The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-01
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Taxes and Interest

To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 Birmingham has a comparatively new city hall-far better than Pittsburg has costing about a quarter of a million dol lars and $10,OOO was spent on the jail about eight years ago. so no argument can be made that it needs a new city hall. Owing to the bad financial condition of the city the library appropriation of $l2,Oo0 was cut to s9O00, so no argument can be made that the city can afford a new library
 The Alabama constitution prohibits the city building an auditorium just as it would the new Independent Presbyterian church, the act being ultra wires.
 It is unseemly for the city to do in- directly what it cannot do directly, and at it's expense take over the Roden hotel building; better, far better open the Jefferson County bank. It is now said that the committee has no preference for any particular location but the Roden hotel real estate deal is all there is be- hind.
 A combination city hall, library and auditorium is assured and not a single reason has yet been given for it's ex- istence.
 Several years ago an English banker friend and myself walked out of the Hillman hotel and I noticed he was in- terested in our city hall and he said to me, What the deuce is that building over there?' I told him and he exclaimed: City hall! And why the shops, you know?"
 I told him what wonderful city hall 1t was: that he could have his shoes mended while he stood, his trousers pressed while he sat and while being fitted with pair of smoked glasses-so he wouldn't see too much-he could enjoy a drink from the corner store and have a bouquet from the other corner, and if he refused to pay, he would find himself in the hotel in the rear, where rooms were furnished without bawth.' His re- ply was, But it's undignihed, you know. 7
 Our city hall is undignified and if some flush interest money was spent putting the first floor in proper condition for the '~city,s use it would be better
 The city commissioner working the $20oG,OO0 school bond scheme informs us that interest is not tax. Five per cent on $2,oOO 0Oo-S1O0, coo the arithmetic has it. Governments earn nothing it's entire ex- penditures are from taxes, call it by any name you please.
 When in Pittsburg a short time ago friend who read my Age -Heralds-and who. by the way, said it's rattling good paper-remarked, Your little town is in a devil of fix for money. Here is your city attorney with tears in his eyes beg ging the United States supreme court to advance d hearing, as the city is most starved to death for a drink from the waterworks company"
 Another day he asked me who is this prodigy that says now is the time to build schools, when material and wages are so low. I told him it was an attor- ney, and he said, When you get home tell him to drop the law and go from city to city proving how 1t can be done, and his hat will be filled with gold, frank ercense and myrrh that will do him the rest of his life.
 pay water tax in Pittsburg. which owns Its own waterworlls, and in Birming nam, and it's just double in Pittsbu bure what 1t is here and I can readily sec where continual change of city off cials and constantN demand of politics, without civil service commission, would make the electric light plant a consta mt tax on me, so that persons can pay a personal grudge against the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company.
 When the pirates get through equalizing