The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-25
N0N0POL TINTED UNDER j|TNEY BILL BY J0HN ALTMAN
Harrison Declares Settlement Ordinance Not Yet At-
 tackled On Merits


 proposed by the jitney owners which provides that an association or cor poration be formed to pass on and make recomm mendations to the city commission regarding every appli- cant for license to operate jitney on the streets of Birmingham, John Altman, attorney, declared in an ad- dress at a mass meeting at Wood row Wilson park Friday night, that it was a plan to bring about big ger monopoly than they were crying l against at present.
 MT Altman declared further that under the provisions of the jitney owners ordinance, the fares to be charged could not be regulated or changed by the city
 Tt does not state what fare is regularly charged, or does 1t give power to anyone to set regular | fare" asserted Altman. Mir Altman pointed out that under the ordinance only 242 licensed jit- neys could be operated and this number would be in the hands of the majority of the members of the as- sociation.
 No outsider can, under the pro- posed law, apply directly to the city commission, without first having re- ceived the recomm endation of the jituey corporation or association, he said.
 One man in the audience, with heavy mustache, wearing slouch hat and blue denim shirt, piled ques- tions to the various speakers before Mir. Altman, making loud statements in favor of the jitneys at intervals, when he interrupted Nr. Altman for the third or fourth time, MT. Altman pointed him out, declaring that ne was an example of those who would have the transportation, reliable and reasonably safe, destroyed, ana would have property value in out lying sections tremendously de- crea ed, through the loss of the street car system, which was almost inevitable, if the competition of )lt- neys became to great.
 Questions Commissions. The labor attorney declared that he was at loss regarding the elimi-- nation of Sections 9, 10 and II, which were not printed. He de- clared that it was through careless ness or deliberation and intent. The latter was derived from probable conclusion that the sections would not be accepted, or their absence noted, declared the attorney and further. the men, James Weatherley and Gus Prosch, who drew up this ordinance, had not taken the stand for the jitneys by campaigning for them, showing that they too. must be of the opinion that the law IS unreasonable.
 Harrison, city commissioner of pub- lie utilities, spoke. The commits sioner announced that he was not there as representative of hlmseT' or an advocate of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company, but as a representative Of the clt| commission.
 T stand up for the agreement en- tered into by the commission and railway company, because 1t Will lower street car fares and gas ana light rates, provide 6 better and more complete system of street lights and will provide paving of streets throughout the city" de- clared Commissioner Harrison. He also averred that the persons ln- jured maimed or killed in jitney ac- cidents, through the negligence of claims more than s2,500 in all cases, and not that, unless the jitney driV- CTS organized and the revolving fund was placed in bank. Organization of the jitneY drivers is not requlrea in the measure. They are only given the option to form an assocla- tion or corporation.
 O O O
 Charges Evasion.
 The commissioner also charged that the agreement ndu never bSClt tackled on it's merits. The jitney owners have argued against the S10,O00 bond, but they know 1t IS just when several persons are rid ing in a jitney, with an accident i'm pending at any moment, Harrlsan said.
 John Dearborn. real estate man. spoke on the effect the jitney ordi- nance would have on property val use. He said that without the street car system, which would propaoiy cease to operate, if jitney competi- tion continued, property values In outlying districts would decrease to almost nothing. This would wipe away the life savings of many work ingman and would deprive them of 8 way to go to and from their work' reasonably safe and for a moderate charge, Dearborn said.