Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-10-11

DeldyCu IfplSltS, Lut liS Oi SOOuS Oul
of cars. freight rates and other mat
| ters of less Importance were discuss
ed at a rather sensational meeting of
the Pine Bluff board of trade Tues
day afternoon. The business element
| of the city made it manifest at this
meeting that they had been aroused to
action against the Missouri Pacific
company, more particularly the Iron
Mountain railway, for many alleged
wrongs inflicted upon them by the
latter. AS a result of the meeting and
the discussion indulged in, the board
of trade has employed an attorney to
look after the interests of the bust
ness men here. and see that the Iron
Mountain gives them justice.
It is the wholesale merchants who
are the greatest complainants in the
present trouble with the Iron Noun
tain. For many long years there has
been friction between this element
and the Iron Mountain, due, it is said,
to the negligence. the Indifference
and the carelessness of the company
operating that line. Innumerable mat
ters of minor Importance, which. TAX
er separately. hardly constituted
grounds for a united protest on the
part Of the business men, have at
last contributed as a whole, to Tues
days climax of the situation.
Among the other things mentioned
at the meeting, it was alleged that
the delaying of freights by the COM
pany has become unbearable to the
shippers here. 1t is claimed that
these freights are delayed unnecessa-
rily and unreasonably. Again. it is
charged that petty thefts out of cars
operated by the company have be-
come SO numerous and frequent that
they have become nuisance to the
shippers of this city; and that the
company is making apparently little,
if any. effort to suppress them. Still
again, the shippers of cotton kicked
against the employment of negro
cotton clerk by the Iron Mountain at
this point It was charged that this
clerk was insolent, unreliable and neg
ligent. And an echo of the last meet
ing of the board of trade, made men,
orable by the declination of Traffic
Manager Farrell to make any reduc-
ton in the rates now prevalent on
the Swan Lake road, was heard when
that old, old story of corporate oppres-
sion arose with reference to the Swan
Lake property The matter of ship
ping perishable goods over ;ne Pine
Bluff and Western road also received
attention.
The meeting was largely attended
by the representative business ele-
ment of the city. Soon after it wf%'
called to order. Secretary Johnson
lead number of letters from retail
merchants along the line of the Mis-
souri, Pacific stating that they We're
unable to get goods shipped from this
city in due time. Frequently cars
shipped from this city were delayed
the unreasonable length of a week or
ten days before delivery to point CT
destination. 1t was stated, too, that
the cars were very frequently found
broken into and some of the goods
missing. The practices of delaying
shipments thus and Dilfering from
the cars has been going on for months
4 is said, and has becoma unbearable
alike to shipper and receiver. The
officials of the railroad company have
teen appealed to time and again with
ou' results, and in the r.enting Tues
Gay it was tated that the time had ar
rived for the business men Of Pine
Bluff 70 take the matte up with the
Railroad commission. and seek relief
from that body.
on motion, the board of trade was
e.nl wered to employ ar attorney to
60 before the state railroad commits
siol. which met III Little Rock Wed.
nesl;y, and pre- SEM Pine 3'..fs
ccr,r amt in full. ana 20 take all hec
es. rsy legal action for redress.
On motion again. the secretary of
the ',@ard of trade was empowered
to address letter of protest to the
sunerintendent of the Missouri Pacific
nront rtv here against the employ
men' of a negro cotton clerk at this
~s,'nt. The dismissal Of the negro is
demanded, or the members Of the