The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-17

partment in our city life. and one that should be sustained and continued.
 The actual attendance upon these i playgrounds and recreation centers | from July l. 1913, to January 31, 1914, | tseven months), was 94,0s2. The super intendent of this department, Mir z. Nespor, Is paid s166.66 per month. con- 1 slider him most efficient, conscientious and progressive official, and that the city is receiving full value for the money paid him for his services. | l do not see any opportunity to make a material saving in this department, unless it should be found advisable to recommend that the salaries of the SUI peryisors, of which there are IS to 20, | be stopped for the winter months of January and February. This will ef- | feet a total saving to the city. if done, of about 5000. If they are dropped for these two months, they should in my | opinion be reinstated by the first of March, 1915.
 In view of the large investment the city has in park property and the fact that Birmingham is very much behind in the matter of park improvement and de- velopment, and the crying need for further expenditures along the line of affording the city additional and better facilities for it's inhabitants in this respect l do rot believe it would be wise to curtail ex- penditures on parks. The amount ex- pended is exceedingly small when we take into consideration the value of the prop erty and the large number of park centers spread over a very large area, which re- quire certain amount of attention, and which should, In fact, receive considerably more attention than the appropriation now available will admit of.
 Public Library
 This department is, in my opinion, an essential and not luxury as looked upon by some I think it would be calamity to cut off appropriations for the Birming- ham public library or to materially duce the same. l am opposed to any re- duction, in fact, and believe that the at tached statements which show in detail the amount of money expended and how 1t was expended, will demonstrate that for the service rendered the community, the amount of cost is exceedingly small. l recommend that no effort be made to curtail expenditures in the public library department, as l believe the work of the present force. on account of the great increase in the number of books handled and in the attendance during the last F months is of such nature that the com pensation now received is none too great am also of the opinion that in making
 
 years, large appropriation than has been provided in the past should be made available for the library board.
 Charities
 Attached to this report, you will find l letter from Commissioner Ward advis- | ing that the amount appropriated for di- l rect relief from city funds during 1914 | was $693.17. He states that this amount | was largely applied for the purchase of | railroad tickets to get destitutes out of 1 the city. l am of the opinion that no di- | rect relief should be afforded at the city | hall, and that all charity of this charac- ter should be administered by the As sociated Charities, and that whatever money the city may feel disposed to ap- ply in the direction of direct relief should | be appropriated to the Associated Chari- ties, handled through that channel and all applicants for relief of this nature should be referred to the Associated Charities for attention.
 With reference to the various institu- lions to which appropriations are annually made. amounting in the aggregate in 1914 to over $2o,0O0 and as enumerated in MT. Wards letter, l am strongly of the opin- ion that the city should make up ifs budget for charity appropriations for each year. and that these appropriations should not be made direct to the charity insti- tutions themselves, but that the fund should be turned over to the board of welfare, of which MT. J. D. Moore is chairman, and that the appropriations should be made by that board based on its knowledge of the wants of each institution and the service it is render Ing the community.
 In regard to the welfare department of he city l think this should be abolished My recommendation is that it is prop srly within the function of the juvenile court to take up the work of this wei fare department which may not advan- -ageously be handled by other charity institutions, and that to enable this court to properly administer the additional cases coming under it's Jurisdiction a female officer, properly trained, should Dc attached to the court.
 l am of the opinion that certain of the made to charity institu- lions by the city should be discontinued, put am opposed to any reduction in the appropriation for charity. and -hink the board of welfare previously re- rerred to- headed by MT. J. D. Moore, should be the judge of what appropria- ions should be discontinued and what should be allowed, and how they should De distributed among the various insti- .utions.