The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-07-30

Several ordinances fixing the grade adopted by the city council of that municipality. The ordinances passed last night are the first to be adopted, indicating that Mayor A. Clinton Decker and the engineering depart ment are beginning work which will create better values and keep a good force Of men at work.
 It is understood that the engi . neering department has been engaged in a study of the streets and avenues of the city that are in need of tm- provements and that from week to week there will be offered ordi nsnoes fixing grade and calling for street improvements.
 The chief work of this kind has already been done, it being a part of the municipality when originally laid out. However, buildings have been constructed on many streets lieved imperative to make the street improvements to maintain the civic standard of the city.
 Masonic Conference
 The Ensley division, Masonic con ference of Jefferson county, held at the Masonic temple, Ensley, yester- day, was largely attended and inter esting throughout. The conference l included the various lodges in th-s district, all of them having fine rep resentation at the conference. The nrorramme as announced was car ried out in full and luncheon was served in the banquet hall of the temple. Globe lodge was host to the conference.
 The report was generally circu- lated in Ensley yesterday that one or I the furnaces of the Republic Iron ana steel company at Thomas would 5e placed in blast during the next few days The report, however, IS un- confirmed Charles Fairbairne, dis | trict manager of the company, was no. available for confirmation or | denial, and at the offices of the gen eraI superintendent at Thomas the statement was made that no orders had been received yet for such step.
 Conditions Improve
 The general situation in this dls- trict, as compared to last week, IS much improved, according to the statement yesterday of Edmunds l benHcll, 8lbdCHSu to eiS hsSe VI | in the administration of relief. pr Bennett has been most uneasy about the situation in Jefferson county, and so expressed himself However, he said yesterday that from staten ents of men with whom he came in con tact from the fewer appeals for hely and from the fact that many mer were being re-efnployed, all were de. velopments that caused him to fee much easier over the situation. Ht said, however, that there was yet lmuch room for improvement.
 Fred Osborne of the Semet-SolvaJ company has returned to the EnsleJ plant after several weeks spent d the Detroit plant of the company built for Henry Ford, the noted au
 tomobile manufacturers. He said yes
 terday that the plant at Detroit wal
 running quite>as well as could h' expected and that one guess wal
 quite as good as another as to whei
 the situation would warrant i'm
 proved operations. MT. Osborne sait
 the attention of people of the nortl had been strikingly called to Muscl' Shoals through the offer of Mir. Fore
 recently made to the government To
 the plant. He added that if MT. Fore obtains a lease on the famous devel
 opments that 1t would be of grea
 benefit to the south. Mir. Osborn
 will resume his place at the Ensle,
 works of the Solvay company |