The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-17
SOUTHERN ASKSA CURTA|LMENT OF
 REVENUE DEMANDS
Attorney for Railroad Says Income Has Decreased.
 Commission Grants Re- quest of the Road

Montgomery, October s-(special)-L. F. Jeffries of Washington, general coun- sel of the Southern railway, appeared be- fore the state railroad commission today and. in a candid statement regarding the financial condition of his road, asked that there be a eurtaiment of the demands upon it's revenues until such time as busi- ness conditions may warrant.
 Mr. Jefrles stated to the commission tliat as a result of the general business depression due to the European war the resources of the Southern railway had been greatly reduced, statements of the company showing that for the week end ing September 21 last the gross revenues of the company, as compared with the same week of last year, had fallen off the sum of s139, ,356; that for the week end ing September 90 such decrease amounted to $166. .22S, and that for the week ending October 2, the gross revenues of the com pany had decreased s2f5S6S.
 The general counsel of the Southern railway appeared before the commission in behalf of Fairfax Harrison, president of the company, at whose request MT. Jeffries sought a hearing with the railroad commission. Mir. Jeffries will also go to the commissions of the other states through which the Southern operates and lay before them and other governing bodies the needs and the conditions of his company.
 Operating Expenses Increase
 Mir. Jeffries stated to the commission that while the revenues of the company had been steadily going off, the operat- ing expenses have been continually in creasing. He filed with the commission a statement from which it appeared that the operating expenses of the company. out of every 500 earned, had increased from S64.40 in 1911 to s69. A In 1914: that the taxes paid by the company had increased from $341 in 1911 to $9.6s in 1914, and that In lol1 there was carried by the company to it's surplus account, out of every $l00 earned the sum of sS.s2. while in 1914 there was carried to such surplus account only the sum of $6.52
 MT. Jeffries stated to the commits sion that within the period of three years last past the Southern Railwar company had expended throughout the south for new depots, depot facilities overhead crossings, viaducts and other improvements all largely nonrevenue producing, the sum of $13,2S3,TS.21. WuiSH ildS been dD enormous dIa1n upon the resources of the company. MT. Jef- fries filed statements with the cont mission showing that demands have been made and which have been ap- proved by the company and the work authorized and now under construction for improvements of this character over the system to the extent of S4,- 095,196.54; that of this sum $1.0s1, ,934.s9 is now being expended in Alabama al0na That in ha nf ditions there are demands now pending over the system for new stations, depot facilities. overhead crossings, viaducts and other Improvements of the non revenue producing kind to the amount of sS.370, 940.94. of which $59i636 arei pending in Alshama aTheses improve ments, Nh Jeffries explained, had not vet been required by the various com missions. and that one of the purposes of his appearing before the commission st this time was to request their aid. in postponing these particular matters un- til such time as the revenues of the company would warrant its making the expenditures that would befnecessary 10 meet such of these demands as are just and reasonable
 A Business Emergency
 He impressed upon the commission that MT. Harrison wished 1t understood
 
 Dany to make such a request, but that the present business emergency made it necessary; that it was the purpose of the company to meet all just and reasonable demands of the people O. the south upon it, just as soon as it's revenues warranted il. He pointed to the past history of his company to bear out such statement Mir. Jeffries stated 10 the commission that they. as guar dians of the state of Alabama and ot its people, should grant to his com pany such relief. He pointed out that the people the Southerp railway served were more interested in such company than the owners themselves; that the manufacturing enterprises could man. ufacture no more goods than the rail- roads could haul; that no more cotton could be raised than could be trans ported by the railroads; that the pro- duction of coal and iron was circum- scriLed by the capacity of the railroads to haul it to market, and that it was therefore essential to the public that the integrity of the Southern railway company be upheld. .stsatas.
 MT. Jeffries pointed out to the commis- sion that the freight revenues of the Southern Railway company for the month O, October 1913, were S4.572.339 for No yernber they were $l,2l50l3, and for De- cember they were s4,07l. 21S, of which the revenue from cotton alone was l3.0S per cent in October, III per cent in No vember and 9.5S per cent in December That of this revenue a very small pro portion has been received during this year, and that the traffic officials esti- mate that in the month of October alone the company's revenue would fall off sub stantially half a million dollars from this one source, and that from the other sources of traffic like decreases would be had.
 No Further Orders
 At the conclusion of MT. Jeffries' ad- dress, the railroad commission gave him written statement to the effect that the commission several weeks ago had taken cognizance of the financial condi- ton of the railroads, and that at pres