The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-22
ORAL BETTING IS
HELD TO BE LEGAL


New York, February 21-Ora1 bet
ting at race tracks was held legal to-
day by the appellate division of the
New York supreme court The decis
ion was in a test case brought at the
instance of the United Hunts Racing
association to determine the status Of
oral betting under the law forbidding
bookmaking at raeeAtracks
Authorities of the Jockey club an
nounced that no move looking to the
general revival of racing in this state
would be made until the case is de-
eided in the court of appeals, where it
will be taken at once. The decision
handed down today also knocks out the
clause holding directors of racing as
soeiations responsible for oral betting.
>~-~-~~~-~~>~~~>~~~~-~~
SO that it is in effect a finished in
stead of crude product
AS an Illustration of what can be
| accomplished by scientific methods, the
city of New orleans secures its water
supply from the great drain of the
central portion of the United States,
the Mississippi river, but the people of
New orleans today claim to enjoy as
good water as any city in the world,
, their water having been purified by
methods similar to those provided by
the Birmingham Waterworks COM
panys
Cincinnati and st. Louis
1.-The city of Cincinnati supplies to- IS
citizens an excellent water which is DIR wn
from the Ohio river, into which Is being
discharged above Cincinnati the sewage
of the cities of Pittsburg, Wheeling, Nc
keesport and more than 100 other cities.
together with all Of the pollution from the
mining camps and the great manufac-
turing and industrial plants of western
Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio and the north
EN- part of West Virginia The Water is
made safe, wholesome and entirely suit
able for domestic consumption by means
of modern publication methods.
THE city of st. Louis secures its aater
from the Mississippi river, into which has
been discharged above st. Louis the sew
age of Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, Min
neapolis st. Paul, Springfield, Des Moines
and hundreds of other cities. The city
! OF St. Louis does not filter its water, but
/ relies entirely upon coagulant, such as
| is used by the Birmingham Water COM
| pany, to hasten sedimentation, and upon
the subsequent addition of hypochlorite
of lime In other words. the city of St.
| Louis, with a population of over 100000,
owning its own waterworks SYSTEM has
as yet seen fit to provide filtration such
as was provided by the Birmingham
| Water company some nine years ago. If
| the people of Birmingham are being sup
| piled with pure and wholesome water by
| the water company, it would seem cruel.
not merely to the water company, but to
| the people of Birmingham in fact, it
woulc; seem almost a crime for any ulti-
mate purpose, however meritorious, to
ergender suspicion, doubt and uncertain
l : TO tba md vbola Of
| the water supply upon which the people of
| Birmingham must depend, whether it be
hereafter owned by the Birmingham
Water company or by the city of Birming
] ham. and which we cor edently assert
could not be improved under municipal
ownership. We realize that many gof the
people of Birmingham would like to have
municipal ownership of the waterworks
system upon Which the people of Birming-
ham depend. a4l,
Company Willing to Sell
1.-THE contract of the Birmingham Water
company, executed in 1888, provides that
at the expiration of the 80 year period
| therein named the city may If it desires
| acquire at a price to be fixed by arbitra-
| ton the properties of the water company,
| and this right under the contract can also
| be exercised at the expiration of any 10
| year period thereafter. If the people of
Birmingham shall sooner desire municipal.
| ownership of their water supply the water
| company is willing to sell its property
and rights at a fair and reasonable price.
This is not the first announcement to this
| effect. 1t is the wish of the water co n
pany and the aim of its management al
ways 10 furnish to the people of Birming
hani an adequate supply of pure and
wholesome water; to render the best SER
vice that can be rendered, and to earn
the good will and esteem of its thousands
| of patrons. Questions which may arise
from time to time as to the rights and OBJ
legations of the water company under its
charter and contracts must be submitted
to and passed upon by the courts, in
whose decisions we shall always cheer
fully acquesce; but in the interest of the
community, even more than in our own
interest we ask of those who have an
nounced their intention to wage an un-
relenting war upon the water company IN
order to force it's properties upon the
bargain counter for the purpose of achev
ing municipal ownership, that the truth
be ascertained, the whole truth, as to the
character and quality of the water which
Is useddn the homes of Birmingham, and
that there be no suppression OF truth and
no misrepresentation.
|hTHE BIRMINGHAM WATERWORNS
CO.,