The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-01-06
NET EARNINGS OF
 ALABAMA LINES
Show Healthy Increase For The Year Just Closed
ALL CONDITIONS IMPROVED
Net Increase In Earnings Is More Than $2,O00, ,o0o-State WIiI Make Over $1,ooo,ooo From It's Con-
 vlcts This Year.

Montgomery, January 5-(Special Jig ures contained in the annual report of scented to the commission this week by the president, Capt. Charles Henderson, indicate an increase in net earnings of all the Alabama lines for the last fiscal year, ended June 30 last of over s2.000.00o over the best previous year. For 1907. the bus fest year heretofore the net earnings were s5.5eo,sas compared to s7,T45,3ss in 1909. increase $2,1S2.oco.
 Many things enter into the story of in- creased net earnings. principal of which Is the fact that under a recent ruling no permanent Improvements can be charged to maintenance. Another thing is that with less congestion and better terminals the trains are run to full capacity. For instance. in the old days of crowded yards a man would be run out with a light train because it would take a lot Of time to switch over a full one. Now he takes every car he can pull, giving the maxi mum of train mile earning to each crew. There are also better cars, holding more, and better engines. Tracks are bettar, allowing more load, so that in hundreds of ways the roads have brought up the highest efficiency to earnings.
 The accident exhibit is better. In 1909 no passengers were killed by Alabama lines, and only s7 injured. In 1907 seven were killed and 147 injured. During the year just closed 70 employees met acciden- tai death and 10ss were hurt. as compared 1909 the roads handled s,3244 40 passengers, compared to s,066,O11 in 1907, an increase of 25s, ,42s. Last year there were ss7s em- ployes in the service of the several roads. with 11.A3 in 1907. decrease in the number of 2z34
 The mileage, including second track and sidings. is now eo70. an increase over 1907 of 60 miles.
 Every member of the commission feels that the report Is a good showing, as 1t indicates that the state has come back to its own in the way of rail line pros perity 1907 being by far the greatest year known prior to the year just closed.
 Convfcts Pay Well.
 Income from the employment of stata oonvicts promises to be very much larger this year than last, a result of the new contracts made and the outlook for steady and remunerative work. But more than this the figures for the last three months of 1909 show what will be done. They are more than the same time in the year before by s141.o47 .21, being for 1909 $751; 2o4. 7s.
 Figuring from this basis. that is. four times this amount, the states total at the end of the fiscal year will be $l,- 02ss2o, an increase of sD4.7l5 over tho entire year 190S-0. The expenses for the fiscal year closing last September were $4s2.2N In 10 per cent should be added for the natural rise the current 12 months they will be $59O,427 which will give net for the year from this source of revenue s49s,373, compared to S34 ,89S in the year passed.
 But the income is going to be better for the whole year than in this three months, or J. Craig Smith, president Of the board, is too sanguine. For instance, there will be an increase of $30,O00 on the cOntfdCt WlIn the tennessee company alone There are better things also in many other departments, indicating that it is going to be a banner year in a set of banner years in the working of state con- victs
 Head Off Boil WeeviI.
 L. N. Duncan of the faculty of the Poly- technic at Auburn, who Is working in thv state in the interest of better agricultural conditions, under the auspices of the dem-' onstration department service. is going to lay for the boil weev1l by inducing every county on the Mississippi line, near which the pest is now at work, to plant lots of corn. In fact, his plan is to fight the wecvil with corn. as he is helping the farmers of Alabama to fight the poverty weevil.
 The belief of MT. Duncan is that if the counties along the line will put in . lot of corn, turn their lands in meaEure to this product. 1t will give the weevn less cotton to work on and at the same time give the people more good corn to eat and to feed. Alabama, . state that at both ends can raise 12 bushels to the acre, as shown by the recent state prize contests, bought last year from other states II. 900 900 bushels of corn for its own use. and is producing only 131h bushels to the acre just now.