The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-02-17
CLAIM CITY WILL NOT COOPERATE ID
 KEEP CARS CLEAN Street Railway Employees Have Inaugurated a Cam paign to Stop Spit
 ting on Floors

Birmingham's street railway employees have inaugurated a campaign to keep the street cars clean, but they claim they do not get the proper cooperation and encouragement from the city authorities.
 A committee has written a statement to The Age-Herald to the effect that the city commission informed them that the only way the city could help enforce the law against splitting in the cars was for the company to pay the city enough money to put officers on each car and thus insure observance of the ordinance. The letter from the street railway en- ployes is a S follows:
 To the Editor of The Age-Herald:
 Some two weeks ago division T25, Anlal- gamated Association of Street and Elec- tric Railway Employees began a cam paign of cleanliness on the street cars of the city. There is an old proverb which reads Cleanliness is next to Godliness." That being true, as We verify believe it was considered essential to the health of the community to have the city do everything possible to enforce it's ordinance on the subject of splitting and smoking on the cars.
 Since there has been so much discus sion of late upon the health question in opportune time to approach the city au- thorities upon the subject.
 A committee of three members was se- llected from our association by our pres ident and instructed to call upon the city commission and inform that Lon orable body that We wanted something done to prevent the accommodating of filth that gathers upon the cars throughout the day. It is an absolute shame and a disgrace to an intelligent community the way many thoughtless passengers expec- torate all over the cars.
 The presence of those cesspoos of filth constantly evaporating into the air is cer- tainly a deadly menace to the health Of thousands and tens of thousands of inno- cent school children who patronize our cars every day.
 | If the public could or would only real l ize that the abominable excretions thrown 1 from the respiratory organs are cor stantly evaporated and giving off theiI deadly germs to the innocent childhood of our community, we believe there would be some cessation to the filthy habit oi sspitting upon the cars 4 In our humble way we tried to show the commissioners how important it was and how essential it was to have the splitting ordinance enforced, and to oul utter surprise and astonishment the com l missoners informed ds they could dt practically nothing to remedy the evil un less the company would donate the money to the city for the purpose of hiring off cers to ride the cars from time to time and see that the law vas enforced | Now, we want to know why that augus body of men ever passed that law if i l was not worthy of enforcement. If cor pora tion doing legitimate business 1T Birmingham has to pay for protection tt it's property in addition to the taxes ane \ license they havessto pay. then we be 1 lieve the limit hae been reached in tn, 1 Magic City.
 \ It is well knoWn fact hat the com l pany employs & hAlf KcerS or more O men and women who doi nothing bu 1 wash and scoAt the czsF every night | consequently the cars afa in first clas condition when thc4 leaTt the barn ana all we ask is he cooperation of tn, public and the ssaistanep and moral sup port of the citA apseNsies to keep then l in sanitary eeudits I a..S. Sf9ELAN,
 I M llfaATON.
 4l 4ltsf{NHARDT. c ' g Hs tlRGESS. Birmingham. sohfssiS as 1917.
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