The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-20

1 plan audltorfums determined how
 large it should be to be practical This man wanted one to hold IL LOGO
 persons. I suppose he wanted to make speeches
 The architects declared that to permit people to see and hear to best
 advantage more than 5000 persons cannot be seated. It seems to me
 these architects should know some l thing about it, when they do nothing else MT. Lamb. who does nothing
 except deal with auditoriums must have been wrong by 10000 persons in seating capacity, according to this lately awakened expert.
 Not one fundamental issue has been raised In the whole campaign. It is all pinhead stuff l am not going to indulge in mud -slinglng
 will use ginger. not mud
 Taking up the government food
 sales of the city, Dr. Barrett went Into the subject at length. In an- swer to che question as to whether the people approved or disapproved of the food sales. he received af-
 firmative replies from all over the house.
 Turning to the newspaper men on the stage, Dr. Barrett said he wanted , them to set down question for all ca ndidstes as follows:
 Were you, as opponents who have condemned and criticized the hand ling of government foods by the city,
 oupposed to the sale by the city of government foods at government fixed prices"
 In figuring profits of the private individual who handled the food
 sales, his opponents failed to figure an allowance for cost of handling. rent and other overhead charges, pr. Barrett declared. All goods were
 sold at the prices fixed by the gov ernment he said. The people needed the supplies, which were sold in an
 emergency. Still, there is an at tempt to create an air of mystery about the food sale, he asserted. Money Drawing Interest Statements made by D. E. McLen- don regarding money received on the
 auditorium bonds were refuted by Dr. Barrett, who declared that and that nearly 3200,000 is now
 drawing interest for the city. The rest has been spent for the site and incidental expenses.
 Dr. Barrett laid particular empha-
 sis on the fact that every member of the present board had voted for tho auditorium bond issue, that all had voted for the appointment of committee to select site and that all had voted for the committee se- lected Citizens were urged to make objections at the time the site was selected, he asserted.
 Reduction of the license tax 20
 per cent at the beginning of this year was mentioned by Dr. Barrett,
 who also stated that debts of the city had been paid without an in- crease in taxes. The increase took effect this year, he said. Reply was made in scathing terms to charges brought by J. E. Ozburn and Roger Snyder without names being called Work in the financial department and the legal department was out lined by Dr. Barrett, who stated that after three years of the present ad- ministration the city was out of debt and without bond issue represent ing deficiency in revenue. He said this was the first time in the his tory of the city that this had been fact. This statement was met with applause which lasted for several minutes.
 rett meeting, with several members of the opposition noted among the gathering. J. E. Ozburn, the ac- countant figuring in part of Dr. Barrett's talk. was seen in the crowd. Dr. Barrett spoke for about one hour and twenty minutes.