The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-16
Statement by Lynn

'BlfmlnS ndln, fAid-t eiy 'p' .SN-. ''To the President and Members or lhe
 Roard of Commissioners of the City of
 Birmingham.
 "Gentlemen: At the close of the in- formal conference at your office on yes terday afternoon the water company was requested to submit in writing the prop osition verbally presented, and In aeeora- ance with such request we herewith fe- spectfully submit the water company 5 proposition looking to a rearrangenent of its existing contracts wlth the city and to an amicable adjustment Of the pending controversy.
 .The water company proposes:
 ''1. To put into effect all the rates and provisions of ordinance 97-C, thereby se- curing to the people of Birrningham d saving or more than s100,0o0 a year.
 70. In addition to reinstating the low rates which have been in effect for the past two years and which we believe to have proven satisfactory to the great body Of water consumers, the water com pany will reduce it's minimum charge on a meter basis from the figure named in ordinance g7-C, $10 per annum, to $9 per annum. This will give to consumers of water on a meter basis minimum charge not to exceed s9 per annum in stead of SIP per annum in the old sub urban contracts. Several thousand con sumers of water in the city of Birning- ham do not use water in excess of the ouan ntity allowed for the minimum charge. Under this proposition, there fore, there would be q certain saving to several thousand consumers, embrace ing those who most need the benefit or this economy, of 20 per cent of the charge HOW in effect.
 "3. The water company in the future will bear the expense of installing serv- ice pipes leading from it's mains to the Ifoperty lines of it's consumers and Will maintain and repair all service pipes which lave heretofore been installed by it's consumers, provided it's consumers request il tc do so and agree to assign such service pipes to the water company. All consumers desiring to make their own repairs and to retain title to their serv- ice pipes shall have the right to do so.
 "A. The water company proposes that if the city shall desire to buy its plant, works and property at the expiration of the old contract, the water company will sell and the city shall buy in accord ance with the provisions of the contract the plant, works and property of the water company as a whole. including that in the suburbs as we'll as in old Birmingham. and in the event Of a pur- chase at that time the water company will make no claim for the value of the unexpired terms of it's contracts Should the clty HoL oeSlTe lO Duy I0e plant, works and property at that time the water rates apparently could be fixed by the city by ordinance. provided they were not fixed so low as to be confiscatory. It would not seem, therefore, that there is any reason for anxiety as to the dura- ton of the water company's right to sup ply water under it's charter from the state. If upon the expiration of the con tract of 1888 the city will have the right at it's election either to buy the water companys property or to fix by ordinance it's rates what more could 1t ask? And what difference does 1t make as to the duration of the water company's franchise from the state under it's charter? How ever that may be, the wlter company seeks no cor cession in this connection nor docs it ask any extension of tho life of any of the existing contracts.
 Wants Suit Dismissed
 Tn return for the large concessions hereby offered by the water company it would ask as provided in 97-C for tn right to sell water to dwellings in old Birmingham upon the meter basis. It would further expect that the quo war; ranto suit should be dIsmissed and that