The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-10
MUST RAISE MORE MONEY FOR SCHOOLS Liquor Tax Or Street Tax Absolutely Necessary FIGURES GIVEN OUT Comptroller Shows Where More Revenue Is Necessary If Schools Are to Keep Open
 Full Time
FIGURES GIVEN OUT

Commissioner Barber's statements in | the newspapers last week that the schools could not be closed as there was enough money to operate them were completely refuted yesterday morning by George B. Ward, president of the city commission. "Either the liquor tax or the city service | tax is absolutely necessary if the schools are to keep open nine months" said Com | missioner Ward, "as at the present time ! the comptrollers report shows that we 1 have not the money to keep the schools open.'
 ! Comptroller Levy's report on the state of the finances of the city was before the commission conference last Monday aft ! ernoon, and it was stated then and in | The Age-Herald on Tuesday morning that | it showed that the city needed $42,000 more l to operate the schools. Comptroller Levy s | report was prepared for publication yes- terday morning by Commissioner Ward, | in order that the citizens might De en- | frightened on the exact status of the finan- cial affairs Of the city. | Commissioner Ward gave out Comptrol- | Ter Levy's statement yesterday morning | with some additional comments. The city commission mas decided to op- crate the schools for the full nine I months said Commissioner Ward, and l to provide the money for this tax on liquor shipments and the city service tax, which can be put into effect on short mo- | tice, makes it safe to guarantee the amount needed.
 Up to this time, and before the assur- ance of these two sources of income, the I city could not make this guarantee with safety.
 Either tax will furnish the amount. 1 If one fails, the other will be used. However, one of them is absolutely nec-
 essary if we are to keep the schools open | nine months.
 | ''The estimated receipts from the budget 1 are $1, ,O07, ,000 Under the law the city set aside 10 per cent Cs1O0,70o) to take care | of unforeseen expenses and a possible over l estimate or shrinkage in receipts. l "The following estimate of operations 1 for the balance of the year shows that at i least $41,O GOO will be needed in excess of | the $1O0,0O0 reserve. It can readily be seen | that some new source of revenue is i'm portant.
 Therefore, the city service tax and the 1 liquor tax are needed to take care of the
 situation.
 Tt will be noticed that some of these
 items are just as necessary as running 1 schools, such as imperative repairs to l streets to make them paSsable purchase l of material and replacement of bridges which break down, replacement of heat ling apparatus in schools, replacement of
 roofs to prevent leaks and the like 1 Tt is found that there will be shrink
 age of about $20000 in police court fines. Against this must be credited about $1O,- 900 savings in the cost of upkeep of the jail owing to large reductions in the num- Der Of prisoners. This saving will be
 counterbalanced by wages of free labor
 needed to replace the prisoners whom we no longer have"
 CONTROLLERS STATEMENT
 The estimated revenue and expenses of the board of education from October n, 1915 to September 30 1916, to provide nine months schools, follows:
 ESTIMATED EXPENSES Pay rolls ............... .$472, ,403.00 Sept. 1916, one week | teachers institute and l 9 weeks school pay l fO!l ..................... SO,UU.O0
 Expenses ............... 45,410. .34-$547. .s13. 34
 ESTIMATED REVENUES
 From state and county .$242 OOO.o0 From city ............... 1855, ,000.00 Fees and tuitions ...... 4S,O00.00 Accrued pay rolls to
 Sept. 30, 1915, included
 III budget .............. S0,000 o. 5O5,000. % l Amount necessary to run full time. $42, ,813. .34 l Estimated cost of collection and dis posal of garbage October 1, 1915, to Sep- tember 30, 1916 and comparison with bud | get:
 APPROPRIATIONS
 Cost Oct l, 1915, to Sept. S1, 1916. .S11 374. 62 Average cost per month.......... 3,791 .54