The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-22
RAILROADS MAY KEEP THE LOW RATES Roads More Liberal Than the
 State Demands LARGE ATTORNEYS FEES County High Schools Will Be Located Early in the Coming Year.
 Annulling Legislative
 Acts.
BY HERvEY w. LAIRD.

BY HERvEY w. LAIRD.
 Montgomery. December 21.-(Special)- The outlook now is that certain railroads operating in the state will continue to charge only two and a half cents mile for passenger travel after the first of the year, although they have the right under the orders of the railroad com mission to collect one-quarter of a cent more. This seems to come of one or two things One is that litigation is pend ing in many states to force a two and a half cent rate, and the other grows out of a disposition to let the matter rock along as 1t is until after the first of the year.
 What Orders Provide.
 The orders of the commission are that two and three-quarter cents d mile may be charged, both in joint hauls and straight. lt is not expected that any of the roads now operating under the state laws will go back to the highest figure save the Atlantic Coast Line. It may do so. The others are not for the reasons mentioned. Those which will not, as 1t now appears, are the Southern lines, including the Mobile and Ohio and the Alabama Great Southern, the Sea board and the Frisco. In a recent state ment from Southern officers this was made plain.
 The Fighting Roads.
 Those roads which are now fighting the state in the federal court and have shown determination to fight to the very end are the Louisville and Nashville, operating the South and North and the Nashville Chat tanooga and St. FLouis, the Central of Georgia and the Western of Alabama he last named road is controlled by the other two, popular idea being that each owns half of the stock. Neither can do anything unless the other agrees to 1t. It is said that there are five shares of the old Atlanta and West Point road gone If man could get hold of one of them he could make the two give him mighty big money, as either would be very happy to secure control in this or any other way.
 Expensive Litigation.
 The cost of litigation of the larger sort is evidenced by the price of counsel. It is understood that for every day Gregory l.. Smith, one of the counsel for the Louisville and Nashville Railroad com pany, is away from Mobile, his home; he receives $100 with expenses. If this is so othSlS IiiuSL Ot db we'll pdlu. u IS dlSO said that the Birmingham attorneys of the road get as good pay when away. All the suits by and against this line this year will make the litigation. no doubt. one of the largest items of outlay. Not a small part of it is that brought by Henry B. Gray and other minority stock holders.
 For. High Schools.
 Early in January the High school locat- ing board will get out and by early in the month following the county high schools will be located. The board Is made up of Gov. R. B. Conner, State Su- perlntendent of Education H. C. Gunnells and State Auditor William w. Brandon All of the bids are in and towns will be given notice in time to come forward and make showings for the schools. It is quite likely that the board will sit in counties where the competition is close, in order that all sides may be hearda In other cases there will likely be sittings at which many counties may be heard.
 Many Slttinas Probable.
 For North Alabama the board may hold sessions at Decatur, for a little further south at Birmingham. Montgomery may be the place for the middle section of the state and Mobile for the southern Every member of the board Is anxious to give every town the very fullest op- portunity to present all of it's claims The location will go to the place offering the best terms. It carries an appropriation of 5000 year for maintenance, which, with local aid and local fund will give the fortunate community a good school with well paid teachers. Sites must be deeded in fee simple to the state.
 AnnuIIing Legislative Acts.
 Atroadv fba eIiprap1a oat,rt hoe hag,,, to annul acts of the legislature. Just where it will stop no one seems to know Many express surprise that the members will come here year after year and time after time and pass bills that will not stand the test of the courts. Chiffon and Elmore counties must get back and try lot of cases over because the time of holding court varies in two bills and that part of the Lusk bill providing for terms is not good. Cases have been tried under this act and will no doubt have to be tried over. It looks to lot of people like this could be avoided
 Birmingham Police Beard Act.
 After all the row and the hard feelings and the talk the police commission act. passed for Birmingham is bad It tries to get at a local condition by a subter- fuge of a supposed general act. The su- preme court gives it knock out blow and intimates that most any man could have seen that 1t was too thin to hold water. Many are saying that with all the advice at the disposal of the egis- lature this should have been avoided. All of it leads to revival of the proposi- tion that every law be submitted 10 a qualified board of lawyers before it is finally passed. After the 1903 sessions many of the acts were knocked out. The