The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-01-10
RAILROADS MAKING PLANS FOR MEETING
 CHANGES IN MARCH
Stronger Roads Expected to Take Over Weaker Ones as Feeders-Prepare to
 Open Offices Here

Several of the freight and passenger traffic representatives of the trunk system of railways who had head quarters in Birmingham prior to gov ernment assumption of control and operation of the railroads on January 1. 1918. will be back here about March H., it is stated.
 Four or five of the roads have all ready secured office space and others are negotiating for accommodations one or more representatives of these roads are in Birmingham every day making arrangements for opening of fees on March 1. or shortly there after.
 s. J. Brown. it is announced, will come here on March 1 as general agent of the Southern Pacific railroad, which has leased offices in the Woodward building.
 The Missouri Pacific. which also has taken offices ia the Woodward, will be represented by Paul Escott, it is announced. Both of these men are well known in Birmingham, they hav- ing been frequent visitors here before the government took over the opera ton of the railways and discontinued
 che services of soliciting freighl and passenger traffic agents. It is stated that many changes in | tho personnel of the officials and l soliciting forces Of the various railway systems will take place when the gov ! ernment relinquishes control and 1 operations.
 l In the past two years a great many | of the officials and other employees all down the line have either engaged in other kinds of work or gone into the ] government service. A few of them
 have made such records during this
 time that their services are now in demand in other lines that pay much larger salaries, and offer greater op- portunities for advancement, l There has been some talk at various times of scrapping some of the roads, or at least portions of them, that have | been operating at loss, but it is not l believed by railroad men who have ! expressed opinions on the matter that action of this kind will be taken. It is intmated that just soon as the owners set control again and l get matters adjusted the older and more prosperous companies will take over those that cannot hope to operate at profit using them as feeders. and | i this way. it is said. the cost of opera 1 tons can be lessened and new rolling stock for the unprofitable lines will
 not have to be purchased, at least a long time.
 Tho Cincinnati Southern. the north ern end of the Cincinnati, New Or leans & Texas Pacific system, will not
 be sold by the city Of Cincinnati, re- ports from that city state. The sale of this road, which was built by the city of Cincinnati about 40 years agc i to afford southern outlet for tho business interests of that city. ha. been agitated at intervals for the past
 25 years. but when put up to tho
 voters of Cincinnati they have always defeated the proposition
 The city of Cincinnati now receives an annual rental of about $i,1aO oot
 from the leasing company The prop
 erty is valued at between s4O.OOO. Oot and $50. 900, GOO and when built the
 road cost over s25. .000,oo0, the city oi
 Cincinnati issuing bends to pay for #
 The greater part of these bonds. il
 not all of them, are still outstanding
 The Cincinnati New Orleans <
 Texas Pacific system is made up of the
 Cincinnati Southern, from Cincinnati
 to Chattanooga; the Alabama Grea Southern from Chattanooga to Merid- ian Miss, and the New Orleans X
 Northeastern from Meridian to New Orleans.