingham 1t
looks TO me as if the ordinance would
do nothing but harass the manufacture
ers and | know 1t cannot be carried out
as it now exists. There is too much
smoke made in any manufacturing
plant for it to be eliminated by any
device or scheme which I have evet
heard of Eliminating smoke altogether
by any mechanical device or other
means is absolutely impossible as long
as the city has manufacturers. Manu-
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