The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-16
Protest Against Parking
Clause Made by Com
mittee of Doctors
FINAL ACTION TO
BE TAKEN FRIDAY
Physicians Say Parking Clause Would
Work Hardship on Them and Pre-
vent Their Answering Hurry
Calls-Lane Impressed

| What was probably the largest crowd
ever appearing before the city commits
sion in session was that yesterday, COM
posed mostly of doctors, who were there
! to object to certain features of the traf-
fc and automobile ordinance They OBJ
iected and the ordinance was passed
over for final action Friday.
The committee Of 100 doctors made
vigorous protest against the sections OF
the ordinance which relate to the park
ing of automobiles on the downtown
streets-sections 81 and 2S. After the meet
ing the three members of the commission
indicated that the ordinance would be
passed Friday over the protest of the
doctors.
Speeches were made yesterday by DR..
II. S. Ward DIR. e. 2. Riggs, Dr. L. Z.
Morris, Max Winkler, w. B. Leedy, Rob-
ert 1emison, Jr r. S. Munger Major H.
X. Milner, DR.. II. A Elkourie, H. b.
| Hodges. and others. The doctors asked
| that they be exempt from the regula-
| t,ons of the ordinance as regards the 20
minute parking limit. They based their
/ request on humanitarian grounds, they
said, in that many lives would be lost il
| they were not able to respond to hurry
call Immediately by reason of having to
go two or three blocks to get their au-
tomobies.
Commissioners Statements
II could not say just what impression
the arguments of the doctors committee
hoA ir11D n
think it over said President Exum after
the meeting. Il don't see how we can
grant their request, though, and avoid
class legislation. My opinion is that II
we exempted the doctors and tried to en-
| force the ordinance on other classes OF
| people there would be bigger howl than
the doctors are making now, by great
DEAL
Il was very deeply impressed with the
arguments of the doctors,o said Judge
Lane. ''They appear to have based their
arguments on fair grounds and. although
| have not had time to think the mat
! ter over, I'm inclined to believe we ought
| to exempt them. To do so | do not be-
| lieve would be class legislation.
IF we exempt the DOCTORS I'm in IA
vor of repeating the whole ordinance,
said Commissioner Weatherly after the
meeting. I'VE never could enforce the
ordinance against man just because he
didn't happen to be a doctor. An at
tempt to do so would be a farce, and l
believe illegal. 1t might be that we Will
extend the time limit from 20 to 30
or 40 minutes, but further than that | am
not in favor of making any changes
Dr. H. S. Ward, president of the JEFF
ferson County Medical society. presided
| In preliminary
speech he explained that committee OF
100 doctors had been appointed to explain
to the commissioners why they believed
the marking clause of the new ordinance
would work an especial hardship upon
them. He called upon DR.. E. P. RIGGS.
Would Work Hardship on Doctors
THE real effect of this ordinance
upon the doctors of the city, l believe,
is something of which the commis-
sion is not fully cognizant, said Dr.
Riggs. at affects the physician more
than any one else. In some cities, in
fact. most of the other large cities
of the country the doctors have their
offices at their residences. Here the
great majority of them have them
downtown and the parking clause VIII
work a hardship on the doctors whose
offices are in the big office buildings
as well as upon the doctors patients.
"A doctor often VIII 20 " MS VI
flee and find there one or two patients
who will so occupy his attention that
he will forget about his car in the
street, leave it there over the 20 min
utes and then be arrested The great
ma iority of the doctors cannot employ
chauffeurs for the simple reason that
we can't afford 1t. For that reason we
would have to leave our cars at the
designated parking place some several
bI
ry call as we often do, great amount
of time would be lost and the patient
probably die.
I'VE don't want to ask for class leg
islation But from the very fact that
a doctors work so hindered would be
a humanitarian mistake, is the reason
why we believe the doctors should be
exempt
DR. L. c. Morris was called upon
by Dr. Ward and presented a petition
which he said was signed by practically
80 per cent of the property holders and
renters in the district affected by the
ordinance. The petition was against the
ordinance. Upon examining the petit
ton Commissioner Weatherly stated
that he found that large number of
the signers designated ''all owners" as
those they wished exempt from the
ordinance and did not confine 1t to
the doctors.
DR. Ward told OF the HetnOuS uSeu
in other cities many of them using
the center of the street for the park
ing of cars This is impossible here
on account of the street car tracks.
DR.. Ward said First avenue and Twen-
tieth street both were wide enough
for the cars to be parked along the
curb and plenty of room still left for
the street cars and vehicle traffic.
..,rhe matter of people coming down
town to shop and are kept away from
the merchants door by cars being
marked there is very much eXagger-
ated." he said. "A very small per cent
of Birminghams shoppers come down
town in automobiles Those who don't
come down in street cars and get off
| at the corners. Why can't the automo-
bile shoppers also get out of their cars
at the corners and walk the half block
| or, few doors TO the merchant where
they wish to trader
Easy to Evade, Says Leedy
| w. B. Leedy stated it would be easy
i to evade the law but it would be an
| yful bother to go out and get in his car
| every 20 minutes and run il around the
| block" Mr. Lewis, who has charge of
| the First National bank building; Robert
Jemison as agent for the Empire and the
! Chamber of Commerce buildings, and
other of the office building agents stated
! they had no objections to exempting the
doctors from the ordinance.
r. S. Munger stated he was greatly