Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-04-16

Wednesday at 4 D. m. number of
the best business men and shippers
of the city met at the Office of the
!. B. Speers company to discuss the
advisability of freight bureau. Those
present were l. Dreyfus, f. c. Howell,
M. Russell, A. w Mum. J. b. Speers,
W. w. Boyd, Hugh Fox, w. l.. De
woody, H. C. MeGaughey, Captain
Jeter, Harvey Mann, g. H. TowIer,
W. N. Trulock, John T. Sennett Jas.
Brizolari. Chas. II. Brown, of the
Sawyer and Austin Lumber company;
R. Riley, Mai. H. H. HUM, J. T.
Lloyd w. H. Westbrook.
The meeting was called TO order
by Capt w. S. Jeter. and he, in a con-
else manner, spoke clearly upon the
purpose of the meeting He con
tended firmly that freight bureau
was badly needed for the best inter-
ests of Pine Bluff, and the ship
pers merchants and jobbers Of the
city He conclusively demonstrated
his points and then called on Mr.. A.
R. Bragg, of Little Rock, the manager
Of the freight bureau of that city, to
make talk
Mr. Bragg stated that the merchants
OF Little Rock in February organized
wit fivn nd
that in March he was employed to
take charge of the office. He said
that the bureau was composed OF
merchants and other business men
in every avocation. He said that all
the members were highly pleased with
the success thus far and that it was
his duty to look after the interests
of the shippers in every respect
looking after claims. cars, rates,
watch changes in state and interstate
rates A man must be alert to keep
upl With all these things. It requires
all bis time, he said, and a merchants
association cant attend to their own
business and the railroads too There
has been a great deal of good ac
complished already at Little Rock.
Mr. Mum then asked: "Has Mem.
phis as good rates as we have?"
Mr. Bragg replied: "Yes, sir; they
have to Monticello, Warren and Port
land. At those points the iron Noun
tain has made lower rate in favor
of Memphis. The same scale of rates
is also in force on the Cotton Belt.
That is thing you must watch. The
only relief you have is the railroad
commission, and that is very good,
but if you had a thoroughly up-to-
date railroad bureau man with a com
bined shipping interest behind him
you could then have influence with the
railroads, as we now have in Little
Rock, and you could do more effective
work than a railroad commission in
manW respects. This is business
though within itself, and you need
man to watch and attend to it. You
can't expect, of course, to win all
you go after, but you will find that
in the matter of overcharges any re-
taller will be able to save from $40
to $50 per year on these two items
alone. OF course our bureau is young,
but it has worked such a revolution
on the part of the railroads in their
treatment of patrons that the mer-
chants of Little Rock are more than
satisfied. There are many questions
that Pine Bluff and Little Rock could
work together on, and in the matter
of Memphis having lower rates to
Portland, Warren and Monticello
than either Pine Bluff or Little Rock,
the combined efforts of the shippers
of two bureaus would have more
weight than one
The matter was discussed in many
phases, and the gentlemen present
decided to organize, but they deemed
]. it advisable to appoint committee of
Hhree to draw up contracts and pre-