The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-12
THE WEIGHING BUREAU
TRICKS TO SPINDLE RAILROADS
 BY SHIPPERS.
Inspection of Freight Saves Roads Many Dollars-Socks Shipped in Soap Boxes-other News
 of the Railroads.

There will be a meeting either today or early next week between the officials of the local weighing and inspection bureau and the local agents of the diff ferent roads entering Montgomery. Manager Wolf is expected to arrive in Montgomery this, morning and after he has looked carefully over the local situa- ton the meeting will be held. The amount of money that has been saved to the railroads since the organization of the Weighing and Inspection Bureau can scarcely be estimated. When the late Artemus Ward wrote that classical little epic in regard to the tricks that are vain of a certain heather Chinee he must have seen the gathering shadows formed by the Weighing and Inspection Bureau. The schemes that are resorted to by certain shippers make one gasp in admir- ation at the wonderful ingenuity of the American people. To give an ex- ample of this case that recently oc- cured is cited. A certain Eastern firm shipped to Montgomery car of soap the rate on soap is comparatively low. that commodity being rated as class 6. When the local Inspection Bureau ex- amined the car they found that in each box of soap was a number of pairs of socks. Socks and all woolen goods come under the first-class in rating, and the difference between the 1st and 9th classes amounted to something over 80 excess which the shipper was forced to pay.
 Master Mechanic Briggs is getting the North and South shops in the best shape now that they have ever been in, and things over there are 'on the jump. Yesterday he put fin new 22-!nch Niles lathe and an 1S-inch shaping machine. riudpr nit and plpr- tric turntabro> are all in good working order and giving great satisfaction.
 An axle on. one of the cars in freight train No. 13 coming from Birmingham to Montgomery broke about o'clock yesterday morning near Coosada. The wrecker was called out from the shops hero and in just one hour and a half had things strengthened out.
 Speaking of the Louisville and Nashville improvements in Pensacola a paper of that city says:
 The contemplated Improvements by the Louisville and Nashville at this port. will begin July l. on which date the officials and stockholders of the road will meet fin Louisville to look over the business of the past year and to make arrangements for the coming twelve months.
 1t will be at this meeting that the au- thority will be given for Improvements at Pensacola, although arrangements are now being made for this work, as 1t is certain that the authority will be given. and several hundred thousand dollars will be expended.
 While the new wharf. is not neces- sity, the enlargement of the shops is, as there is now not enough room to house all of the engines, and make re- pairs. The extension to the shops will cover a larger area than the present buildings occupy. and altogether the shops will be the largest and hest equip ed south of the Louisville shops. Several additional departments will be added. and altogether 1t will require the employment of nearly a hundred more men in that branch.
 The new Central wharf and warehouse will be cbmmepced early in that month, and it will he pushed to completion It will be similar to the Commentaries wharf. with the exception that it will be