The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-09-17
ATKINSON TALKS ON
 RATE ARRANGEMENT
Daily Steamship Service to
 South Atlantic Ports
CONDITION OF TRADE
Thinks Export Cotton Matter Is Not Subject for Worry As Some SoIu- ton Will Be Agreed Upon
 In Ample Time

ry M Atkinson, president of the At lanta, Birmingham and Atlantic rail- road. who arrived here yesterday, Bir- mingham will, after next Monday. be served with a daily package freight delivery from New York.
 Through an arrangement with the Clyde Steamship company, ship will sail from New York every day during the week, four of which will dock at Charleston and two at Brunswick.
 All of the ships will carry freight from New York city billed to Birmingham. MT. Atkinson said his guiding thought in making the traf- fc arrangements was to serve this city and the territory west of Birmingham.
 In addition to making this interesting announcement yesterday Mr. Atkinson said the American bankers and rail- road men would surely agree upon the cotton movements next fall to the full satisfaction of the foreign bankers. MT. Atkinson said:
 q will be in Brunswick Monday when an important traffic arrangement of great benefit to this city Is inaugur- ated. The Clyde line will send package freight to this city every day in the week beginning with next Monday. The arrangement insures Birmingham the quickest freight line ever enjoyed by this city and one that will surely ap- peal to the business men of Birming- ham. The company will sail boat every day. Four of these will dock at Charleston and two at Brunswick. All of the ships will be in connection with our trains and others. The freight will be sent to Birmingham as fast as steam can bring it. In addition to serving Birmingham this service will include the west with which we are fast arranging traffic agreements. In addition to this service the company will handle passengers in the most ap- proved manner as relating to sched- ules and service.
 Tn making this deal I realized that the company now in control could give Birmingham and this adjacent terri tory better and quicker service than our lines by reason of their having a great many more ships than us We are trying as fast as we can to improve our service into this city and every week witnesses some new step to give Birmingham the most superior service over our lines and connections" Financing Export Cotton | In speaking of the bankers of Flu
 rope and America being unable to agree
 upon the validating of cotton bills oi
 lading for export shipments, MT. At
 kinson stated:
 T am as much interested In the move
 ment of the cotton crop and the financing
 of it as any farmer in the south. l have
 not been worrying about the attitude
 of the foreign bankers and l do not be-
 lieve our farmers have any reason to | be afraid of the outlook. The makers
 in Europe are compelled to have the cot
 ton and when the time comes for it to be
 sold they will be ready with some sort
 of plan to finance the crop. l think
 however that the plan outlined by the railroads in regard to the validating agencies was very fair and extremely cau- tious The south is in fine condition and
 to my mind we are facing an era ol
 prosperity. We have a corn crop 10 pel cent greater and better than ever be- fore and the cotton is in excellent shape. BIames Politics for Uncertainty MT. Atkinson is inclined to censure pol itics for the uncertainty of business and upon that topic he remarked:
 "If we would bury politics for one year America and Birmingham would bound forward in a most surprising way. The financial people in New York do not wish to place any money out in new work be- cause no one can tell what the next day will bring forth. Securities are sell ing very low all because of this un- certainly. No person would care to buy bond today for 5000 which next Tues day may be worth only s7oo.
 That feeling of unrest accounts for the very small volume of business that has been transacted this summer. Had 1t not been for the incidents of the past few months our commercial condi- ton would have been far better than it Is now.
 Birmingham has been contributing to our income very materially this summer. The outlook is for a fine winter of bus mess. The iron condition Is the only discoura ging feature of business and just as soon as that opens up Birming- ham will be in fine shape.
 "Our properties here are being improved gradually We are placing about 1000 yards of slag per day on our roadways and will have them in fine condition soon. Our tonnage from here is improving daily, which indicates to us that the railroad conditions are better. We are completing the improvements outlined several months ago. We do not contemplate any further improvements at this time"
 With Alex Bonnyman, general manager, and James Bonnyman, vice president of the Birmingham Coal and Iron company, MT. Atkinson will visit Mulga mines to- day to make an inspection. He will also inspect Short Creek. Songo and the fur naces at Vanderbilt. which are being ex- tensively improved. MT. Atkinson will be here until tonight when he will leave for Atlanta on special train
 
 Southern Orders steel Pullmans It was given out yesterday that 35 new