The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1914-12-22
WEATHERLY SAYS
COMPANY SEEKS TO
|NT|M|DATE PEOPLE
Commissioner Issues State
ment Discussing Supreme
Court Decision in Wind
ham and Brown Cases

1.-THE publication of these reports that
the city has lost out and the water COM
pary's efforts to cut off the water sup
ply of poor consumers in the city at this
time of extreme business depression show
apparently a deliberate effort on the
part of the water company to further in
timidate the people and to force them TO
pay bills which they claim to be I'M
just"
This sentence, taken from a formal
statement issued by City Commissioner
James Weatherly last night and his first
expression on the decision last week in
the Brown and Windham cases, follow
ing which the water company officials
were quoted to the effect that the fight
between consumers and the water COM
pany now was over, brings out the
other side of the case. Mr.. Weatherly
brands the statements as another COUP
against the water consumers"
Mr.. Weatherly's Statement
His formal statement, made upon re-
quest of an Age-Herald reporter. is as
follows
ut looks as II the waterworks company
water consumers of the city. Reports
are being circulated and have appeared
| in the newspapers that the city has lost
| Its suits in the courts. that all the con.
| troversies between the people and the
waterworks company about rates have
,, been settled, and that there is nothing
| to do but to pay up.
Following this a corps of men,
understand. have been sent to work cut
ting off water.
ut is not true that the city has lost
any of the cases brought by it against
the waterworks company The city has
not only not lost any of its cases, but
| the Weatherly quo warranto suit brought
to cancel the company's franchise was
argued and submitted for a decision be-
fore the supreme court Thursday and
Friday OF last week, and it is yet to be
decided. At no time has the city had
| more confidence in the Weathery suit
than now. The Brown and Windham
| cases, about which so much has beer
| said. had no bearing on the Weather.,
quo warranto suit, they were not insti-
tuted by the city and the city had moth.
ing to do with them.
Still Advising Not to Pay
| Many people come into my office WITH
| complains and to each of them the same
advice is given that has been given to the
people for the past several months, thai
is. not to pay illegally excessive bills, and
furthermore, they are informed thai
where their water has been wrongfully
cut off, no existing city ordinance pro-
hibits 1t being turned on again by the
| consumer.
The publication of these reports thai
| the city has lost out, and that there 4.
nothing further to do except settle III
! with the waterworks company, and thu
water company's efforts to cut off thu
water supply of poor consumers in thu
city at this time of extreme business de.
preston show apparently deliberate eff
| fort on the part of the Birmingham
Waterworks company to further intimi
date the people, and to force them te
pay bills which they claim to be un
| just,
| 80 far from the facts justifyins Tho
city and the consumers in calling off tho
| fight and settling up on the contrary
| they justify the city and the consumer.
more than ever In carrying on the fight
SO that in the end the waterworks com
pany will be retired from business in this
city, and the city put into operation o,
its own plant"