The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-07-21
COMMISSION NOT
 BLUFF:|NG ON CUT
 DECLARES WARD RumOr to This Effect Base- less, He Declares at Meet
 ing of Board WEIGHTS INSPECTOR
 WILL BE RETAINED Salary Will Be Paid by Those Who Benefit by His Services-Petition to Pave Clairmont Avenue
 Precipitates Discussion

Inat tne only chance or lnlrneuiatt re- lief to the city of Birmingham Is the passage of the bill pending in the legisla- ture appropriating s20o,ooO of the county's general fund for the city was the state ment made yesterday by Commissioner George B. Ward at the regular meeting Of the city commission. The statement was made in answer to the request of delegation from the Civic league of Pratt City, headed by it's president. w. II. Barnard, that the fire station at the point be retained.
 of the city asked the retention of the weights and measures inspector and their offer to pay his salary If he was clothed with official authority was accepted. The commissioners stated that no financial aid could be given by the city.
 A couple of petitions asking the paving of Clairmont. avenue and vicinity were presented to the commission and after a somewhat lengthy 'talkfest," were re- ferred to the city engineer. These mat ters. with the transaction of routine, con sttuted the business of the session held yesterday afternoon.
 TitSiOtht Wafd ehN SoHh'hooiohoi fN' O. Lane were In attendance, Commissioner weatherly having gone to Montgomery in the interest of pending bills before the legislature that affect the financial inter ests of the city
 Entitled to Fire Protection
 MT. Barnard presented the claims of the Pratt City delegation and pointed o,,t ta tha oitv oo,,,,,,ic c siooars tha sy,au- ace to the property if the fire station was discontinued. He stated that the citizens of Pratt City paid fair share of taxation and were entitled to fire pro- lection as much as any other section of the city, and that owing to It's somewhat isolated location assistance would be long time arriving in the event of fire either from Birmingham or Ensley and urged the commissioners to retain the station and not to cut of more than two men.
 MT. Ward, in reply. stated, that it was with much regret that the commissioners made the cut, but the situation was such that it was necessity. and that for the city to live within its income the proposed cut had to be made.
 'The statement that the city commis- soners are putting up colossal blum. in order to influence the legislature to pass bills designed to bring financial relief to Birmingham has not the slightest foun- daton in fact" said Mir. Ward We are up against it financially And the reduction of force had to be made. We know that the cuts would not be satisfactory; they are not satisfactory to us. Even If the legislature should pass the bills for in creasing the revenues of tho city two to three years will elapse before they can be effective The only immediate relief Is the passage of the bill appropriating $20OOOO of the county's funds for the use of the city"
 .- MT. Ward had previously stated that the people of Birmingham paid into the county treasury yearly $665.0o0 and that the city got but little for this large sum of money. He stated 1t was used to build roads in the extreme lin.- It's of the county and 1t was only Just and fair that in the present crisis that partion of the money collected from the people of Birmingham should be returned to them
 Regret Drastic Cut
 Commissioner Lane also expressed the regrets of the commission in having .o make such drastic outs. but that it was the inevitable. He assured the delega- ton that their request would be given due consideration when the final acton was taken. He suggested that the league Coulu Heip matters Dy Sendl.R committee to Montgomery to UT se the passage of the Birmingham bills and in the event the committee could not go to send telekrams to the senator and representatives to that effect,
 MT. Barnard stated citizens Of Pratt -------------------- licente tax of one-half of that amount. The stale has also levied a tax upon the intangible or unseen values of the Bir- miiigham Railway, Light and Power com pany. to the amount of more than s4.00o,- coo, and the outgoing ntate tax commis- sion have, as 1 understand, proposed to increase this to a very large extent.
 It seems to me that the Birmingham Railway. Light and Power company has been specially marked by the taxing au- thorities of the city and state. and 1t Ia nothing but just and fair and right that it be accorded the tame measure of pro tection that the legislature Is trying to throw around the individual property owner. am willing to stand on this statement I believe it is fair and hon. est and believe that the city of Bir- mingham will have greater prosperity by following out this line of conduct than the line which has been heretofore pur- eued so vigorously by Mir. Weatherly.
 Yours very truly.
 Birmingham, July %. 1915.