The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-19
STATEMENT BY LANE 0N WATER QUESTION Wants Advisory Referen-
 dunn Election Held
 TO OFFER ORDNANCE
Ward and Weatherly Will Probably Oppose an Immediate ElectiOn-Sav- ing to Public by Compromise
 Would Be Large, He Says

An advisory referendum" election to allow the people to pass upon the re cent offer of the Birmingham Water works company to compromise the wa ter controversy, is the object of a movement begun yesterday by Judge A o. Lane. city commissioner.
 Judge Lane intends to introduce a resolution at the commission meeting Tuesday embodying this proposition. It Will lie over a week. according to rule, and will be acted upon a week from Tuesday.
 Indications are President Ward and Commissioner Weatherly will oppose an immediate election. MT. Ward, however. refuses to discuss the matter. Both MT. Ward and MT. weatherly in all prob al fifty will favor the proposition pro- viding the proposed advisory election is postponed and held this fall with the regular municipal electon.
 Judge Lane issued formal state ment yesterday explaining his position in the matter. He states that an enor- nous saving can be made for both the city and the public if they will com promise the water fight on the basis proposed by the waterworks company. The full text of this proposition was published in last Thursdays Age Her ald.
 Commissioner Weatherly stated yes to-day after conference between the three commissioners. that he would favor the advisory referendum if the people at the same time were allowed to pass upon whether or not they de- sired to surrender the citys present n 10 fp rates and the right to take the fran chise away from the waterworlSs com pany and buy the plant. Both of these questions are now before the courts for decision and they would be settled by the proposed waterworks compro- mise. MT. Weatherly states flatly that he is opposed to the compromise set clement offered by the waterworks S company and that he believes the peo- pie will overwhelmingly oppose it in the proposed referendum providing the questions mentioned are put clearly be- fore them.
 Judge Lanes Statement
 Jude Lanes formal statement Is as follows:
 The water question at present is a matter that is of stupendous importance and one that has given me grave con cern. am now as l have been all along, anxious to save every dollar pOSSfble to the water consumers, eSpe- cially to those who are least able to bear pecuniary burdens and of course do not by any means, lose sight oi the city itself, for it behooves the mu- nicpaljly to save every dollar possible consist int with progress and good gov ernment. The commissioners have triee to get the minimum charge to the low est possible limit; but the best they could do on this line was to get it re- duced to S9 per annum according to tho companys last proposition recently published. it having been under the olf 1888 contract SIP a year and $10 veal under ordinance 97-C. Unless some set clement be effected and the compan, should stand on the 1888 contract calculate that the city itself will los' about $15,000 a year and the privat, consumers will lose about $S5.000 year--the two together about $100,00l a year.
 According to the company's state ment (and I have no reason to doub ft) 5000 water consumers would b benefited by the minimum reduction s3O0 a year for every one using les than the minimum.
 "As for the city, if compromis, could be had, the city would pay $35 year for hydrant instead of $55, and
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