The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-22
DESERT CITY E HALLPLANFOR E SCHOOL BONDS Commission Proposes to Submit $5,OOO, 900 Bond
 Issue Referendum NEW SCHOOLS CITY'S MOST URGENT NEED Project for Joint City Hall and Court House
 to Be Abandoned

Instead of pushing the movement for joint city and county adminis- tration building, or for new city hall this year, the city commission will make the present municipal headquar- ters do for while longer and get squarley behind the pro .>,, for bond issue large enough Z $S se con. ss, ssstien in the Birv public
 This policy was D Monday in statements by Gos ,ers ". L. ,aseo MseGison non% and ;s, ekssn ,sa. that dsnss oys. all public ,,1 improve. for school boz q admitted that the new city hall at tnis time.
 "Birmingham's first duty is to it's school children" Mir. Harrison said. Il am for bond issue large enough to remedy the present situation in the schools. think great care should be taken in setting the date for the vote. The next bond issue must pass"
 Commissioner Dickson said the needs of the school system are "even greater and more serious than is made to appear" He said the present city ball would do for quite a while long er," but that more school buildings are an immediate, pressing necessity.
 Mrs. Mary Echols, commissioner of health and education, said she would support the school system in it's drive for bonds. She expressed the convic- tion that hte chancse for a joint build ing were "slim." She further declared the school congestion has become ''se- riously acute"
 Started Last Week
 Labor organizations and various civic bodies started the new school bond campaign last week and Mondays developments show that the campaign will have the unqualified support of a majority of the city commission, and ip all probability it's unanimous sup port.
 School authorities are fast complet- ing a school survey under the direc- tion of Superintendent O., E.. Glenn, and it will show when completed in the next two weeks that no less than twenty new school buildings are badly needed.
 Meanwhile, the labor and civic or ganizations will meet February 6 in mass meeting to give the bond drive a rousing start. The amount, of the proposed bond issue is expeeted to be set at approxi- n3ateiy xn000, 900.
 Forces backing thesb bonds agree with the view of the labor organizations that the school bond issue should be submitted to the voters unlinked with any other bond proposal. By employ ing this method the schools will get the relief they need, leaders believe.
 Let Ciy Hall Wait
 Commissioner Dickson said Birming- ham badly needs library and mod ern system of incineration. He hopes, he says, he will be able this year to find the money, by bond issue or Oth- erwise, to provide the incineration i'm provements.
 "A new city hall must wait until the schools and the incineration problems are cared for" he declared.
 Indications now point to the calling of special school bond issue referen- dun in the early summer.
 A $5,OO0,000 issue for new school buildings was defeated in May, 1921, and officials said Monday they believe this defeat was due to the tacking on of $2,OO0, 900 for other improvements
 Committees representing all labor or ganizations and all civic bodies, includ- ing numbers of women, will meet at the mass meeting February 6. This ses- sion is expected to mark the formal start of the new school bond drive.