The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-10-20
RAILROAD WORLD.


 The office force of the western district of the Southern railway of which c. s. McManus is general superintendent, have arrived in Birmingham. Three carloads of office furniture and fixtures are now being rapidly transferred to their new offices in the Woodward building.
 Among those who have arrived are the following: w. A. Vaughan, assistant to the superintendent; A. Stewart, general master mechanic; L.. c. bowman, his chief clerk Thomas Bernard, engineer maintenance of way; Earl Everhard and engineers force; ". B. Laughton, chief clerk to the superintendent; Miss Bertha Formales, stenographer, and T. M. Stern, W. D. Anderson, E. J. Stephens, A. H. Lewis, clerks. It will take several days to get the offices in the right shape as the effects which were brought from Chatta- nooga make an enormous volume
 MT. McManus will not be in the city for few days, as he went to Washing ton yesterday.
 From Louisville comes the following re- port;
 Through rates on transcontinental rail- road traffic from the southeast to the west and from the west to the Ohio and Mississippi valleys will be reinstated on a new basis of divisions if the recommen- dations of the committees representing the interested lines are adopted. The com mittees representing the transcontinental systems and the southeastern railroads spent a week in deliberation, after period. of thirteen years in which no meet ing had been held, and yesterday reached decision with regard to the basis on which the rates shall be figured. Before the recommendations of the com mittees are submitted to the railroads for action another meeting will be held in Atlanta next Friday and Saturday. and at that time the practical operation of the new basis will be tested by applica- tion to the local conditions prevailing on the roads affected by the existing tariffs. Southern roads which were not represent ed at the meeting in Louisville will have representatives at the Atlanta meeting, and it Is believed that an adjustment sat- isfactory to all concerned will be reached at that time.
 Pending the action of the Atlanta meet ing, the business passing from southeast ern points to the west will be shipped on a rate which includes two combination rates, one on each side of the Mississippi. That basis of shipment has been in force for six or seven months and has proved expensive to the roads which are in com- petition with the transcontinental lines operating through the Chicago and St. Louis gateways.
 The new basis of rates was not officially given out. The members of the commit tees and the officers refused to make any statement as to the nature of the adjust ment. but it is said that the basis which is proposed Is lower than the two combi- nation rates now in effect, and at the same time higher than the basis under which the business was formerly conduct ed. While the rate by the northern and the southern routes will not be the same the difference will not be an appreciable factor in regulating the proportion of business by the rival routes. and more will depend on the strength of the com peting sections from the viewpoint of &C., tual values.
 The meeting brought together railroad men from wider territory than any re- cent meeting had done. All the transcon- tnental linea having termini on the Pa cific coast were represented. and the southeastern lines sent officials to com plete the representation at the meeting. C. B. Compton. traffic manager of the Louisville and Nashville. was chairman of the meeting. and c. D. Boyd, assistant general freight agent of the same road, was secretary.
 A dispatch from Nashville says: M Savage and Daniel & Daniel, solicitors for the Red River Iron company filed a bill in chancery this afternoon against the mayor and city council of Clarksville and the Tennessee Central Railroad com> pany to enjoin the issuance by the city of Clarksville of s1o0,0OO bonds to pay what the bill alleges to be Clarksville's so-called Subscription to the Tennessee Central or Nashville and Clarksville rail- road. The bill sets forth quite a number of reasons why the subscription should not be paid. The most serious allegation is that the construction company is put ting up the money for the construction of the road and being given the bonds of the railroad company at s25,000 or more per mile; that the railroad company has no money or property, and that when completed the road will be insolvent and completely under the control of the hold CTS of the bonds and the stockholders will have nothing.