The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-08
RATE SLICE SEEN HERE |BY ASHBURN Birmingham Birmingport Switching Charges To Be Abolished l GENERAL ADVOCATES PORT DEVELOPMENT Tuscaloosa Also To Get Improvements, Says
 Waterways Head PACKET SERVICE
 TO BE INCREASED Fifty Steel Barges Should Be Placed In Operation Here,
 He Says
IGENERAL ADVOCATES lPORT DEVELOPMENT
PACKET SERVICE
 TO BE INCREASED
fBy Leased Wire To Age-Herald)

fBy Leased Wire To Age-Heraidl
 MOBILE, Ala, Dec. 7.-De- velopment of better terminal facilities at Tuscaloosa and Birmingport and an attempt to eliminate switching charges between Birmingport and Bir- mingham will be among the next ventures for the improve ment of the Warrior branch of the Inland Waterways cor poration, Brig. Gen. T. .. Ashburn, director of the cor poration, declared last night on his arrival in Mobile. Among the immediate steps to he taken is the placement III service on the Warrior of !2 all-steel barges constructed In Pennsylvania and now en route from Louisville.
 The problem confronting the Warrior river was suecinctlly explained by the general He enumerated establishment of better packet service by fast Doats be+ween New Orleans, Mobile and the rnner Warrier river and acquisition or more equipment and the creatioh ol hattar terminal facilities at the up river points.
 Operating Costs Low
 csneral Ashburn was rather sangulne ;,, bis homes for the barge line Operat- ;no losses in the month of October, ne daclared. were the lowest since the in- ouguration of the service, and thls ne took as an augury of success. NO reason exists" he asserted, why the l;no should not assume self-sustalnlng hos;s with the fast packet service plan ned for operation between New UT leans. Mobile, Tuscaloosa and Blrmmg, g ham. operation of between 4o ana ~ oil-steej barges, and effectiveness or dl- rect charges from .Birmingport 10 DIT r,;nohom. What we want IS either direct line from the terminal at Blr- ,n;ngnort to Birmingham, eliminating the charge fer switching from Ensley to Rirmineham. allowing us to reacn dls- trihutinc railroads at Birmingham without prohibitive cost, or some agree rnent that will reduce distribution costs.
 Members In Party
 General Ashburn is accompanied py members of the inland waterways ad- visory board. At the conclusion or me trin. which has for it's purpose Inspec- ton of conditions on the inland water we've the hoard will meet in Washing ion on December 13 in executive seSsloii ,o draft a plan of operating for sup mission to Secretary of war weeks; Only members of the advlsory poaru will be in attendance on the meetlns anu all others will be excluded. we ask all citizens to meet with us ana discuss what shoud be done to better the barge service and we are ready to near ali grievances or complaints.
 Included in the party are Generai Ashburn, James E. smith, tresluehl oi the Mississippi Valley assoclatlon, rep ,asertino ali water ways in that area ; General R. A. Brown of Birmingham, ranresenting the Warrior river; NJ. J. Sanders of New Orleans, representing the lower Mississippi; Hallett ". Sea man of Clinton, Iowa, and Chicago, representing the upper Mississippi, and Theodore Brent of New Orleans, gen eral manager of the Mississippi-W Warrior service. In Birmingham the party Will ha joined by Milton H. Hunt Of Mem nhis. and Wilbur II. Jacoby of Pitts burg. ....
 The party has an extensive itinerary mapped. From Birmingham the mem, hers will cntrain for Birmingport and inspect facilities there and then will embark upon a river boat and make the trip to Cordova and lock 17 to give mem hers an opportunity to see the Warrior river. Returning to Birmingham, the next day will find the members motor, ing to Tuscaloosa for an inspection o1 the terminal there and meeting with Tuscaloosans to which citizens oi Demopolis also have been invited, From Tuscaloosa the board will go to Birming ham and take train for Washington, ar irving there on the morning of December 12, when the executive meeting will bt called.