Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-07-14
SEES NO IMPROVEMENT
BEFORE NEXT AUTUMN
fairfaN Harrison, President OF
Southern, Discusses BUSH
ness Outlook.
RAILWAY PRESIDENTS HERE
Confer rs to Business Conditions,
valuation and Other Problems.
Look for Better Trade i'm Fall.
Making Drastic Cuts in Expenses,

president Fairfax Harrison. of the
southern Railway, who was in Rich :
htohu yesterday to attend Il conference
Oh executives OF the principal railroads
III the south, said that he did not ex-
pect decided improvement in business
conditions generally before autumn.
lie mad Just gone over the situation
so far ms 1t affected the Southern with
James III. Drake. general freight agent
OF his road. with headquarters i'm this
scnce of any indication of n revival in
traffic during the remainder Of the
summer.
The same conditions which confront
the Southern prevail with the other
lines represented At the conference and
President Harrison had learned moth
ing from his associates which iudi-
Gated that the situation with any other
road would be materially different
from that expected by the Southern.
The general impression appeared to
prevail. however, that the railroad
presidents expected conditions in their
several territories to be decidedly mora
favorable than during the first SIX
months of the last fiscal year when
all lines suffered heavy losses in reve-
nues rs n result OF the stagnation in all
kinds OF business. following the ont
break of the war in Europe
DRASTIC ECONOMIES
OFFSET REDUCED BUSINESS
There was not railroad represented
In the conference which had not ma
terially reduced expenses by inaugu-
rating more drastic economies than
have ever before characterized the
operation of these systems. BY such
methods the companies have been able
10 OFFSET, to large extent. the de-
crease in traffic and the result in re-
cent months has been improvements
in the financial Showings OF each road
Less equipment has been used and the
cost of maintaining the same, as we'll
as the expenditures in maintenance of
way, have figured in the reductions
NO affairs OF public interest were
discussed at the conference of the
railroad executives IL was stated last
night. only routine matters having been
taken up. Plans for cooperating i'm
securing fair valuation of railroad
properties under the act OF Congress
occupied great deal of their attcn-
ton.
Those present at the conference were:
+. T. Lamb, OF Atlanta, Ca, re-
ceiver and general manager Of the At
lanta, Birmingham and Atlantic.
j. r. Kenly, of wilminrto ton. y. c.,
president OF the Atlantic Coast Line
George w. Stevens. of Richmond
president of the Chesapeake and Ohio
n. D. Maher. of Roanoke, vice-presi
dent of the Norfolk and Western
William II. White, of Richmond
president Of the Richmond, Fredcr!cks-
burg and Potomac.
w. j. 1Iarahan of Norfolk. president
Of the Seaboard Air Line.
Fairfax Harrison. of Washington,
president OF the Southern.
Raymond DuPuv, of Norfolk. prcsi-
dent of the Nirginian Railway.
c. y. Wickersham, OF Atlanta, pres
ident of the Atlanta and West Point
Hallway.
President stevens and President Har-
rison left last night for New York 10
attend meetings Of their boards Of di-
rectors. The other executives left the
city during the afternoon and night