Birmingham age-herald., 1895-02-05
RAILROAD RACKET.

There is a little "fuss'' in passenger cir oles which may assume proportions that will lead to indiscriminate rate cutting by some of the roads entering this city.
 Only few weeks ago large number of the southern railroads signed an agreement to maintain the regular tariff and under no consideration to ticket passengers except upon the regular authorized association rate.
 In Atlanta considerable discussion arose as to the agreement, and it took hard work to get some of the systems to sign the same. 10 make everything equal the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham withdrew their special party rate and signed the agreement, by which rates can be maintained and all of tue lines benefited thereby.
 This agreement was also signed by the Queen and Crescent, which road Is now charged with having bl oken it's contract.
 The violation, it seems grew out of ship ment of negroes from here tosMappimo, Mexico, last Friday, which shipment was made over the Queen and Crescent as far as New Orleans, and from there over the Southern Pacific. k. A. Williams char tered train to New Orleans over the Queen and Crescent for S713, so it is said. Upon this train over 200 negroes were hauled thus making the rate per head very much less than the tariff rate.
 Now the Kansas City, Memphis and Bir- mingham charges that the hauling of these negroes at a discount on the tariff rate is violation of the contract signed by the Queen and Crescent, in that they are com petitors for Mexican business, and that New Orleans was not the destination of the party. lad New Orleans been the destina- tion the howl by the Kansas City, Mem phis and Birmingham would not have been raised, for they are not in the field for New Orleans business.
 A lot of correspondence is going on and something may drop with dull thud in a few days. for it is now stated that unless certain things are done the Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham will pull out from the Atlanta agreement and do busi- ness as they see fit.
 h this event there is likely to be some thing very lively occur in passenger cir cles.
 It is stated that Commissioner Slaughter is making an investigation of the matter, and that he will be in Birmingham during the next few days.
 Things are getting little warm, to say the least.
 WILL BEGIN SOON.
 It is said that Col. Charles P. Ball and Mr. c. A. Avery of the East and West will be in the city in few day to begin work on the extension of the East and West.
 It is talked now that the construction will hardly begin before the 1st of March or possibly the 1st of April, but that the engineering will be put through in short time. The understanding is that those in charge of the construction do not want to begin work until the weather becomes more favorable. However, it goes with. out saying that the work when begun will be pushed.
 TRANSFERRED AGAIN. MT. J. J. Farnsworth, who succeeded L. A. Shipman as travelling passenger agent of the Southern, with headquarters in this city, and who few weeks ago accepted an appointment as division passenger agent of the Plant system at Savannah, Ga., has again been promoted. He has been ap- pointed general eastern agent of the Plant system, with headquarters at No. 261 Broadway, New York.
 This promotion is an evidence of MT. Farnsworth' B ability as q passenger agent, frieDds while here, who are glad to near of his good fortune.