The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-08
Associated Charities Offers to Turn Affairs Over to
 the City
BUT THE DEBT WILL
 NOT BE ASSUMED
Barber's Plan Is to Have All Charity Welfare Work Under Direction
 of One Board
By RICHARD F. LESSER

Pisgah Home will serve as the nu- cleus of the municipal board of char 1ties, according to the plans formu- lated yesterday afternoon at an exec utive meeting of the city commission to consider budget expenditures for the next four months of the fiscal year The commission was unanimous in support of the plans of Commissioner Arlie Barber and he was promised the needed financial aid to make municipal charities a success.
 Prior to the special budget meeting of the city commission members of the board of directors of the. Asso- ciated Charities were in conference with the city commissioners Those who conferred with the commission were Robert Jemison, Jr, Erskine Ramsay, H. U. Sims and J. K Brock . man. The conference was executive at the instance of the directors of the Associated Charities
 However, immediately following the conference it was stated that Asso- ciated Charities directors had pro- fessed a hearty desire to turn over their organization to the municipal authori< ties, provided the city would assume the debts of the association, which amounted to about $10,O00. This the city commissioners refused to do The commissioners also stated that under the law they were unable to assume any debts but that they were perfect ly willing to take over the organiza- tion of the Associated Carities TO- Vlded 1t came unhampered, and that it came absolutely under the control of the city. The representatives of the Associated Charities stated that they would take this plan under consider ation and would report later. They left the impression at the city commission offices that an attempt would be made to raise sufficient money to pay off the debts of the Associated Charities and then the organization would be turned over to the city.
 WILLING TO HELP THEM
 "They are trying to get out from under said Commissioner Barber, and I am perfectly willing to help them. We will take over the Asso- ciated Charities organization provided we can get it unhampered from all debts. With the Pisgah Home, the welfare department and what is left of the Associated Charities organiza- tion we will organize a municipal board that will be operated in such manner that the maximum amount of good will be derived from it. Every department in the city will, of course, cooperate with the new board of charities and this, of course, will mean greater service at the minimum of ex- pense
 "Of course none of the plans formulated have yet been fully approved, but we are going ahead, feeling our way, and we expect to put it over before we are through with it."
 The action of the city commissioners yesterday in practically agreeing to finance the Pisgah Home and favoring board of charities fostered under the eyes of the department of public safety which would call for the cooperation of every branch of the municipal govern ment means the acceptance of sug- gestion advocated through The Age-Her- aid for several years.
 LADY WILL PAY HALF
 At Tuesdays meeting of the city com mission it was agreed to buy the build- ing and property of the Pisgah Home, as philanthropic lady had volunteered to contribute half of the necessary sum provided the city paid the other half.
 It was suggested yesterday afternoon that if the city commissioners could in- duce Mrs. Wilson Searight to return to Birmingham and assume charge of the municipal board of charities, welfare and industrial work it would help to solve the problem Mrs. Searight, in the or ganization of the civic welfare depart ment few years ago, demonstrated that she had rare executive ability for a woman and also that she would be the ideal head of the charities department, as she has the confidence of the people of the city. Mrs. Searight is now a resi- dent of Memphis Tenn, where her husband is in business.