The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-17
Sims Committee Finds Ac- tual Deficit Is But S525,- 900 Instead of Almost
 a Million
WOULD CUT OTHERS
 IN ORDER TO RAISE
 POLICE DEPARTMENT
If More Money Cannot be Raised Con- mittee Points Out Departments Which Can be Abolished or
 Heavily Cut

The problem of reducing the expenses of the city government consists of de- tcrmining "what branches of municipal service the people must give up.-
 Such. in effect, Is the report on the city government made by n subcom- mittee of the committee of 100, headed by H. U. sims, and made public this morning.
 ''The administration of the city's affairs has been efficient and economical" states the report, adding that If more revenues can be raised the committee does not recommend establishment of any branches of the city's activity
 Real Deficit S525, 1000
 A very important phase of the reports deal with the statement that the real deficit of the city treasury should be s525,- GOO instead of nearly $1 ,000,00O cutting prac- tically in half what the public for some time has accepted as the enormous deficit of their city government. The recent states that much of the alleged '$1 ,000, 900 deficit is made up of outlays and invest
 
 should have been provided for by bond issues and which were of such a nature that the citizens are getting value re- ceived, and therefore it should not apply to operating expenses.
 Changes Recommended
 The report however, recommends some changes in case more revenue cannot be raised Briefly they are as follows:
 Different method of dispensing char ity and abolishment of the city welfare department under Mrs. Wilson Sea- right.
 Pavement of certain streets property owners being compelled to pay assess ments, thus saving in street repairs
 Extension of sanitary sewers, thus saving in garbage hauling.
 Careful investigation to ascertain if city waterworks and city electric light plant are not operating at a loss
 Issuance of bonds to bear expenses of those investments which are not a part of operating expenses of the gov ernment
 Other Possible Retrenchments
 
 who desire still further retrenchment in stead of some of the plans for an in- crease in revenues, the committee offers plans as follows
 Reduce salaries of city commissioners to 5000; make salaries of all depart ment heads s36O0 small saving in li- cense and engineers department.
 Combine office of city health officer and city physician.
 Cut of 10 per cent in fire department salaries of $1O0 and over and in other departments.
 Abolish free textbooks in schools.
 Charge g tuition for high school pupils.
 Abolish city beautiful department, welfare department, playgrounds. Avondale zoo and reduce expense of upkeep of city parks.
 Accept Birmingham waterworlSs of- fer of Birmingham Waterworks com pany to re-enact ordinance 97-C. In contrast to these plans of retrench- ments and abolishment of departments stands out the part of the report deal ing with the police department in which it is stated that the department is far too small and should be enlarged at the expense of other departments.
 Bowie Greatly Pleased Chairman sydney J. Bowie of the com mlttee or luU StdIeu yesterday that ne was highly pleased with the report. ''The people of Birmingham owe to these gen. tlemen sincere thanks for the time and labor they have given to this unselfsh and public cause,' he stated. T have every reason to believe that the report forecasts efficient and harmonious work by the committee of 100 when it again meets, work that will have a great bear irg on the future of the city,
 The report of the other two sub-com- mittees under John H. Frye and Frank Nelson, Jr., as chairmen, is expected not later than tomorrow or Tuesday and soon thereafter MT. Bowie stated he would call a general meeting of the committee of 1c0 to take up these reports of it's three subcommttees. Members of the city com mission stated yesterday they would make no comment on the report. especially since they had not yet seen copy of it.
 How Work Was Divided MT. Sims committee was divided up, each man Investigating certain depart ments as follows:
 Dr. Elkourie, health and sanitation, ex- cept street cleaning and sprinkling; Mir Bowron, highways and street cleaning end sprinkling; MT. Perryman, fire de- partment: MT. Kettig. police and Detec- tive departments; Mir. Walker general government; MT. Shook. charity. recrea- tion, playgrounds, parks and libraries;