The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-06-22
UTILITY's RIGHT ATTITUDE

| The people of Birmingham look with unnixed approval upon the decision of the Birmingham Electric Company Vol untarily to withdraw from it's parking tagreement with the city as affecting cer- tain portions of First avenue and to join with the city and county in the paving of the street for its entire width. The best public interest counsels the paving of the entire street, and the utility is showing a commendable concern for the community welfare when it comedies the point at issue. When the people voted the jitney service from the streets, they restored to the utility valuable advan- tage which was no doubt contemplated in the original franchise. This vote of the people was tentative extension of a spirit of fairness and friendliness which the utility officially assured the people would be reciprocal.
 That the utility has sought to redeem this pledge cannot be denied by those who read carefully the official statement on which the approval of paving First avenue is based A significant part of that statement reads: "We believe the legal rights of the company are clear, but realize that litigation would delay the improvement of First avenue for a very considerable period, would be costly for both the city and the company, and would doubtless create hard feelings to- ward the company, notwithstanding the correctness of the company's position" The company has an agreement with the city commission, amounting virtually if not legally to a contract, whereby it may park between its tracks the portions of the street under controversy.
 The company valves any legal posi- tion, however, in the following language "If such litigation resulted favorably to the company, to proceed with the park ing against the wishes of substantial number of citizens would be detrimental to the public relations of the new com pany and would be contrary to its policy of so conducting it's affairs as to merit friendship rather than animosltles. Knowing as we do the value of pub lie utility securing the friendship ot those served by it, we look with concern upon any situation where the good will of the people is at stake" This view IS representative of an attitude that cannot fail to conciliate to the company an ad- ditional portion of that public friendli- ness of which the people recently gave tangible evidence at the polls.
 The people therefore are duly respon- sive to the company's attitude of con- cern for public approval when it re- marks that it comes to its decision in the "hope that such action will be taken by the city commission as tangible evidence of the sincerity of the new company in its effort to establish itself as good citizen of the place and secure the good will and confidence of the people" When public utilities show an indisputa- ble desire to win public appreciation as basis of patronage, and to become themselves "good citizens" then there is indeed banished at one stroke much of the foundation for that attitude of suspicion, and sometimes of active hos tility, which the public has in some cases displaved, It is believed that the re- turn to the utility will be many times the actual cost of the improvements it con rAdes