The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-09-28
Says Someone, Somehow Changed These to Special Obligation" Bonds of
 Greater Birmingham
THINKS WARD CAN
 GIVE THE DETAILS
 ABOUT THIS MOVE
Says Bowie Gives Ward Credit for Some Things Done During O'Brien
 Administration

l Dr. N. A. Barrett last night gave out
 an interview in reply to statements oi Sydney J. Bowie in his North Birming. ham speech that as mayor of East Lake Dr. Barrett had let contracts for public 1 improvements at 8 1-3 per cent higher
 than the market price; and that the city
 of Birmingham had lost s1OO,00O by req son of these improvements
 l pr. Barrett declares that the improve l ments made nearly 10 years ago are as | good as the best in Birmngham that | they are still there, and it has not been
 necessary for the city to make any re- pairs to them.
 In clear cut statement he gives the full facts regarding the improvements. and shows that any loss occasioned to the city on account of these improve ments was caused by certain legislation secured by interested persons after East Lake had become part of the greater city and he had turned over the affairs of East Lake to the governing body of
 Birmingham
 "The Hon. Sydney J. Bowie, president of the city board of education and spe-
 cial attorney for the city, made a speech
 for MT. Ward at North Birmingham Wednesday night" said Dr. Barrett.
 Tn reviewing the numerous merito-
 rious acts which MT. Ward had off
 cially done for the last 25 years, he
 perhaps unconsciously, stepped over into
 the O'Brien administration and got
 some prices paid for street improve
 ments, giving MT. Ward the credit for
 same. say Mir. Bowie did this un-
 consciously. for it is but natural that a
 man in attempting to detail the public
 service of an official for a quarter of century couldn't be expected to re- call the insignificant and irrelevant fact
 that for brief period another than George might have been at the head of
 the city affairs, and perhaps per- formed some worthy public service.
 MT. Bowie stated, according to press reports, that I. as mayor of East Lake, let certain contracts for public improve ments at 33 1-3 per cent higher than the market price; and that these improve ments had cost the city of Birmingham about $100,000
 WARD SHOULD KNOW
 T have no way of determining, as yet, whether MT. Bowie's assertion as to the loss sustained by the city of Birmingham IS true or not. MT. Ward should be able to supply this information accurately and to the penny.
 Coming under the head of finances and the fact that no reductions in as- sessments could be made without his sanction. he should have the full ln- formation at his fingers tips. But will declare here that if the governing body or Birmingham had been as alert to pro- tect the treasury of the city of Birming- ham as I was to protect that of our little town of East Lake, there would not have been a loss of $1O0,0OO or even s1, on these improvements.
 The town of East Lake, in the year l909. at which time, recall, Capt. Frank P. OBrien. an excellent citizen and of- tcial, whom George Ward had, on many occasions. assailed publicly and privately in most venomous manner, was mayor of Birmingham decided to improve it's streets construct sidewalk and gutters The ordinances providing for the i'm improvements than did the city of Bir- council of East Lake adopted them. Bids were duly advertised for, received opened and contract let to the lowest, respon- sible bidder, all in regular and due form and according to law.
 EAST LAKES HANDICAPS
 ''It is entirely possible that East Lake paid slightly more for It's first public improvements that did the city of Bir- mingham. There were good many things that would cause this. We were a small municipality out there. our tax the Birmingham rate; our taxable values were low, we had no great and wealthy population, no industries or large busi- nesses, and our income was necessarily small. In addition to that, as great business man like George should know, we were an inland town, with no rail- roads to transport material. Labor and material, the two items constituting the cost of public improvements, had to be transported many miles, and the mate rial, in many instances, had to be trans ferred several times.
 "Our agreements with the contractors provided that they should be paid for these improvements with special as- sessment bond, at par. These bonds were different from those issued by George for the city of Birmingham and sold to R. M. Grant & Co., for par, in that the bonds we issued were not general ob- ligatfon bond of the town of East Lake, but were special assessment bond and were in no wise an obligation of the or in any wise guaranteed by it. We merely agreed to receive the of the assessments against the property abutting the improvements and retire the bonds as sufficient money to do so was paid in. And if, for any req son. there should be any loss by reason of the improvement, the loss would have to be borne by the contractors and not by the town of East Lake.
 TURNED OVER TO CITY
 When East Lake was taken into Greater Birmingham, these contracts, to- gether with all other contracts and off cial papers and records and whatever cash there was in the treasury were turned over to the governing body of Bir- l and receipted for by them.
 Now, it so happened that someone | somehow, after East Lake became 2 | part of Birmingham, changed these spe- cia' assessment bonds which I had is- sued as mayor of East Lake. or had | agreed to issue covering these public inn ] to general obligation bond l of the city of Birmingham. with interest payable semi annually. and pledging all | the revenues of every kind and chafac- 1 ter as well as the full faith and credit | of the city, to the payment of these bonds | and interest
 Someone was asleep at the switch in X city hall when the terms of l his contract were changed by which, as Mir. Ward and Mr. Bowie both tell us, the | treasury os tho city of Birmingham has | been raided for approximately yl0o0oo.