The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-04-24
MOVING ORDINANCE IS GROSSLY UNF AIR STATE TRANSPARENT Transfer Association Resent Alleged Insinuations As to Motives in Opposing
 Proposed City Ordi-
 nance

It is not the purpose of the Transfer as sociation to become involved in a news Inper controversy regarding the ordi- nance of the city of Birmingham requir- ing detailed reports with reference to the moving of household goods and other ar ticles from one place in the city to an other.
 It's members, however, desire to call the attention of the public to the apparently unjustified insnuations made in some of the interviews in behalf of the inStallment furniture dealers.
 It is a well known fact that these onerous reports have always been re- quired solely for the benefit of the in stallment furniture dealers and the loan sharks. As a matater of fact, the reports are not kept at the city hall, but are de- livered to a representative of these peo- pie soon after being filed and obtained by them. This statement will not be denied.
 Aside from the fact that the expense Of furnishing these reports necessarily In creaseS the cost of moving, the prepara- tion and filing of the reports involves a great deal of trouble and annoyance to the transfer companies for which those who receive them, the installment furni- ture dealers and the loan sharks, pay ab- solutely nothing.
 It will be observed that the ordinance does not require the persons for whom the information is assembled to pay any thing therAfor, but requires the transfer companies to stand this expense and trou- ble without being compensated to any ex- tent whatever by the installment dealers and the loan sharks or any other pAirty.
 It is well known fact that numbers Of the installment dealers make a practice of storing furniture and that they pay no license to the city for this privilege. It is manifest that if N1ese persons de- sire the information which the transfer companies are required to furnish they should be required to pay for it.
 Why the city has seen fit to impose this onerous burden on persons having to move from time to time and on the trans fer companies instead of imposing on those for whom the information is in fact obtained, and who actually take and Keep the reports, is a question that should De answered by the installment dealers an" the loan sharks before they make any further efforts to prejudice the pubic against the transfer companies.
 If they want this information they should be willing to pay for it. And it is grossly unfair for the city just because there happens to be more installment dealers and loan sharks in Birmingham than transformer, to obtain this informa- tion free of charge to them, but at great cost and inconvenience to the transfer men and moving public.
 In order that our attitude in not en- joining the indorsement of the present ordinance may be fully understood. it IS proper to state that former ordinance that was in practically all respects iden- tical with the present ordinance was de- clared unconstitutional by the courts Q. Alabama, and that the present ordinance is merely an effort to patch up the 1lrst ordinance and harrass and worry the transformer or coerce them into opeyino what we conceive to be void ordinance. and in any event grossly unfair one. JEFFERSON COUNTY TRANSFER
 AND STORAGE ASSOCIATION,
 By C. F. WITTICHEN. Presid ident.
 J. J. CONAN, Secretary. Adv.