The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-15
Recommendations Being Re- ceived by Commission.
 No Action as Yet
NO RETRENCHMENT:
 LITTLE EXPANSION"
This Will Be Slogan in Preparing Budget for Fiscal Year-Many Inn prOvements RecOmmended-Co
 of Operating Each Department

new $500 elephant house for Miss Fancy at the Avondale ZOO
 A new fireproof stationhouse for No. l fire department station. now located in the city hall
 A system of public comfort stations for the business district and public parks
 A winter evening recreation system
 And no material changes in the po- lice department are some of the more important recommendations of city de- partment heads. made at the request of the city commissioners, in preparation Of their making up of the annual city budget for the fiscal year.
 None of these matters have been acted upon yet by the commissioners. They are now going through the con ference process and their fate will not be known until the budget is com plete. which will probably be several days.
 An interesting point gleaned from the annual reports of the department heads is that the purchasing department. un- der the supervision of R. NJ Griffin. city purchasing agent, made a saving for the past fiscal year of oyer S25.- 900. the exact figures being $25,216.- 70, considered by the commissioners to be a remarkable record.
 The purchasing department is new in the Birmingham municipal government being instituted a little over a year ago. Through it all supplies for all departments of the city are purchased in wholesale lots and distributed to de- partment heads as needed. In the transaction of this business during the past fiscal year. MT. Griffin spent S133,663.S and for the year previous the expenditure for similar supplies was $15s,S79.56 The cost of operating the purchasing department. according to MT. Griffins report is S411.25 per month, including salaries and every thing.
 Another feature in the reports sub mitted to the commissioners Is an in ventory of the fire department made by Chief s. c. Middleton, and showing that the total value of apparatus and equipment now in operation by the fire department reaches the huge sum ot $241, 1,226.09--over a quarter million dol lars. Chief Middleton recommends among other things, a new fireproo; station for No. l company now sta toned at the city hall, which building, he says is not fireproof, and in case Of fire there. the entire electric alarm cuG fap of tb.aa ai fxr ha i,, a,1x- Chief Middleton places the monthly sal aries of the fire department at $15.- 500, and probable expenses at s60OO a total monthly cost of operations of s2f,- 500
 In the police department no importan. changes are contemplated, ii is said One new patrol chauffeur will probably be employed, several members of the force are scheduled for dismissal and rloyed to take their place. This is all temporary yet, however.
 Winter Evening Recreation
 The Fairgrounds association, through City Superintendent of Recreation z. Nespor, asks for an annual appropria tiol ol 3lotoao. i-nSl veal IL ItttlNeu AOSai and the probabilities are no more can he given to this work this year. The winter evening recreation system is sug- gested and an appropriation of $100o asked for this purpose, the plan being to fit up some sort of scheme for the amusement of working boys and girls during the win ter evenings when the parks and play TT a1, a hla rcfa I,I ell, of playgrounds at Fairfield Graymont, Magnolia park Fairview and Elyton and the establishment of three playgrounds for colored children during three months of the summer are developments planned by the playground association, if the city gives them the money. There are at present 17 playgrounds
 The library board asks for an appro priation of $2O,0oo. Last year it received will be made this year.
 The city attorney, Romaine Boyd places the monthly expenses of his office at SS95. The plumbing inspector, Charles [, Eekerle, places the annual expenses of his department at ss7ls.9s. The street department superintendent. F. IT. Gae- ford, places the monthly expenses of his department al $9f9S.70 The smoke inspec- tor. F. C. Taylor. places the annual ey- penscs of his department at $24l9 92 The health department, Dr. R. M Cummings ham, city health officer, places the monthly expenses of his depa rtment at sS2l6.66. The building inspector. w. O. Matthews, places the monthly expenses of his department at $766. 66
 Incidentally. Mir Matthews reports the total number of building permits for the past fiscal year as 376S and the total mount expended for new buildings ai $,67o.s16.
 New Home for Miss Fancy
 Maury Nicholson. assistant city eng;- neer in charge of the city parks and their upkeep places his annual expenses at $136S0. He asks for $500 for devel- opments needed and places the annual expense of the upkeep of the Avondale zoo at $1S72. petitioning, in this connec- ton. for $500 with which to build new elephant house to replace the one Miss Fancy tore down few nights ago dur ing one of her midnight somnambulistic performances.
 The city engineer. Julian Kendrick, places the total expenses of his depart ment per month at $2766.67.
 No action has been taken. however. by the commissioners on any of these recom- niendations or suggestions from depart nent heads. This Is the usual form of procedure in preparing the annual bud get. All department heads are asked to make suggestions and then the commits sioners prepare the budget as they think hest, keeping in mind the financial con dition of the city treasury and the needs