The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-04-02
HEALTH OFFICER
 GIVES REASONS IN
 SALARIES MATTER
Department Workers Required to Own and Operate Cars.
 Board of Revenue May
 Reconsider Appropriation

Petition of the county board of health requesting the board of reve- nue to reconsider it's action and not withdraw the $36,000 appropriation for health purposes was taken under advisement by the board yesterday afternoon.
 This action was taken following a conference of both boards at which time the board of revenue was asked to rescind its action of Tuesday revoking the appropriation and to reinstate the resolution of February 2S, which in- creased the former appropriation to s3S.000.
 At a meeting Tuesday morning when the statement of the expenditures of the health department for the month of March were read the board ot revenue passed a resolution revoking the appropriationf allowed several weeks ago. This action was taken, il is tated, because the statement showed increases in salaries of the health of- ficers and other employees of the de- partment all the way down the line.
 The matter was discussed at length
  clusion of the conference Dr. J. D. Bowling, city and county health of ficer, said the board of health accept ted the responsibility for the disburse- ments of the appropriation for health purposes of the county.
 OUTLINES SITUATION
 The board of health expresses will ingness to accept the criticism from any source as to the wisdom of ex- penditures as were proposed in the re- commendation to the board of revenue and on which resolution the proposed salaries were based, March l. for the health department" he said and the board of revenue will take the matter under advisement
 i'The salaries proposed in the re, con, ,mendation and to be elective March 1, included provision for trans portation and all necessary expenses for the health officer in the conduct of his office He is often called out of the city in this work.
 ''On the other hand, when the board of revenue, to avoid criticism, re- Quired all automobiles used by county officials to be kept in the 3ounty garage at night it worked a hard ship on the officials of the health depart ment. l must have continuous use of an auIoIn oblle at all times and under the resolution fixing the salaries this was contemplated and members of the health department by it were required to own and maintain automobiles and pay all incidental expenses
 WITHIN LIMIT
 The amount of the appropriation proposed to be used in the increase of salaries for year would have amounted to $5,556 had the recon mendation been passed as submitted to the board of revenue. Our policy has been not to increase promiscuous- sly, but only when it was necessary to maintain efficiency. This was the case and we had to increase salaries to maintain efficiency.
 ''On the other hand it was $4,500 be- low the maxium salaries authorized by the board of revenue and we were of the opinion that so long as the board of health kept within the maxi um 1t would not be necessary to sub init the matter to the board of revenue.
 The increase in salaries also in CIuded compensation for the opera ton and mainteinance of automobiles ane We thought it was agreed to that the health department own and maintain automobiles and were to be given compensation in addition to salary for this purpose"