The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1921-12-16
KEEPS TABS ON
Those Who MOVE
People of Birmingham Cannot
Escape Bills and Rent by
Old Expedient.
MUST REPORT ALL TRANSFERS
Ordinance Requires Owners Of Vans
or Other Vehicles to Report All
Moving to Police-Heipful
to Authorities.

Birmingham, Ala.-Those who find
1t cheaper to move than to pay rent
or meet other bills, are pretty well re-
formed in this city, or are in process
of being weeded out in either case by
means of an ordinance so riveted that
offenders cannot escape. The ordi-
nance requires the owner of every
transfer or other vehicle to report
promptly all moving to the chief of po-
lice, and entries of the same are at
once made in a book duly alphabeted
and dated, and the book is always
open for the inspection of any and
everyone who may ask to see it.
OF course one who plans to turn
delinquent will try to conceal his iden-
tity while in the act of moving, but
the ordinance makers fOresaw that
impulse and attached penalties for
false names or misleading reports,
which fairly shut out that form Of
trickery. Altogether the ordinance has
worked so well that Birmingham has
been solicited by other cities for copies
of the act and for the experiences I'M
der 1t which have made 1t magic
cure for bill-evasion. 1t is a fixture
in Birmingham, for it has been in
force since March Of 1913.
Generally Helpful.
It's enactment came about in that
year through the Retail Furniture
Dealers association. At the ensuing
1Ia = koI oh In
Commissioner Of Public Safety Arlie
Barber, who thoroughly believed in it
and kept everybody concerned up to
the scratch He found that some of
the colored laundresses had fashion
of suddenly changing their addresses
when well stocked with the linen of
their clients; that in some districts
overdue gas bills gave sufficient cause
for families to vacate quarters, and
delinquents for rent and for trades
mems accounts were common in all
districts. The telephone company had
occasion to compliment the commits
sioner on the accuracy and complete
ness Of the records in the book Of the
chief of police, for in one case the
company escaped damages for non
delivery of a message, in a suit In
which the person addressed had
moved, but claimed to be living In his
old home at the time of the message.
His claim was thrown out Of court by
the evidence of the chiefs records.
Furniture dealers who had been be-
hind the original enactment soon found
their troubles eased by 1t, and finally
they were almost without bad bills.
Police Are Benefited.
In time the detective department of
the city benefited by the ordinance,
for It enabled them to locate unde-
sirables, bootleggers, bond-skippers
and the kind Of women who scattered
themselves over the city after the
adjustment Of the old red-light dis
trict.
Once there was concerted attempt
by the transfer warehousemen to undo
.hc ordinance. They obtained re.
strainng injunction against its en-
forcement, and went into court on the
issue of constitutionality. The Su-
preme court ruled that 1t was both
constitutional and reasonable. Minor
changes were made In 1t, not inter-
fering at all with it's efficiency, and
1t is here to stay, with the approval
of every reputable interest.