The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-12-30
SPECULATION O N CHANGES ID FOLLOW
 IMMERSION OF ROADS
Railroad Men Interested In System to Be Adopted After March New !
 Through Train

! The Frisco and Southern railway will inausurate a new fast train be tween Kansas City and Jacksonville or Sunday. January II, which will TUT through without change. i The new train will consist of mail express and baggage cars, coaches and two sleeping cars. and will make only one stop-at Pell City-between Bir- mingham and Anniston. It will make local stops between Anniston and Aus tell. Ga, but will handle only through traffic from there on
 The new train which will be known as the Kansas City, Florida Special will leave Kansas City at 5:s0 D. m arriving at Birmingham over the Frisco at p. m, and depart over the Southern railway at 4:20 p. m. next day, arriving at Jacksonville at 10:50 the following morning.
 Returning it will leave Jackson vile at S;05 D. m, arriving al Bir- mingham at 12;i0, noon, over the Southern. depart at 12:30 D. m. over tho Frisco and arrive at Kansas City the next morning at 1925.
 AAiS 10 Pi Nnt SCHeuule dt the present Frisco train that connects with the Southern which carries only one sleeping car, the coaches turning back here. This necessitates a change of cars at Birmingham, which will be obviated when the new train. run ming through from Kansas City to Jacksonville. is put on
 SPECULATION ON FUTURE
 ho the railroads revert to their owners on March I? is being asked by railroad men and the public.
 The traffic men, both passenger and freight are wondering if the com mercial and passenger agencies, with the hundreds of offices all over the country. will be re e-established If their preferences are considered the old system of each road maintaining separate freight and passenger agen. cies and ticket offices in the princi- pal cities will be re- e-established
 This question has been put up to number of former district and travel ing agents during the last few days and with scarcely an exception they all favor the old system.
 Prior to government control and op- eration of the railway systems nearly every important road in the country dStuClbS III BlrmlnkQam, some of them having separate freight and passenger traffic men. with ticket offices in the downtown business dls- trict. These were abolished by the United States railroad administration and all of the ticket offices of the for eign roads consolidated, with one man. ager and one set of ticket sellers.
 While this makes for economy, it results in inferior service and frequent s.-f f,,.w |. ....l. great deal of annoyance and inconveni- ence, some of the former passenger traffic men say.
 One of the passenger traffic men, discussing this matter, stated that some time ago man purchased a ticket to California and return. He wanted to go by one route and re- turn by another, with stopover priv ileges at number of places.
 When he got out to Texas he found that he was routed over the wrong road, had no stopover privilege and could not make some of the cities and resorts he most desired to see. CONSIDER OLD SYSTEM
 The result was vigorous kick, lot Of correspondence and a dissatisfied passenger. This is cited as an in- stance where joint ticket offices are at a disadvantage.
 Had the transcont,nental road over which the passenger desired to travei west maintained an office in Birming- ham, the roads representative, fa- miliar with that entire system and all Its connections and stopover priv ileges, this information could have been given and the trouble and an- noyance to which he was put avoided men say.
 The Birmingham district traffic committee, Clarence 1T. Person, chair man, and J. A. Ridgeiy, o. L. Bum and R. G, Cobb, associate members. which had made all preparations for closing up office on December 31, will con- tinue open until February %, accord ing to the best available information at present
 The docket will not be reopened, but all matters that are presented to the will be considered and dis posed of until the railroads pass from government control.
 Col. IT. r.. Hutchens, chairman of the operating committee with offices in the Jefferson County Bank building. stated yesterday that he had received no information or ad- vices about discontinuing his office This committee will probably be re- tained until the railroads are returned 10 their owners.