The age-herald., 1900-06-12
WANT LOWER RATES
 TO COTTON MILLS
CaroIinians Ask Reduction in
 Transportation Charges.
NEW YORK MERCHANTS KICK
New Southern Classification Unsatis- factory-In the Local Field-Mr. lfHere- Earnings Con
 tinue to Show Increase

The cotton mill owners in the Carolinas have complained to the Southern rate com mittee that the freight rates charged on raw cotton from the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia to the mills are too high, and have asked a reduction in same.
 The complaint of the mill owners was considered at the rate meeting held in At lanta last week, but the committee ad- journed without arriving at any definite conclusion regarding the matter The ques- tion of granting the lower rate will be taken up again by the committee at the July meeting.
 The present rate from the Birmingham territory to the Carolina mills is 51 cents, or six cents more than the rate to Will mington, which is a port and gets the same port rates that Charleston has. The mill owners ask that they be given the same rate that is charged on cotton shipments to Charleston and Wilmington. It is proba- ble that this rate will be granted some time in the next year or two, but no changes can be looked for this year.
 The new classification that went into ef- feet on the first of June is not satisfactory
  trade relations in the South and they have filed a complaint with the joint rate com mittee. The new rate, as stated in the Age-Herald a day or two before it went into effect, increases the tariff a great many articles shipped to the South, both from the East and West. The classifca- tions were rearranged and advances on large proportion of articles of merchandise accordingly made The complaint of the New York merchants will be heard by the joint rate committee at a meeting to be held in Chicago on June 26.
 Biggest in Several Years
 The contract for the construction of the twenty-mile gap the Ensley Southern Road from Ensley to the Little Warrior River will be one of the biggest railroad contracts given out in the South in several years, and it has been sought by great many of the wealthiest contracting firms in the country. One of the firm bidding for the contract is said to be worth several million dollars, and two or three of them are rated at a million or more. The build ing of this gap will call for an expenditure of nearly three-quarters of a million dol lars and the contractors getting the job Will be required to execute bond running well up into the thousands.
 General Manager J. G. Metcalf of the Louisville and Nashville was in the city yesterday. This was probably his last off, cial visit to Birmingham, as he goes with the Denver and Rio Grande on July l, and will have his headquarters in Denver,' Col. His successor with the Louisville and Nashville has not yet been named, but probably will be within the next few days. The new sleeping car line between Bir- mingham and Asheville over the Alabama Great Southern Road is receiving a liberal patronage, and already the wisdom of the company in putting this line of cars is being demonstrated.
 The new depot of the Louisville and Nashville being built at Twentieth Street and the railroads is beginning to assume the proportions of a building. The walls are nearly completetd
 Miss Margaret Silk, stenographer in the southern's general freight office in this city, has gone to New York to spend her vacation.
 Assistant General Superintendent J. S. B. Thompson, of the Southern, was in the city yesterday.
 Gross Earnings
 Gross earnings of southern roads report ed last week were as follows:
 Alabama Great Southern-Gross earnings in May, $164,1l7; increase; $11,194.
 Louisville and Nashville--Gross earnings in May $22O2, ,05O increase $S1, ,SS6
 Southern Railway-Gross earnings in May, $2, ,435,97; increase, sS3,12l.
  $i70,66O; increase, $24,7SO.
 Norfolk and Western-Gross earnings in May, $1,210, 29O; increase, $119, 4O5
 Nashville, Chattanooga and St. Louis Gross earnings in May, $5OS, ,706; decrease, $11.57.
 Gadsden and Attalla Union-Gross earn ings in May s1,511; increase, $643.
 Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Gross earnings in April $4S6 O96; increase. $102, ,316.
 Kansas City, Memphis and Birmingham -Gross earnings in April $147, ,SSS; increase. $3i,33
 Yazoo and Mississippi valley-Gross earnings in April $3SO,54O; increase, si,959. Gross earnings in the fourth week in May reported as follows:
 Central of Georgia, S13O,23S; increase, s2,241
 Alabama Great Southern, $54924; increase, $3O1O.
 Louisville and Nashville, $7S03S0; in crease, $76,426.
 Southern Railway, sS1O,414 decrease, $2,- 5OS.
 Norfolk and Western. s4O7,2lS; increase. $46,011.
 FIRST SPEECH