The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-13
ALAB ANA RIVER
 RATE PROBLEM Railroad Commission Goes Oyer
 the testimony RATE CUTTING NOT WAN TED Doctors Will Hear Some Interest Ing Reports When They Meet In
 Birmingham Two Weeks
 From Today.
RATE ECUTTING NOT WAN TED

outlook is that there will be hard time
 before those who desire to maintain rates
 on the Alabama rivers. However, the
 hope is entertained that it may be done, largely because the people have shown
 desire that 1t shall be done At a
 meeting of the railroad commission called
 to discuss river rates on Monday 1t was intimated that the steamer Hard Cash, put on the Tombigbee by the Mobile Navigation company. is in effect a boat of the Birmingham and Gulf Navigation company, and the impression Is that It's
 determination to cut rates grows out of
 desire on the part of the aforesaid Gulf
 Navigation company to drive independent boats out Of business
 At the meeting Monday the following
 were represented: Gulf Navigation com pany J. M. Dewberry. president; Mobile Navigation company, A. B. de Mont Mol lon, president; Staples lines, N. A. Sta pies, owner; Henry Lindsey, American line. A half dozen or so Mobile business men were present to watch the proceed ings. among them being State Senator
 Max Hamburger and George Rivers, the French consul at Mobile. President Hen W the only commissioners present, Colonel Lusk being detained at home. After the taking of testimony the whole matter was taken under adyisement.
 Wants No Cutting.
 In the mass of testimony was a num-
 Der of petitions of business men along the Alabama river asking that the rates be maintained declaring that the sched- ules as now made Up are as low as can be stood if the boats are to run on bus
 iness lines. It Is the hope of those who came before the commission that the
 policy of the Hard Cash be headed off and there be no more slashing In the
 end the people lose Is the way they look at 1t. Hence It Is that the commission . is known to lean very much to the main- tenanee of the present range of cost. So far as could be determined this was tho policy of the Birmingham and Gulf, the
 owners of the Hard Cash, it being shown
 that they have only leased the boat to
 the Mobile Navigation company.
 The commission had up also the mat
 ter of train service to the town of Monte
 vallo and denied the application of the Southern railway to be allowed to dis
 continue backing up from the junction
 to the town. However, the new train
 from Mobile to Birmingham was not or
 deTeu u t1O lnlS, MOnleNallO passengers for 1t being forced to walk over to the station at A1drich.
 In a case before the supreme court
 it is alleged that Mitchell Webb sold
 in the county of Marengo a small por- tion of liquor, against the general prohi- bition laws, for which offense the jury , in trial court levied 8 fine of $50. The judge laid on him a sentence of 20 days and the time of the costs at 40 cents day, and then, for good measure. handed 1 him another six months as extra pun ishment. He thought this rather heavy
 for half a dollars worth of liquor, so he appealed.
 Doctors Doing Well.
 When the Alabama doctors meet in
 regular session in Birmingham next Tuesday week they will hear a report from the state health officer that will
 startle tn em. It will show that since the last meeting the state department
 has established and maintained the any rabies infection. It will also be the south, with almost hundred cases treated and not single death from results in the matter of vital nda nor shown that for the first time the de- partment has been able to get splendid results in them alter of vital and mor- tuary statistics. It Is anticipated that the doctors may have something to say about the building of a tubercular san itarium and the epileptic colony, both i the legislature.
 Potato Raising Progress. State Senator John L. Wilson, who has been here attending the meeting of the NinthI District Agricultural school trustees. says that with the vic tory of the state in the railroad cases af1d 1nyI -i..I .f4to bill there Is no need now for an extra
 session of the legislature Besides"
 says the senator, we are too busy get ing rich up in our part of the country
 to worry about things of this kind. We
 have gone into the Irish potato busi-
 ness, our association being guarante
 al least 100 bushels during the year.
 Charles F. New of oneonta is the pres
 ident, and we are going to get along
 fine. We made lot of cotton that we
 did not need to pay debts with and we
 are making crop on a cash basis and
 expect to get along from now on bet
 ter than ever"
 Agricultural Schools.
 At q meeting of the trustees of the agriculture schools here Monday the
 uniform cfrricular committee made a
 report recommending a course of study and the adoption of q uniform plan for
 all the schools This committee is
 composed of c. J. Owens of the Abbe-
 ville school, J. B. Hobdy of the AL
 bertville school l.. l.. Vnna of the Fifth district and J. A. Dugger of Au-
 burn It was also agreed that except in the case of the school at Wetumpka the town schools and the agricultural schools shall be absolutely separate.
 Presidents were reelected on Mon day as follows; Sixth district Hamilton, H. o. Sargent; Seventh, Albertville, J.
 B. Hobdy; Eighth, Athens, G. M. At kinson; Ninth, Blountsville, E. A. Mill ler Second, Eyergree, H. T. Lyle;
 Fifth, Wetumpka l.. l.. Vann. The presidents and the local trustees were left to select the members of the facul- ties