The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-11-20
Present Building Disgrace
to United States Govern
ment," He Says
COMMITTEES WILL
GO TO WASHINGTON
Will Present Data to Authorities and
Ask for Immediate Action-Senator
White and Aldrich Speak on In
adequacy Of Present Building


The present postoffice building in
birmingham is a disgrace TO the Unit
ted States government
This statement was made yesterday
afternoon at the general meeting OF
the Chant er of Commerce in the audi
torium OF the civic chamber by DR.. X.
81. Cunningham. city health officer. in
discussing the federal building from a
sanitary and health standpoint. Other
speakers We're United States Senator
Frank 6. White and Postmaster Tru-
man III. Aidrich. President Paschal G.
Shook of the Chamber of Commerce.
presided
Despite the cold. raw winds there
was a gooo audience In the auditorium
OF the civic chamber to hear the ar
gunients in favor of advancing by sew
eral years the erection II the new post
office. for which Congress has already
appropriately funds. Representatives Of
all the civic bodies in the city were
present
Present Building Totally Inadequate
Senator White. on bsing introduces,
by President Shook. stated that the
present federal building had been con-
structed for city of a population OF
10000 ana that it was at the present
time totally inadequate and unsafe to
the health of the employees
1T will not be until June. in 1916.
that the government architects will be
able to start on the plans of the new
Birmingham pos.offict," said Senator
xl =;
finished it will take from five to six
Years to construct this million-d dollar
postnffice.
THE thing to be done at the present
time is to get sentiment chrystalized
and bring a committee to Washington
armed with data showing the vital ne
cessity of the immediate construction
Of the new building. Then with the
cooperation of w. p. G. Harding, Con-
gresham Oscar w. Underwood and
others the matter can be adequately
presented to Secretary McAdoo. 1t is
however. important tina. public senti-
ment should be strongly behind this
movement in order to impress the high
federal officials"
Would Condemn Building
DR.. II. M. Cunningham stated to the
business men present that he had made
n thorough inspection of the present
rostoffice and found it most unhealtfr.
full. DIR. Cunningham stated in effect
that if the city of Birmingham had
adequate building laws he would clos:
the building by reason OF the fact that
1T was unhealthful and dangerous to
the men employed there.
I'm the postoffice the work is all
under artificial light" said DIR. Cum
ningham, sf.and the only ventilation is
the air coming in from the street
whenever the doors of the building are
opened. 1t is most unhealthy for the
employees and there are several rooms
in the building that 1 would close If
had the authority as city health Of
ficer."
Postmaster Truman II. Aldrich in his
talk gave statistics to show that the
matter of new postoffice was OF
state-w wide interest in that Birmingham
was the distributing point of all the
federal moneys in Alabama.
I'VE handle nearly $2c.0O0.o0o of fed
eral funds through the Birmingham
office yearly" said Colonel Aldricn
land the net revenue for the Birming-
ham office alone is 100000.
owing to the rapidity with which
business has increased in Birmingham
the present building Is totally made
quate. Now for the Christmas holidays
we must rent another building to han
die the heavy business expected. We
are already renting several offices
throughout the city to handle the sur
plus and parcels post business at the
present time The parcel post amounts
to 200, 900 parcels a month locally.
Will Be Two Years Yet
Last year / went to Washington
to inquire on what date the architects
would start their plans ON the new
building. / was informed that there
were 2S6 buildings ahead of the Bir-
mingham preparation and that the
federal architects could only draw
that time the government has made
appropriations of $46.00o.000 i.r a to-
tai of 900 buildings Therefore. there
is little chance of the architects hav-
ing the plans of the rev postoffice
re ;.dy before another two years at the
earliest
However,, something should be done
at once to impress upon the Washing.
ton authorities the necessity OF immc.
date construction as the present build
/ ing is insanitary as the records show
that two cases of incipient tul,erculos; {