The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-06-28

that the consolidation of the Alabama river steamers in the Birmingham and Gulf Railway company is bound to mean much in a business way for Alabama 1 The impression is that this company is backed by not only considerable money | but a strong sentimental feeling that is regarded as certain to result in profitable | business relations. It is expected that when put on a thorough business basis | the traffic on the steamboats up and I down the Alabama and Tombigbee rivers will be sufficient to justify the outlay of money that has been made.
 l It will be recalled that only a short time ago the Alabama railroad commits I sion took over the control of the river traffic of the state, as well as that of the railroads. The first thing that was done l was to establish a set scale of freight rates, which could neither be raised nor l lowered without the consent of the com l mission.
 l The good of this is readily seen in rem ! dering 1t impossible for rate-cutting and crowding out of competition. Under the old conditions when a new boat came on the river the old boats immediately cut the rates to such point that it could not live Now, however, each craft will have to stand or fall on it's own merits, and the chances are that the trade will be such as to support reasonable number of steamers.
 Capt T. II. Moore is the veteran of the Alabama river steamship business. He has long had faith in the possibility of remunerative conditions, and now hopes to see his ideas carried out to success. The recent advance in freight rates on the rail lines has had tendency to re- new the interest in water traffic, and there is more or less of discussion of the proposition to establish an all-water t, affrsaf aeaTsxy utilizing the larger vessels for the ocean haul and the small river steamers for the river end of it. It is a fact not gener- ally known that goods may be loaded cargo in New York and reach Montgom- cry by ocean and river almost or actual ly as quick as by rail under ordinary conditions.
 Schools Promise We'll
 From every direction good reports are heard of the prospects for the Alabama schools of all classes during the next year. President Thach of the Polytech- nic institute, who has been here recently, says that most of the Improvements which are now laid out will be finished and ready for use by the time the fall term opens He notes as matter for gen. eral satisfaction that the professor Of architecture and his assistants are mak- ing the plans for the new agricultural building at Auburn, and that the contract will be let some time next August
 The university summer school IS re- ported to have accomplished a great deal more than ordinary melting enthusiasm for the general support of the institution. President Abercrombie also finds that the public interest has been so much aroused that the university will probably have the greatest year of it's history during the next scholastic term. The buildings are being rushed as rapidly as possible, and it is anticipated that everything will be in ship-shape at the time called for in the contracts
 The agricultural schools report good work done and enthusiasm for the coming year. The common schools are in better shape than at any time in their history, and the educational department officials find that there is a great deal of hard work being done by parents as well as teachers to make this class of educational work more effective than ever.
 With the increased appropriations and the entire S67,0O0 available for school house improvements this year, it is ex- pected that the rural territory will forge to the front at a more rapid rate than has ever been the case in the state.