The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-10-29
ATKINSON HERE {. FOR CONFERENCE Goes Over. the Birmingham Southern Question TALKS OF BUSINESS Greatly Pleased With Volume in Sep tember and Says October Prom
 ises to Make a Fine
 Showing

| Il. M. Atkinson, president ana Jolnl re-
 ceiver of the Atlantic, Birmingham and
 Atlanta railroad, accompanied by Judge
 l.. z. Rosser, general counsel, was in
 Birmingham yesterday. The officials held
 a conference during their stay with
 President Gordon Crawford of the Bir-
 1ningham Southern Railroad company
 and with Walker Percy, general coun- sel.
 The conference was in connection with
 the forthcoming hearing in Birmingham | by an examiner of the interstate com
 merce commission, into the question whether the Birmingham Southern rail road, some stock of which is owned by 1 the Tennessee company, is a common car- | Tier.
 The railroads here for some years have, | 1t is understood, declined to so recognize | the Birmingham Southern. When MT. | Atkinson successfully constructed Atlan- ta, Birmingham and Atlantic rails into Birmingham he filed Joint tariff with the Birmingham Southern which in ef- feet was a recognition of the Birming- ham Southern as common carrier That tariff was suspended four months by the interstate commerce courts. Conferences | in New York held recently failed to se- cure any compromises, it is gathered, and | the examiner was instructed to come here and inquire into the situation. He will be | In Birmingham early next month | The Tennessee company uses to large ,xtent the Birmingham Southern railroad, but it is held by the officials of the Ten npSSpa hot 1or of other industries are served the com pany cannot be in any sense other than
 a common carrier. A regular tariff sheet
 is issued by the Birmingham Southern l as by other lines. The Birmingham South ern will likely effect a vast amount of saving through switching charges pro- vided the interstate commerce commis- sion designates the company as com
 mon carrier. | President Atkinson of the Atlanta, Bir- | ningham and Atlantic returned to his
 home yesterday afternoon, using his line
 to Atlanta. While here he was the guest
 at lunch of MT. Percy at the Southern
 club as was Judge Brandon.
 Business with the Atlanta, Birmingham
 and Atlantic is good,' said President At
 kinson. "In fact, during September last
 our business volume was greater than in
 any month of ou rhistory, and I am san-
 guine over the volume for October. be-
 lieve it will be better even than Septem-
 ber The general situation with the Att
 lanta, Birmingham and Atlantic is ex- ceptionally good. Business from Birming-
 ham has been splendid and we are grate-l fpl for the patronage of our Birmingham friends. We have, it is true. a sparsely settled country to operate through, but the industrious Birmingham merchants
 are after that trade and they are accom-
 plishing great things"
 That the receivership would continue year or so longer was the statement of
 MT. Atkinson when asked as to that prop osition.
 'The line will be under a receivership
 for year or more, perhaps" he said That is, court matter, and it requires n vast amount of work to release any re-
 ceivership We are operating very well
 and we are in no real haste to be rid of that formality,"
 President Atkinson excused himself from talking politics when asked: How about our Oscar Underwood for President of these United States?"
 q am no politician" said MT. Atkinson
 and cannot talk politics. MT. Underwood has certainly reflected gerat credit upon his district and state since becoming leader of the committee on ways and
 means He is widely known, but I am rot conversant with the political trend
 enough to comment uponBthose matters" MT. Atkinson said that he was very
 much interested in seeing Birmingham continue to grow and prosper and held
 no doubt of the ultimate lead of this dis trict in industrial affairs. He will return to Birmingham in about 10 days and will spend two or three days here looking over the Birmingham coal and iron properties