The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-02
SCHOOL BOND ISSUE

DOANO lOD
 "Question 1. While no absolutely posi- l tive figures can be given, it is under | stood that three high school sites are to
 be obtained; one for the negroes and two for the white people, and adequate build | irgs erected on all three sites. l under stand from the board of education that
 they plan spending about $20O,0O0 each on
 the two while schools and about half
 that much on the negro high school.
 "Question ?. This would leave about
 s1, ,5oO,oOO for the elementary schools or
 about three-fourths of the total bond
 issue.
 Question 3. have always been an ad-
 vocate of the eight-hour day for work
 ingmen and have not changed by opinion
 and will insist that this feature be ln-
 corporated in our contracts. have never
 seen any examples of workingmen who accumulated vast fortunes on basis Of union wages and l do not regard them as excessive. As a matter of fact the report of the industrial relations commit tee shows that the majority of the work ingmen of the United States earn less than 800 per year, and l regard It as entirely out of the question to be able to support family in this day and time on any less than this amount. l know that for the last 10 years I have not been able to support my family on anything like this amount, and we live very mod estly indeed in my home. I shall, there- fore favor at least the prevailing wages paid to organized labor in this district. Question 4. With reference to skilled l labor on these public buildings, the first and last requirement shall be efficiency; 1 but I do not hesitate to say that think 1 it perfectly fair to give the white skilled l labor the preference on the buildings l erected for the white people and the col ored skilled labor the preference on the l buildings erected for the colored people, all other things being equal. In other
 words, I stand for a square deal as be-
 tween white and black, union and non 1 union, organized and unorganized; in fact l between man and man.
 1 ELECTRIC LIGHT BOND ISSUE. Question l. It is not planned that the | city shall buy it's current, as it is my l belief that we can manufacture current 1 from coal cheaper than we can buy same l from any other source in Birmingham. ] With reference to the price at which this current shall be sold, have always plain l ly stated that I am not willing to live contentedly in Birmingham while the peo- rle pay more than 5 cents per kilowatt | hour maximum, for electric current. | U luSI lIlS dllSWeTS QueSLlOu NO. 1 Iully. 1 Question 2 At the present time we | have no civil service system in operation 1 in either of our publicly owned utilities l I could not give a. positive answer to this | question but believe in the merit sys- 1 tenn for all city employees In other words | if man is fitted for the place, and is doing first-class work at a reasonable re-
 muneration, I feel that he should not be displaced either on account of his affil- iof vxyifh n1oc clique or creed. With reference to the 1 rates of wages, l feel that I have an- 1 swered this fully under Question with reference to the school bond issue.
 Question g. Just exactly what is meant | by this question is not plain, as all pub 1 lie offices are more or less political, but l if I am to understand that am being l questioned as to whether a man would | be removed, employed or continued on account of his utilization with any polit- | ical party or for any other particular 1 political reason, I will answer unequiyo- | cally in the negative. I believe that my actions in office are sufficient assurance | with regard to this proposition. We now | have in the employ of the city right in l the city hall. Jews, Gentiles, Catholics | Protestants, blacks, white and all other variations of belief and race, and the only questions I care to ask with ref erence to any of them is to their loyalty to their positions and their ability to fill them. This would be my attitude with reference to the employees of the munici l pal electric light plant
 l AUDITORIUM BOND ISSUE
 Questions 1 and 2. feel that both | Of these questions are fully answered with 1 reference to the other two issues and inc same answers would apply.
 1 "In general I would say that am i'm l favor of Birmingham people obtaining the full benefit of these expenditures of money Birmingham architects. Birrine-
 ham contractors. Birmingham mechanics Birmingham laborers and Birmingham material dealers. One of the great bene- l fits of these large issues of bonds is tba good money spent right here in our own
 home town Yours for Birmingham. 'ARIIE RARREp