The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-21
Crippled Negro Pound keeper and GaffOrd's
 Auto Cut Off
SOME OF CUTS WHICH
 ARE CONTEMPLATED
May Eliminate Welfare and Recrea- ton Departments and Abolition of Charity and System of
 Garbage Collection
By RALPH R. SILVER

At the close of a three-hour conference between the city commissioners yesterday over further retrenchrnent of the operat- ing expenses of the government, formal announcement was made that "the service of a crippled negro pound keeper, located in one of the suburbs had been dispensed with" and that the 'city automobile fur nished Frank Gafford was no more'
 Further than this, the commissioners would say nothing. It developed that some few days ago eight employees in the engineering department had been dis charged MT. Ward stated that Comp troler Abbott could tell about how much saving this had made but Comptroller Abbott stated he was unable to estimate what the salaries of the eight discharged men would amount to-"
 It is generally understood that re- trenchment is being discussed along some of the following lines:
 l. Voluntary reduction of the commits sioners' salaries They are now s7o0o Possible)
 2 Reduction of salaries of Comptroller Abbott and Engineer Julian Kendrick. Each is $5000. Gmprobable)
 g. Complete elimination of city recrea- salaries of z. Nespor, superintendent of the department. and a considerable num- Der of playgrounds supervisors (Prob- able)
 Eliminate Welfare Department
 4 Complete elimination of welfare de- partment. This would dispense with sal aries and expenditures of Mrs. Wilson Searight, superintendent, and her assist ant. Probable)
 g. Reduction of salaries of Secretary Ryall and office assistants, together with salaries of office employees in health de- pertinent, comptroller's department, en- gineer's department, street department and others. (Probable.)
 6. Dismissal of limited number of those employees as named in section five. (Prob- able)
 '. Abolition of the system of garbage collection, compelling each citizen to dis pense with his own garbage This now costs some S400O0 or s5o,0Oo per year. Probable.)
 s. Reduction in activity of street clean ing and sprinkling or flushing Probable.)
 9. Abolition of all payments to charity organizations, to hpkeep of parks and Avondale zoo. Possible.)
 10. Reduction of appropriation for board of education budget. Possble.)
 Il. Abolishment of office of city physi- clan. combining it temporarily with that of city health office. (Possible)
 ic ta in m ratp h. ment of any kind is contemplated in the police and fire departments.
 The legal department will probably be left untouched.
 The s5OO0 salary of Comptroller Abbott according to some reports, will likely be reduced, but there are indications such will not be done.
 The salaries of the street commissioner and the health officer in all probability will not be affected, it issreported
 No Cut for Kendrick
 It seems also reasonably certain the &OOG salary of City Engineer Julian Ken Grick will not be cut; MT. Kendrick, how ever, 1t is reported, may be asked to accept another position and a less able man employed in his place. This. if donc  would be because the commissioners. 1t is understood, would feel embarrassed ,n asking Mir Kendrick to accept cut in salary when they know that on account O. his ability and reputation he would easily be able to secure a position e:se- where at higher figure For this req son. if the board finally comes to a con clusion that there must be less money paid out for the engineering department, less experienced man would be enl- ployed at much lower salary as soon as MT. Kendrick could complete arrange ments to take another position, according to the reports in circulation.
 At the close of the conference last night the reporters were summoned and MT. Weatheriy was named as a committee of one to break the news to the press.
 The reportorial sixth sense pf the dra- mstic soon discovered that the prospec- tive falling of official heads into the hask ket' was not yet at hand, if coming at all, as in bland tones MT. weatherly announced the fate of the negro pound keeper and Gaffords automobile
 The reporter then started in and named every department head in the city gov eInment. asking if their salaries had been
 (Continuea on Page six)