The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-03
Barber Dissents on Grounds That the School and Light Bond Issues Will Be JeOpardized
COMMISSIONERS NOT COMMITTED TO ANY
 ONE PLAN PROPOSED
Truss Calls for Action, Stat ing That Many Projects Have Been Advocated, But Nothing Really Done

With one dissenting vote, the city con- mlssioners yesterday afternoon passed an ordinance submitting to the people of the city the matter of an issue of $500, 900 of bonds to provide for the construction of combination city administration build ing and auditorium. At the same time the commissioners went on record as not being committed to any one proposed plan for the construction of an audi tor1um and city hall but will be open to receive any propositions any one cares to make, and will accept the best proposi- tion offered, after carefully examining all propositions.
 Commissioner Barber cast the dissent ing vote, giving his reasons therefor at the morning session of the commissioners, when the auditorium committee of the Chamber of Commerce, headed by H. K. Milner and Morris Bush, appeared before the commission and urged that the ordi- nance calling for vote on the audi torium bonds matter on June 5 be adopted.
 MT. Barber in his statement to his fel- low commissioners and the Chamber of Commerce committee made it plain that he was decidedly in favor of an audi torium, but said he objected to the plan of placing this bond issue on the same ticket with the proposed bond issue of $2, 900 for school purposes and the pro- posed issue of s5OO,OOO for a municipal electric light plant fearing that three bond issues being voted on at once would jeoparGize the entire three
 BARBER EXPLAINS VOTE
 T am in favor of an auditorium bond issue in the abstract" said Commissioner Barber, and while I would like to see an auditorium here and am in favor of such, still I cannot vote for this ordi- nance asking the people to vote for this bond issue at this particular time. We do not yet know whether or not the income which it is conJeAtured may be derived from an auditorium will be suf- ficient to pay the interest on the bond issue, and l am inclined to think that the income from an auditorium would not cover these interest charges.
 And, gentlemen, there are any num- Der of other reasons why this matter should not at this particular time be sub mitted to the people and I am inclined to think it would be best to wait until we have gone more fully into the situa- tion and have felt the sentiments of the people as regards an auditorium. greatly fear, gentlemen, that to place the matter of an auditorium bond issue on the same ticket with the other two bond issues proposed will endanger the entire lot"
 The auditorium committee of the Cham Der of Commerce had asked for unani- nous vote of the commission, and MT. Ward answered MT. Barber's short speech.
 One of the bad things about Birmlng- ham, he said, "has been that it has done things in too small way We don't want an auditorium set off in a little side street for the sake of a little economy. We don't want to do it cheap ly, and want to ask MT. Barber to waive his objections and make the vote unanimous to submit the matter to the people,
 MT. Barber stated that he did not feel he could vote for the ordinance.
 TRUSS WANTS ACTION
 Commissioner Truss arose and ex- pressed himself as being against the proposal to transform the Roden ho- tel property into cOfnDlHdllOu duul- torium and city administration build ing.
 But I don't see any reason why the people should not be given chance to express themselves" he added. We ant to do what is best and I be- lieve the people ought to be given a chance to say what they want. We need the auditorium. but there are also many other things we need. And our community ought to be condemned for inactivity. We have talked about a Warrior river road. but little is heard of it now. There was at one time a great deal of talk about an east and west highway. It is never heard of nov We have talked about numerous projects and have done nothing. Let's start in a direction of accomplishing scme thing. but let the people say whether or not they want an audito- rum"
 missioner Hornady arose and said that he could see no harm in let ting the people of Birmingham ex-