The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-11-14
RAILROAD WORLD.

RAILROAD WORLD.
 W. B. Clements. travelling passenger agent of the Seaboard Air Line with headquarters in Atlanta, was in the city yesterday.
 s. s. Fitzsmmons, field agent for the Atlantic Coast Line with offices in Mont gomery, was in Birmingham yesterday
 II. r. Lattimore, travelling passenger agent for the Southern Railway with headquarters in Birmingham, is in South ern Alabama.
 The Silver Slipper company left over the Louisville and Nashville railroad for Montgomery yesterday. Two extra pas senger coaches and two extra baggage cars had to be added to the regular train as the theatrical company is composed of seyenty-five people. From Montgomery a special train will be given the company to convey them from Montgomery to New Orleans.
 The New York Commercial Advertiser says:
 A meeting of freight traffic officers of the eastern trunk lines has been called for next Tuesday in this city to take action on freight rates on steel, iron, and steel products from Pittsburg and the Atlantic seaboard. It is expected that a considerable reduction will be made in the rate on steel and its finished product, especially on such freight as is destined for export. Ocean steamship companies have already reduced their rates on this class of freight, and vigorous effort is to be made to extend the foreign market for American steel products.
 The United States Steel corporation has arranged with the International Mercan- tile Marine company for favorable ex- port rates, and the railroads operating be- tween Pittsburg and New York will be asked to make corresponding reductions in their freight tariffs. The Alabama pig iron producers have secured an export freight rate of g per ton from Birming- ham to Manchester, England. This con- cession will allow of the shipment of Alabama pig Iron to England at least sl per ton cheaper than the English cost of production, as well as at a much lower figure than the current prices of pig iron in Germany.
 It is understood that the Morgan, Rocke- feller, and Vanderbilt influences will be exerted to bring about the adoption of such a steel freight tariff on the railroads as will encourage larger shipments for ex- port.
 The following Is the report of F. F.. Burnette's speech at the Travelling Pas senger Agents association convention at New Orleans. It is taken from the New Orleans Picayune, November 12
 E. F. Brunette, general eastern agent of the Oceanic Steamship company of New York, and vice president of the as- socation, was next called upon. MT. Bur nettes speech was very brief-in fact, entirely too brief-but contained, short as it was, much important matter bearing on the discussion.
 'When we speak of the public" he said in part, i've mean, of course, the travel ing public. Now, the travelling public is growing at an enormous rate of increase. In 1902 there was 70, ,000 coo passengers car- ried in the United States. The number of passengers carried one mile was more than twenty billions. This averages 250 miles of travel per year for every man, woman and child in the United States. I believe, therefore, that we have a con- stantly increasing duty to the public to perform, and we owe more to the public than we sometimes think. In so far as a passenger agent serves the public well, he serves his company well. The better his relations are with his patrons, the better is is for the public. the company and himself
 Mir Brunette was unanimously elected president of the association for the en- suing year.
 The Wall Street Journal says: One of the most successful railroad men in this country in meditative mood said the other day
 'I have made all the mistakes possible in the railroad business except one. That is the mistake sometimes made by men in my position of thinking that my direc- tors love me for myself alone. As soon as I became a railroad president I got 1t firmly into my mind that I was noth- ing more than cash register which on being pushed has got to ring up divi- dend. If l do not do this, expect to be dropped and replaced by new one from Dayton, O. This thought has ever tend- ed to restrain my fancies and keep my ambition within reasonable bounds'