The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-04
RAILROAD WORLD.


 tenn for the fiscal year ended June 30, as made public today, were s44,s76.6ls Oper- atng expenses and taxes absorbed $29- . 37s, 4e4, leaving net earnings of $14,99S, ,f55. Other items not stated in detail bring the total income up to s1ssss,642.
 These figures are subject to slight cor rections on final accounting. The report does not give the fixed charges. but, ae- cording to an official estimate made some months ago, interest charges and dividend requi ements for the preferred stock az gregate s11, ,7eo.oOo Deducting this sum from the total income. as stated above, leaves s4,so9,642, or a little more than 5h per cent on the sSs,472,O 900 of common stock outstanding.
 The St Louis Globe-Democrat: Several of the southwestern lines have notified Joint Agent Hannegan of taking tnde- pendent action with regard to colonist rates At the recent conference held Tn this city a proposition to extend the col onist rates to the west and southwest be- yond September was submitted and dis- cussed, but no action was taken. Lines in- terested have since reconsdered the mat ter, and have decided to continue the sale of eolonist tickets until April 1904. These tickets are one way, and are sold at half fare. plus s2, on the first and third Tuesdays of each month, to points in the west and southwest.
 The officials of the St. Louis lines met yesterday at the southwestern bureau, Missouri Trust building, for the purpose of revising the St, Louis quarterly pas senger rate sheet, which becomes effective November l.
 The Louisville and Nashville passenger department has issued circular an nouncing special homeseekers' excursion rates tc the south and southeast Septem- Der 15 and October 20. Round-trip tickets will he sold on the dates mentioned, and will bear transit limit on the going pas sage of fifteen days from date of sale, stopovers to be allowed only on the going passage the return portion of the tickets being good only for continuous passage Tickets sold October 20 will be executed for return passage October 2S 27, 3O' No- vember 3, 6 and 10. Tickets sold Septem- Der 15 will be executed for return passage September 1s p, 25 and 29, October ando st. Louis Special: The southwestern lines have substantially agreed to con tinuation of the joint clergy permit In connection with the Western and Trans continental bureaus. The Rock Island has piven notice that it's membership in the southwestern bureau will be terminated with the beginning of 1904.
 Homeseekers excursions are to be con tinued until next April, inclusive, on the same basis as at present, but during April they will be run the first and third Tuesdays
 Affirmative action was taken upon nroposition for board of arbitration on which H. C. Townsend. general passen- ger agent of the Missouri Pacific will rep resent these particular lines.
 With regard to the proposition for granting stop-over privileges in St. Louis on through tickets, so that passengers may visit the worlds fair grounds. the reply previously made as to the inad- visibility of such q course was reaffirmed. Scalpers will thus get no chance to man. ipulate these tickets.
 An application for reduced rates for employees of the United States Weather Bureau Service was refused An agree ment was reached to put in the same basis for winter tourist rates for the season of 1903-4 as in effect previously. It was understood that in view of the Arkansas law, it would be inadvisabe to make hunters rates to points in that state. An Fl Paso. Tex. special President c. B. Eddy of the Fl Paso and North western, officially announces an alliance between his road and the Rock Island and the Santa Fe, whereby the Rock Islands gets a western outlet for its Pa cifc coast traffic from Llano via Al. buquerque. greatly shortening it's route to the west. In return the Santa Fe gets trackage privileges from Liberal, Kas., to Llano.
 This arrangement means that the Rock Island through traffic for California will cease to come via. Fl Paso. and a dis tance of 225 miles will be saved. giving that line the shortest trans continental road in the country.
 Marietta, O., special: The American Bridge company, after building a bridge here for the Ohio River Bridge Ferry company, refused to turn over the struct- ure. The local company took forcible pos session yesterday by running electric cars across the bridge The cars carried United States mail and could not be stopped.
 The Louisville and Nashville railroad has issued the following comparative statement of earnings for the month of July:
 Gross earnings: For 1903. $3,024 231 .s7: 1902, g, 709, 244.0 or; increase, s314,9S7 6O Ex- penses: 1905 S2,1s5, 622.79; 1902. $1sO4, es5. .09 increase s23O. O.937.70. Net earnings: 1903. ssss. sos ss; 1902 sSO4. 55S .9S; increase, ss4.- 049. 90. Proportion of expenses to gross earnings: 1903. 7O.62 per cent; 1902, 7O.so per cent. H The Southern railway committee, com posed of the freight traffic representatives of the roads having interests in the Br- mirigham district. will meet this morning at the Hotel Hillman. It is the generally expressed belief among those in posi- tfon to know that the reduction of 50 cents per ton in the pig iron rate will be granted.