The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-16
STATE T0 DECIDE 1|..I|l|.!.E|:WIIATER Il DE: ISSUE Birmingham Shorn Of Power 10 Act By Defeat Of Home
 Rule Bill

Delegations representing the or- ganized opposition to the proposed abandonment of the Tidewater car line were given the una, allied pledge that the city commission would stand back of them by Com missioner William l.. Harrison at the regular meeting of the commission Tuesday morning.
 Commissioner Harrison promised to do everything in his over to reach an agreement with the representa- tives of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company at the con- ference between the commission and the company's men Friday morning, but pointed out that the final arbiter is the Alabama public service com- mission.
 We feel that the proposal is, un- just; we are going to oppose It when we take up the whole matter Friday, put F am am warning yen 1t may pc the power to tell the B. R., |. & F. 1t cannot abandon the Underwater; it Fcan only tell them the city does not approve. If it takes the matter be- fore the public service commission we will go there and fight for you" Register Protest.
 
 dale. East Lake, Woodlawn and 9Graymont communities were present and spoke to the commission. They were $. J. Stiggins, Frank s, An dress, Chappell Corey and Mrs. J. M. Hankins. All stressed the impor- tance of preserving the equipment of the community served by the line which, they declared, would be seri- ously endangered by drop in prop erty value should be proposal be car- ried out.
 "The working people cannot stand the loss in time. in money and in property values which this proposal would mean. The people would have to move. and they would move into the city. The city would become con gested, and then You have host of problems, among them health.
 Frank s. Address presented a resolution adopted Monday night by a mass meeting of citizens in the Avodale Baptist church. The resolu- tion protested the abandonment.
 Commissioner Harrison, in declar- ing the commission in support of the citizens. announced. that he was not antagonistic to the B. R., L. & P. Co. but merely eould't see the justice of the abandonment. He said that it probably would be possible to agree to certain things the company asked, but on the whole 1t was not from knowledge he then possessed.
 Want Better Service.
 Citizen delegates registered ve- hement protest to the service given by the B. R., l.. & P. Co. on certain lines, and demanded that the com mission take this up also with the company representatives. Resident McLendon pledged himself to attend to this request also.
 First avenue paving came up for commission consideration at the last minute of the B. R.. l.. & P. confer ence. Commissioner Harrison said he would go as far as legal tagles would allow. him in getting 1t paved. He said they had succeeded in purchas- Ing tgo-thirds of the riGht-of-way between Forty-third and Forty-sev- enth streets on First avenue.
 The commission promised to take up the matter of double fares after midnight on the Acipeo-Avenue 0 line. s
 Defeat of the proposed f"home rule" bill at the last session of the legislature. preventing the municipal- ity from having the final decision in matters relating to public utilities, 1t was explained. places the Tidewater curtailment question 'squarely Np to the Alabama public service commis- sion. Birmingham representatives may appear before that body, as ad- yocates of a measure, or complain ants, but the municipality is power less to take conclusive action in such matters. as the Tidewater line pro- posed changes. fta