The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-06-20
Says Any Other City in the South Would Welcome Opportunity With
 Glad Heart
QUOTES EXPERT TO
 SHOW ENORMOUS
 SAVING TO PEOPLE
Opponents Might as We'll Have Ob. jected to Reduced Car Fares Be- cause Share of Gross Receipts
 Was Not Given

Paschal G. Shook, president of the Chamber of Commerce. yesterday issued statement calling upon the city commits sion of Birmingham to accept the by product gas proposition recently offered by the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company. MT. Shook speaks for the committee recently named by the chamber to investigate and report on the subject.
 MT Shook expresses the belief that there is not another city in the south that would hesitate to welcome with open arms and glad hearts the opportunity of fered
 He goes into detail in explaining the and quotes the citys own expert to show acceptance would be highly beneficial to the city from financial standpoint MT. Shocks statement reads:
 The writer was requested by Commis- sioner Ward to appoint a committee of members of the Chamber of Commerce to appear before the commission and hear the opening discussion of the proposed gas contract. MT. Robert Ewing president of the Birmingham Board of Trade was also requested to have a committee present After hearing the full discussion partic- ipated in by the commissioners, MT. Brown, the citys expert: Mr Pevear president of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company, and Mr George Gordon Crawford, president of the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad com pany these two committees met in joint session and unanimously recommended to the commissioners that the proposal of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company be accepted Nothing has trans pired since to change my opinion that mistake has been made in not accepting that proposition.
 Will Save $1, 1,5OO,OO This refusal of the city commission to accept the proposition of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company to supply its consumers with by-product coke oven gas manufactured by the Ten l nessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company at its oven plant at Fairfield, will, ac- cording to figures submitted by Mir Brown, the city's expert from Indian apolis, deprive the citizens of Birmingham of a saving over the period the contract has to run. about seven years of approxi- mately $l500,000. Figures compiled by MT. Brown indicate that during the sixth year of the contract the saving to the citizens of Birmingham will amount to $522,0OO; or, stated differently. the wealth of the community will in that year be en- hanced by this amount. This amount of money. capitalized per cent basis which is high rate for municipal bonds, represents the enormous sum of BIO, 40 0OO so that if desired s10, 440,000 might be in vested in public improvements and the n- terest on the investment at per cent could be paid with the saving that would be effected by the proposed change iD the contract
 The effect would be to add to the value of Birmingham property in 1920 $10,440,000. Figuring the taxes on a SO per cent basis, this would give added taxable value of s6,264.00O, of which the city's share on 1 per cent basis would be $62640 It is understood that the city refused to accept the proposal of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company because of its failure to secure per cent of the gross re- ceipts. This percentage of the gross re- ceipts in the sixth year would place in the city treasury s13.000. Viewed, there fore, from the standpoint of the condi- ton of the city treasury without re- gard to the benefits of the community at large, the city has sacrificed $62,- $40 revenue which would have accrued during the sixth year of the contract in an effort to secure s13,000 for the
 
 apart from the saving to be gained by the citizens After the payment of the state and county taxes on this as- sessed value. which would amount to $sA565, there would be left a surplus saving to the citizens of Birmingham for the sixth year the sum of S374,- as6 The sum that would be paid out by the citizens of the community on this increased assessed value amount ing to ~ 47,204 would indirectly prove Of benefit to the public at large for the reason that tax money is public money and is spent for public purposes. Quality of Gas
 Now in regard to the quality of the gas proposed to be furnished. This Is a comparatively new proposition in this country, but an old one in certain foreign countries. It is purely and simply a question of whether or moi gas containing heat units available from by-product coke oven gas wouId be satisfactory for Illuminating and fuel purposes. It is supposed that gas heretofore furnished by the Birming ham Railway, Light and Power com pany manufactured from coal contains in the neighborhood of 575 B. T U The minimum heat units in the by product coke oven gas is fixed at 525 understand the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad compa.sy guarantees to furnish this minimum and that the av- craze will probably be 54O B. T. U If, therefore. gas containing 525 B. T.
 
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