The age-herald., 1900-07-24
IRON COMMITTEE OF SOUTHERN ROADS Confer With Iron Magnates of
 Birmingham District. LOWER FREIGHT RATESASKED Bids for Constructing Stout's Mountain Road Received and Contract Will
 be Let in Day or Two-Two
 Excursions Yesterday
LOWER FREIGHT RATESASKED

The southern Iron cOrnInlllee, CoHipoSeu of the traffic managers of the different rail- roads touching the iron districts of the South held meeting in this city yesterday afternoon for the purpose, it is stated, of comforting with the iron manufacturers of the Birmingham district with reference to reduction of freight rates on pig iron shipments.
 It is understood that the iron manufactu- rers have requested the railroads to grant a lower freight tariff in view of the fact that the price of iron is several dollars a ton less than it was a few months ago. Fifty cents ton was added to the rate out of Birmingham last winter when iron was selling at from $17 to s19 per ton, and the manufacturers, it is stated made no kick against the increase at the time. Now that the price has fallen to within a few dollars of the actual cost of its production, they have called on the roads to make some concessions in the way of freight reduc- tions.
 The railroads have always given favora- ble rates to iron and iron products from Birmingham, and it is believed that they will continue to do so, and that if they find that the present condition of the market justifies it the reduction will be granted.
 Among the railroad men who were here to attend the meeting of the committee were: George R. Knox, general freight agent of the Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Railroad; w. A. Winburn, gen. eral freight agent of the Central of Geor- gia; F. Sehryver, assistant general freight agent of the Cincinnati, New Orleans and TexaS Pacific. T.. araI freight agent of the Southern Railway; E. K. Voorhees,, assistant general freight agent of the Kansas City. Memphis and Birmingham; L. Sevier, general freight agent of the Alabama Great Southern A. W. Graham, traffic manager of the Louis- vile and Nashville; T. F. Steele, general freight agent of the New Orleans and Northeastern: G. R. Browder, division freight agent of the Southern Railway
 Other routine matters came up for con- sideration, but what action was taken on any of them will not be known for some time at least. as the committee does not make its proceedings public until official orders are issued by the members of the committee.
 Construction Bids Received
 
 Mountain branch of the Louisville and Nashville were received by Chief Engineer of Construction Marsden yesterday Sev- eral contractors submitted bids for this work, but the contract will not be award ed for few days yet as the bids will first have to be forwarded to the general offices in Louisville. The Stout's Mountain branch will be six miles in length and will run in southwesterly direction from Hanceville, Blount County, to coal mines that are being opened on Stout's Mountain. The new line will cost something under 500 O00
 The permanent survey for the North Alabama road, it is understood, has been located and bids for its construction will be advertised for in a short time. This road will be about forty miles in length and will run from Pheans in Cullman County, to a point on the Little Warrior river where it will connect with the Ems ley Southern road, which is now being built. The North Alabama road will be built by the Louisville and Nashville and the Ensley Southern from the Little War rior to Ensley is the joint property of the Louisville and Nashville and the Southern. It is stated that the contract for the con- struction of that portion of the Ensley Southern between the Warrior and the Lit tie Warrior rivers, about eight miles in length, will be let in few weeks, the per- manent survey having been about com pleted. That portion of the road from the Warrior river to Parish, Walker County, is now being built.
 Roadbed Ballasted
 The Kansas City, Memphis and Birming- ham has reballasted its roadbed from Mem phis to Birmingham. and now has one of the best roadbeds in the country. The cost of reballasting has been paid for out of the roads earnings and after paying this the company will declare a per cent. dividend in September.
 Special rates have been announced by the Southwestern Passenger Association as follows:
 To Columbia, Ala, July 25-SO. account of the annual conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
 To Atlanta, Ga., August 1928, account of the Christian Missionary Alliance
 J. w. Hunter, commercial agent of the Southern Railway, at Selma, is in the city,
 R. l.. -~-mpson, travelling freight agent of the Southern Railway, at Columbus Miss, is in the city.
 T. c. Powell, assistant freight traffic man. ager of the Southern, at Louisville, Ky, is in the city.
 J. W. Kirkland, commercial agent of the Atlantic Coast Line, at Montgomery, was in the city yesterday.
 The Alabama Great Southern ran an ex- cursion to Black Creek Falls yesterday which carried quite number of people.
 An excursion from Atlanta arrived over the Southern at o'clock yesterday after noon. It brought several hundred people