Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-03-01
COMPLETE VICTORY
WAS WON BY PINE BLUFF AND
OTHER CITIES AGAINST TEX.
ARkANA,
II O.. "a
Railroad Commission Turns Down
Texarkanas Petition for Unjust
Freight Reduction.
PROCEEDINGS IN THE MATTER

a meeting Of the Arkansas railroad
commission is being held IL Lit4ge
Rock, aDd a hearing is being given the
petition of the Texarkana shippers
filed December Il for 81 reduction OF
% per cent upon al shipments moving
cut of TeXarkana, Ark, under the
| tariffs of the Arkansas railway COM
mission, and that the reduction shall
take immediate effect and continue in
force until such time as the inbound
rates are satisfactorily adjusted
All the members Of the commission
are present, and the following railroad
traftice men and shippers
Missouri Pacific-W C. Stth,
freight traffic manager; D. e. King, di-
vision freight agent
Cotton Belt-J. P Park, general
freight agent; j. D. Watson, division
freight agent.
Merchants Freight Bureau CT Little
Rock-A. r. Bragg, manager
Pine Bluff shippers-H. Riley, G. Fl.
Fowler A. w Mum.
Texarkana shippers-E F. Burk, f.
w Mullins, Jnc. T. OWsley, @. O. Tur-
ner, w F. Standifer, w. J. Burhmon.
D. J. Cavitt
Written protests We're presented
against the proposed rate from the
Pine Bluff Commercial league by Sec
retary E. D. Russell, holding that The
proposition is unjust and unreasonable.
Adams Bros and company, who aver
that it is a discrimination CT the
rankest kind in favor of Texarkana,
and should it be adopted there will oe
no justice in it whatever" Camden
Machinery and Supply company of
Camden, who protest emphatieally
against the proposed rate unless the
safe privilege be accorded the JOB
bers of that city.
Mr. w. c. Stith made a verbal pro-
test against the proposed reduction.
When the standard distance tariff was
made operative, the Missouri Pacific
made a protest against it on the
ground that it was unreasonably c,w.
For this reason if no other the COM
pany objects to a further cut in the
rate. If special rates are to be made,
it would not be long before there is
no standard distance tariff. 1t was
proposed that the rate be made effec-
legally; also that such rate be con-
tinued until there can be a satisfactory
adjustment of interstate rates into
Texarkana but the commission is not
empowered to control, directly or in
directly interstate rates The pro-
posed rates would be a discrimination
against Pine Bluff, Camden, Little
Rock Hope and the other jobbing
points. Arkansas railroad business Is
unremunerative for the reason that
the commission rate now in effect is
the lowest of any state west of the
Mississippi. The road has no desire
to injure Texarkana interests in any
respect, but the proposed rate wouId
act as a boomerang. Mr.. Stith an
nounced that ne would later file il
writing mere elaborate response.
Texarkana disclaimed all sentimen
antagonistic to Little Rc,ck and Pin
Bluff.
After giving Texarkana a full hear
ing the commission refused tc. gran
the reduction asked. 1t was victor.
for the shippers Of Little Rock, Pin
Bluff and other cities, for it is elaine
that had the reductions asked, amour
ing to about fifty per cent, been gram
ed TeXarkana would have had an e.
elusive field into which Little Roc
Pine Bluff, Hope, Arkadelphia, Camdey
and other places could net go on
| count of the higher rates.