Birmingham state herald., 1896-01-23
RAILWAY NEWS AND GOSSIP Cut in the Salaries of Southern
 Freight Men WITH ASHAKE-UP OF AGENTS Short Business in the Southeast Causes the Retrenchment-- Fresh Gossip About
 the Florence Northern.

It is said that the Southern has ordered | cut of $30,000 a year in the salaries of the freight men, says the Atlanta Jour | nal This is understood to mean, 1t is further stated, the release of men more than reduction in the salaries, with the | idea of making the numerical strength the same.
 There will be further consolidation of officers, more men will go, and the South ern's policy of running a railroad strictly for the money that is in it-which is gen. orally admitted to be the only correct theory-will be pursued. It is declared that the moguls of the great combine, learning that the reve- nues would not be as great this year and as was anticipated, and that the road was determined to have no doubt about | making fixed charges. so it appears that it has taken the bull by the horns. The Florida freight business has not been as large as the Southern would have liked, on account of the decrease in the fruit and phosphate business, and 1t is said the ax would fall in that neighbor- hood. But the changes will be made as far as possible throughout the system, and there Is no telling where the guillo- tine may strike and whose head may lie in the basket of the joblesS. telegram from Washington says: It is reported, however, that the shake up will consist in the dropping of at least two of the nine division freight agents HOW employed, and possibly three. That two are to be dropped being regarded as certain. information leads to the state ment that the two will be the divlsion freight agents now located at Charlotte. N C.. and Selma, Ala.
 In case third is to go the dickey birds say that the division freight agent at 1ac cLc Elo will he the The question of a reduction of salaries on the system according to a rumOr today, has not been considered, and I am reliably informed that it will not be. No possible changes except the ones outlined above will be made.
 The Atlanta Constitution of yesterday says 1t has been given out that the fol- lowing officers will be affected:
 Arthur G. Craig, division freight agent at Charlotte. is left out.
 Ray Knight. division freight agent at Selma, steps down.
 J. J. Griffin, general agent at Jack sonville, loses his office force, but retains his head.
 Henry S. Jackson, general agent at Chattanooga, will remain, but his office force Is let out.
 J. M. Wyly, soliciting agent at Mont gomery, is let out.
 The Kansas City agent and his office force are sponged out.
 Louisville and Nashville Earnings.
 Comptroller Cushman Quarrier makes the following comparative statement Of the Louisville and Nashville gross earn ings for the periods mentioned:
 Second week in January, 1896. $366.575; 1885, s343, 3,O6O; 1894. $3S5 5,55O; 1893, $425, ,9O5.
 Two weeks of January. 1896, $715. 1885; ; 1885, $6S9, $50; 1894, $736,9S5: 1893. $S45. .14O.
 July 1 to January IA. 1s95-6, s11. .42O. .260: lSs4-5 $10,S76,7 ,725; 1s9S-4, $lO,4s2,sO6; 1925, $12, ,530, ,O66.
 The Florence Northern.
 There is now more than a probability. says the Chattanooga Times of the sale of the Florence Northern railway The road was projected to run from Florence, Ala, to Linden, Tenn where 1t would connect with the Tennessee Midland. At Florence it would connect with the Mem- phis and Charleston and the Columbia branch of the Louisville and Nashville. It seems to be definitely arranged that the Southern is to get the Memphis and Charleston, and if this is the case the Florence Northern would make good feeder, against the interests of the Lou isville and Nashville, which reaches the territory from the north. The Florence Northern has been graded along the val ley of Cypress creek into Buffers valley, a distance of about twenty-five miles. There the work ceased after several sub- stantial structures had been built. The ties and rails are not laid but the road bed could be put into condition to receive them at a small cost. Nicely, Smith & Go. of Chattanooga were the contractors who built the road and subsequently, bought 1t to satisfy their claims.
 At Embrey's, on the line of the road, about eight miles from Florence. Is a cotton mill doing a most excellent busi- ness. and in the valley and hills are ore beds and deposits of stone of various grades for building or fiuxing purposes. A few miles ahead of the road is the great Aliens creek ore fields, and the possibilities of the discovery of apatite or phosphate of lime are apparent in many sections. If the so-called ''period of depression" had not come when 1t did this road would certainly have been in operation long ago.
 The c N. O. & T. P.
 President Samuel Spencer of the South ern railway and his attorney, ,Lyade Stet- son. were In Cincinnati yesterday, where he had a conference with M. D. Wood ford and Henry A Taylor of the syndi- cate that owns half the Cincinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific bonds. Speak, ing of this conference the Cincinnati Tr- bune says:
 It is very probable that the Southern railway will have full control of the Cin- cinnati, New Orleans and Texas Pacific in very short time, and certain move ments of prominent railway officials in the past week were cited as an indication of an approaching change. Last week in Washington 1t was stated that MT. Spen- ccr was very desirous of getting absolute control of the Cincinnati Southern,r and that negotiations to that end were pend- ing.
 It will be remembered that when the Taylor-Shoemaker syndicate secured control of a half interest in the Cincin- nati Southern it was predicted that the deal was one for speculation only, and that sooner or later Spencer would get the line.
 Afflicted for Years.
 MT. R. B. Goodman, Marietta, Ga., says "I was troubled with rheumatism.