The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-02
nRED AUTOISTS SAY HEAVY TOLL
 BEING ENACTED
Tourists Complain Of Ill Treatment Received
 In Alabama

Alabama people are getting rich through the remunerative practice of pulling automobile tourists out of the mud, the Chamber of Commerce and Birmingham Automobile club were ad- vised Friday in complaints reaching them from half a dozen different sources. The state highway depart ment can do nothing about it but to generally condemn this practice and appeal to the better side of people" living along the roads, State Highway Engineer W. $. Keller replied to communication addressed to him by the Automobile club.
 The Rome, Ga., Chamber of Con- merce and the Marietta, Ga, Chamber of Commerce, are among the organ nations formally bringing the situa- tion to the notice of the state highway department, the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the Birmingham Au- tomcbile club, while complaint is heard, it is said, from almost every individual tourist, who comes into Blr- mingham by automobile.
 c. Parker Mcdaniel, secretary of the Marietta Chamber of Commerce, ad- vised Secretary O. l.. Bum of the Bir- mingham Chamber of Commerce, that his organization had made an effort to route tourists through Alabama, but that if conditions were not improved it would be necessary to warn all mo- torists to avoid highways leading into or through Alabama.
 q am in receipt of reports,' writes W. R. Critics, secretary of the Rome Chamber of Commerce, stating that the people near Blount Springs are holding up tourists to the tune of SS to $50 for pulling them out of the mud. We would ask you to advise us in regard to this."
 This specific location also is refer red to by Secretary Mcdaniel of the Marietta Chamber of Commerce. who says he is advised that persons in this vicinity are making a fortune" rescu- ing tourists from the mud with their ready mules, charging SS minimum per mud hole and S3 additional for each time the chain breaks. Members of one family were forced to spend the night in their mud-bogged car, Mir. Me Daniel was advised, because they had
  It is ''pay in advance-if you don't pay YOU don't get out" Mir. Mcdaniel declares.
 Another Trap
 This location is on the Bee Line highway. on which the state highway department proposes to construct paved road reaching all the way from Decatur to Jefferson county. Contract has not as vet been let for the con- . struction of that part of the road near Blount Springs, Lut the old readbed of the Louisville and Nashville railroad furnishes a passable highway from Warrior, near the Jefferson county line, nearly to Blount Springs. Here it is necessary to leave the roadbed for detour over hill plentifully sup piled with ruts and sticky clay, and here most motorists meet their Water loo.
 A small party of college boys, at tempting to go overland to Nashville recently, were mired in this vicinity, the Automobile club is informed, and were refused help because they did not have $10 between them to pay for mule teams services. Later they were obliged when they agreed to pay every cent they had, and they continued the pilgrimage to Nashville without money for food or gasoline.
 Another spot dreaded by tourists is ''bottomless sea of mud between Kellyton in Coosa county and Alex nnder City in Tallapoosa county. Here, the Automobile club was in- formed by a tourist Friday, enterprise ing persons have gone into business sole occupation being to haul tourists out of the mud. This stretch of road is on the celebrated "Florida Short Route" and the president of the as sOciation which is inviting tourists to use this road lives at Alexander City.
 St. Louis Complaint
 The Automobile club received a letter Friday from Mrs. Joe Craig of St. Louis, who, with her husband, is attempting the passage of the Florida Short Route in this vicinity. She re- ported that she and her husband paid out $15 for mule team assistance be- tween Leeds and Alexander City, and she has not had an opportunity to calculate the damage to the car from constantly being in ruts.
 According to the Automobile club, most of the complaints are made in ref erence to detours that have to be created when the state highway de partment begins construction on a road. These detours are not properly marked. it is stated, and apparently nc effort is made by the highway depart ment to make them temporarily passable.