The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-02

Added impetus was given the cam paign in favor of the auditorium bond is- sue yesterday when George Ward, presi- dent of the city commission, and Com 1 missioner James Weatherly addressed the Chamber of Commerce. favoring the auditorium bonds.
 While no offiical statements have yet been issued regarding this matter by Commissioners Barber Truss and Hor- nady, it is understood that they, too, favor the auditorium bonds and it would
 create no surprise should they make known their position at once.
 The women of Birmingham are organ izing to assist in the campaign for the auditorium and in order to show the voters of the city their interest, they are arranging for a monster automobile pa- rad de in favor of the auditorium for Sat urday afternoon. Mrs. John London, president of the Council of Women S clubs, is chairman of the committee which has the matter in charge and the active support of the more than 50 wom- ems clubs has been promised to make the parade success
 Meetings in the interest of the audi torium bond issue are being held in the various suburbs. Dr. H. A. Elkourie spoke in favor of the auditorium at a meeting in Avondale last night and to- night he will be one of the speakers fa voring the proposition at East Lake. D. M. Lewis, president of the Ensley club will address mass meeting of the citi- zens of Wylam tomorrow night.
 OPPOSITION FADES AWAY The opposition to the auditorium bond issue which seems to have been based on the erroneous assumption that the commission and the Chamber of Com- merce, as we'll as others favoring the au- ditorium, were committed to some special
 plan or site, is rapidly fading away. The people generally seem to be just as strong for the auditorium now as they were several years ago, when they voted al-
 most unanimously for the auditorium bonds. The unequivocal statements of the city commissioners, the auditorium bond issue committee and others favor ing the proposition that absolutely no de- cision had been reached regarding the plans for the proposed auditorium, the opposition which threatened last week to develop, has practically vanished In his letter to the president of the Chamber of Commerce yesterday Com ImisSioner Weatherly states emphatlcally that while he is heartily in favor of the auditorium bond issue, he is absolutely free to choose in the matter of site and plans.
 q am not predisposed to any plant or site" he concludes This is also known to be the position of the other members of the board Not having been author ized by the voters to make plans for the construction of the auditorium, the city commissioners have given no attention to the matter of sites or plans for such building. Should the voters authorize the issuance of the bonds, the commis- 1 vestigation of every feasible plan and site and after careful deliberation, will
 make known their decision. Under the l new powers conferred on the city by the last legislature, there will be no danger | of the city being held upon the price of any site. The city can condemn property for the purposes of constructing an au- ditorium, and if the commissioners should select a site and the price was higher than they thought reasonable, condem- nation proceedings would doubtless be in- stituted.
 PARADE A FEATURE The automobile parade Saturday after
 noon at 4:30 clock, given under the aus- pices of the women of the city, promises to be one of the real features of tho auditorium campaign. Under the direc- tion of Mrs. John London. the active CO., operation of more than 50 womens clubs
 has already been secured and the Drama