The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-26
ELLIS BROWN SAYS BRADLEY WHINING ABOUT HIS TROUBLE
Replies to Receivers State ments Charging Lack of Cooperation on Part of
 the City

Railway Light and Power company has gotten in the habit of throwing up his hands and running to Mont gomery for help every time a tenn porary ripple appears on the waters of his affairs, such as the present business depression. or in fact when the number of light meters is abuot to reach the point that the people will be entitled to half-cent re- ductlon per kilowat The receiver is. whining just as he has done on sew eral occasions since he was ap- pointed"
 Scoring Lee Bradley, receiver of the street railway company, in these terms. J. Ellis Brown city comnis- sioner of public utilities, issued statement yesterday afternoon which purports 10 answer Mir. Bradley's series of statements made last week Reorganization of the company was not delayed by the city. Mir Brown stated refuting MT Bradleys asser- tion that the commi ssion blocked re- organization owners of the company decided to get new money out of the public instead of investing more, MT. Brown charges.
 The statement issued by MT. Brown was read by other members of the commission, who refused to comment one way or another on the statement or it's contents
 MT Browns statement follows: | MT. Bradley. receiver of the B. R, | X.I in series of state ments just published, arrives at soma very unsoud conclusions, which when the facts and circumstances are | known, are very misleading. How ever, he doubtless sees things as he expresses them, but we think it IS due to the kind of glasses he is look ing through. We are not surprised | that the receiver would like to divert the public mind from the fact that he is again trying to get raise III car fare to point the people pe- lieve is unjust, and is trying to break faith with electric light consumers by repudiating the promise of reduc- tion in light rates, as printed on the back of every light bill sent out, by attacking the commission and claim ing we are playing politics
 Throws Up Hands
 "The receiver has gotten in the habit of throwing up his hands anu running to Montgomery for help every time a temporary ripple ap- pears on the waters of his affairs such as the present depression, or III | fact when the number Of light meters is about to reach the polnt Shdr Itbe neopte VIII be entitled to one Ihalf-cent reduction per. Silowat The receiver is whining just as he mas done on several occasions since he was appointed.
 "He says the city has offered no Ico-cperation to his utility, but mas neglected the same, thereby creatiiS expense to it and the public. In iaoI he says for eight years during tne period of two or three city admins i trations this helpless utility has been woefully neglected.
 Let us see how this commlsstoii has handled matters affecting the pR IL, & P. Co, and for the bene- fit of the public. They stated lneir men were threatening to strike. They eaid with a five-cent fare they couia moi raise wages. The commission went into the matter fully With represen tatives of the company. The result was that the commission agreed eo inc raise in fare to cents Win inc understanding that the men were to receive increased wages,
 "He dwells at length on the coke oven gas matter, saving TOT eleht years the city refused to allow II to be used. The whole story as this con,rnfssion knows it and was con ',ornad With it is short We know that before we were at the city hdll the B. R.. l.. & P. Co., was negotiating ! with The T. c. f. Co. for coke oven
 gas We do not know how long IL tasted. but we do know that we have in the files at the City Hall copy of A letter written by MT. Geo. G' | Crawford of the Tennessee Company dated 1916, addressed to the B. R., L. K r Co.,. stating that his company would not furnish the gas and that all negotiations must be considered at an end. MT. Bradley certainly must know this and has the original of the letter referred to. This hap pened before the present city admin istration.
 Came Up In 1920.
 "The receiver made no formal ap- plication, nor did we hear anything of coke oven gas, except some casual reference to it, until about Septem- Der 1 1920, when the receiver ana | general manager came to the com mission with their hands in the air, whining and stated that they couldn | get gas oils to make gas, and that unless something was cone quick that the gas plant would shut down We 1 inquired as to what effort they had made to get coke oven gas. They | said they had had the matter up with the T. C. l. Co, but had not been able to close the matter. We asked about the Sloss company, believing that company hac more available gas. They said they had tried for several weeks but could not negotiate with that company at all. They also stated that the receiver was having a heavy loss per annum on gas opera tons.
 Realizing what 1t would mean to the people of Birmingham to be without gas and willing to help the receiver if possible. we took charge of the situation. We went with the receiver to see MT. Crawford. He had no gas foi sale, but agreed 10 make short temporary contract to relieve the situation and help the people We preferred something per mament, if possible, We instructed l. w Ross. our engineer. to begin negotiations with the Sloss company. He did As a result, the gas contract with the Sloss company vas closed in very few days, solely by the city through Mir. Ross. thereby relieving the receiver of the deficit he had whined about and putting the gas departmen ton a paying basis. and, at the same time, giving the peo pie gas at SS cents. If this had not been done by the city we would today be paying about S1.90 for gas These are the whole facts. and the recelv-
 tContinued on Page Nine)