The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-31
|. &N. PLANS NEW SHOPS AT MOBILE Dock Board Exchanges Back Property For
 Water Front Land RAILROAD LIKELY TO SPEND MILLIONS Yards Of Three Roads To Be Located Near
 Each Other WORK ON DOCKS
 \ TO BEGIN SOON Condemnation Proceedings Are Necessary Against Few
 Property Owners
RAILROAD LIKELY
 TO SPEND MILLIONS
WORK ON DOCKS
 N TO BEGIN SOON
lsneeinI I.aaaell Wire. l

MOBILE. Ala, Aug. 30.-RemoyaI of shops, roundhouses. yard and the entire equipment of the plant of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad com pany, located at Royal and Charles ton streets, to appoint one half mile :. west of the site where the state will spend ten million dollars for docks and piers, is proposed in an agreement en- tered into between officials of the road and the state docks commission, ac- cording to information today.
 While the project is said not to have been definitely approved by the railroad company the negotiations have reached that stage where the corpora tion agrees to exchange 60 acres or water front developed and improved property for 109 acres of unimproved property, which the commission, will get fort use in port development.
 The railroad company will, it is re- ported, spend several millions in im- proyements here.
 Development, Planned
 Provisions for the shops at the east edge of what is now known as the Laurent plantation and near three-mile creek is made in the revised plan of the docks commission and is shown on the latest map of the port engineers. The mans show a site immediately west If she docks and piers and the main iisae of the Louisville and Nashville flnaafi. is raserxed fonr thaaG Giafatr laFo1- sef of the railroad, and port author flies hope that the corporation will use the property for this purpose.
 Shops and repair facilities of the railroad now occupy several blocks be- tween Royal and Water streets, and their removal to the site west vt the state docks would relieve much of the congestion which is reported In the territory adjacent to the present shops.
 Should the railroad approve the prof ect and complete it's repair facilities fhrea railroads would be concentrated in the area which is destined to become fhe boom center of the city. Yards of fhe Southern and Mobile and Ohio railroads are located near one mile creek, nearer to the city.
 To Fill Property In the agreement which resulted in The exchange of water front for back property the docks commission said the state would raise the back property nine feet, thus bringing above the high water mark, and make it available for any purpose desired by the railroad. when the states part of the agree rnent has been carried out, 1t Is be- iieved the railroad will announce def initely it's program for development of the project and whether 1t will remove shops from the downtown district to the state docks territory.
 To Begin Work
 work of actually building docks, piers. tracks, warehouses and other port facilities, is expected to be well finder way in a short time, although there is much to be done in a legal way before the commission gets pos session of the property along the river and west of the river. Legal options have been obtained on some of the land, while owners of some back prop erty are still considered "hold outs nnd have refused to accept the valua- tion placed by a board of appraisers. Condemnation proceedings against at least two owners are said to be in- evitable.