The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-07-21
Beatty Knocks Out Agree ment by Insisting Car Company Pave Be-
 tween Tracks
ANOTHER MEETING CALLED FOR TODAY
 TO SEEK SOLUTION
Commission Getting Tired and May Order Work to Proceed as Originally
 Provided
By RICHARD K. LESSER

By RICHARD F. LUSSIER
 Peace-sweet, blessed peace-was in sight at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon at the close of a conference between the city commission. J. S. Pevear of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company, the Avondale Land company officials and Robert Jemison, Jr., on tho question of paving Clairmont avenue.
 An agreement was signed by all pres- the various interests and MT. Pevear promised to continue the operation of the Mountain Terrace car line.
 Everything looked pretty.
 The commission was glad the con troversy was over.
 Robert Jemison, Jr., was smiling at the prospect of the continuation of ser vice on Mountain Terrace.
 J. F. Leary of the Avondale Land company were partially satisfied-at least enough to sign the agreement
 President Pevear was glad because by the parking provision" he saved sum for his company.
 Butt.
 There was a meeting of the property owners in the Clairmont avenue section of the city scheduled at o'clock in the afternoon in the council chamber and these had to De reckoned with.
 And that meeting spilled the beans.
 BEATTY STARTS TROUBLE
 City Attorney M. M. Ullman read the agreement arrived at in the morning session and approximately everyone pres ent-With few eXceptions-waS tlckled to death that everything was settled And then l. Groom Beatty, manager of the Birmingham Realty company salo some things. What Mr. Beatty said was so pertinent to the situation that 1t threw the meeting i'll an uproar and hnally into another adjournment to 10 o'clock this morning in order ,o give the smooth artists and "pussyfoot' workers an op- portunity to reform the entire scheme of things.
 All that Manager Beatty said was that he would not relinquish a 10-foot strip ot land, about half a mile long, on Clair mont avenue to the city. At some pre- vious time it is on record that MT. Beatty did promise to donate the strip of land wanted, but did not give the deed to the city officials. MT. Beatty had the deed in his pocket yesterday and dared the com mission to take it away from him.
 NAMES HIS CONDITIONS
 According to MT. Beatty, he holds the neck of the bottle in the present controversy. MT. Beatty also states that he will donate the strip of land, provided the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company is compelled to pave it's tracks on Clairmont ave- nue. According to the agreement reached at the morning conference the tracks of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company would be left as on Highland avenue, with grass plots in the center and on each side, the whole being 10 feet wide.
 As President Pevear was not present during the afternoon session it was decided to postpone the whole affair until 10 o'clock this morning when Commissioner George B. Ward will at tempt to formulate another happy com promise.
 Manager Beatty has stated that if the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company will pave its tracks as far as Thirty-eig street, where his interests end, he will donate the 10-foot strip of land and offer no ob- jections to the parking of the tracks the rest of the way. The Leary in terests have also stated that they are satisfied with such an agreement and upon presentation to President Pevear this morning it is thought that he will agree also. which means an early set clement of the matter.
 FIGHT AMONG CORPORATIONS
 The real inside fact of the matter is that three big corporations are fight ing each other. These are the Avondale Land company, the Birmingham Realty company and the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company.
 The Avondale Land company and the Birmingham Realty company are com petitors in this particular section of the city. The properties of the AvondaIe Land company extend past Thirty eighth street on Clairmont avenue, while the Birmingham Realty company holds the approaches to town. The Bir- mingham Realty company also owns much property about Chesnut Hill, ad- jacent to that section of the city.
 Now the officials of the Avondale Land company are very desirous that Clairmont avenue be paved far as Thirty eighth street-but now they have agreed as far as Forty-second street as that would mean a main thor oughfare to town and enhance the value of their properties and provide ready sale for them.
 On the other hand, such an improve ment would in the main be paid by the Birmingham Realty company, a compet- itor whose own property would gain nothing by the paving of Clairmont ave- nue. as it is already leased for a long period of years as golf links to the Country club.
 Thus accounts the opposition of MT. Beatty and the enthusiasm of MT. Leary.
 PEAVEAR'S ATTITUDE
 As to Mr. Pevear, he is a business man. He naturally desires to save money for his corporation, and, therefore. is not desirous of paying $24,OOO to pave the tracks on Clairmont avenue, on branch line that is already costly losing prop osition.
 Mr. Beatty would like to see MT. Pc- year tear up his tracks on Clairmont avenue, as then he could jump in with bus line.
 On the other hand. Robert Jemison, Jr., holds a contract with the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company for a continuous 1S-hour daily service on Clairmont avenue. and he informed MT. Pevear yesterday morning that he would sue him to the highest courts if neces- sary to prevent his stopping service on the Mountain Terrace car line.
 COMMISSION RATHER TIRED
 As to the city mmission-they repre- sent the people-and are slightly weared of the continual squabbling between the rival corporations. 7
 Commissioner Weatherly announced last