The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-23
SPECIAL
 RATES ID SOUTH Railroads Should Give the South Annual August
 Excursions

New Orleans threatens to take up Tn earnest a suggestion which has frequent ly been made in Birmingham, namely, to induce the railroads to offer excursion rates to southern cities from the north during the winter. The annual August excursions to northern points take hun dreds of thousands of dollars from the south, and it is felt that some of this money should be brought by tourists from northern states. The New Orleans Item of Sunday says:
 MT. A. Weinfeld of the firm of Cross man & Weinfeld, New Orleans, makes the south should use their influence to induce the railroads to give the same low excur- sion rates from northern points to New Orleans which they give in summer out of New Orleans to northern, eastern ani western resorts.
 "Just now the railroads have taken some thousands of people away from New Orleans on these midsummer excursions These people take away with them and spend a half million dollars. New Or leans probably spends several million dol lars vacation trips
 This money is well spent but what applies to us in the summer applies to the north in the winter
 '.It is. true that the railroads find it 10 their profit to give Mardi Gras rates; but New Orleans, awakened and inspired by its exposition movement, is going to make strong effort to get a larger winter tourist traffic, and the railroads should help. They should give the same rates from Chicago, Washington and other northern points to New Orleans for two weeks, beginning January l. which they now give in August from New Orleans to these points. If they offer such rates and advertise them, New Orleans would have five or six times as many visitors in the city as we ever had We have enough already for Mardi Gras. A
 '"There Is eno reason why a merchants parade should not be given here the first carnival season in New Orleans. The Rex organization was formed for promot- ing the local business interests. It could parade early in January and again at the end of the carnival The whole mid winter season in New Orleans is car nival season. A good many of our visi- tors who would thus get a pleasant taste of our pleasures and climate in January would remain through the winter.
 'In the meantime. if New Orleans it. self will adopt the Items suggestion, raise pleasure resort in northern newspapers, we will have the biggest winters business of our history
 .'The crop outlook in the nearby country is good. Louisiana and Mississippi are go- ing to have more money to spend this winter than they ever had before. Some of their surplus money they will spend on pleasure If the business interests of New Orleans will see that they are not charged prohibitive rates to come to New Orleans or prohibitive rates after they get here, they will spend some of their money with us in winter instead of in the north in summer.
 ''The city needs an awakening move ment. Our business interests should not allow attention to be absolutely absorbed by politics to the neglect of other things that are really vital
 Meanwhile we hope that the departing excursonists will have thoroughly good time and not forget to say a good word for New Orleans as a winter resort. They ought to spread broadcast over the coun- try that in New Orleans the winter visi- tor will get more comfort and amusement for less money than in any other city in the United States and find the best eli nate summer or winter in the land"