Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-10-17
C0NCENT ITERATION RATE.
 FOR PINE BLUFF

sued hA Jaldse Naade1ealea a sJ. Paai several weeks aso went inc ef-
 feet the railroads doing business in
 Afhansas named Il committees of N
 ports 10 PtePan | aeW schedule of
 freight rates fog this state.- which
 We're 10 he fail=5o aot1l the railroad and the shippers and to compare WIt4 the ra5es in other statez. tffeT !spehdin5 several weeks pIcpaYiAg these rates Mr. Johnson said tie off.
 ctals presented the schedule to the Arkansas railroad commission in , spirit of compromise and to prevent litigation. He said the commission alter short time reported that the
 new rates Were too high and after 1 eonfetrin9 for some time the commits sion informed the officials that t wa Useless 10 continue the c0nteYnnee= aa 1 il would he impossible 10 feaeh d cont promise, and the officials laft. Mir 1 Johnson said these rates were ore pared alter much care and were based upon knowledge of ralroading and
 asked the shippers to give them q trial, These rates compare aith rates III other states and will give only a l fair return on the investments of the Railroads. Mh. Johnson spoke of the benefits 10 the state of railroad inn l'rovements and said the Arkansas shipments needed service more than rates and said the roads in Arkansas were not as good as thcF should be but if would take money To put them
 Ill good condition and to provide bel
 ter service. The rates suggested b..
 the railroad commission eould Hot 5e
 accepted as the roads had been nnz
 erated at a loss in this state and il re
 4ulFed money to provide improve
 mehts necessary. Unless the railroad
 can show that il has ! sood invest
 ment it is impossible to borrow the
 moneH necessary 10 make he improve
 ments required for better service.
 Dr. Caldwell secretary of lhe Board of Trade, who k possibly one of the
 best posted men on freight rates in
 Pine Bluff, Informed those present
 that the conditions here, concerning rates. were different from other points in the state. This territory k being cut off by the freight rates he said, and II was necessary for the railroads 10 do something to relieve the silua- tIon, otherwise the merchants would have to fall back upon the river busi- ness. He spoke of the rates on cotton which cause falling off in the cotton receipts from points south of MtGehee mighty made Pine Bluff. but the Iron
 Mountain railroad is making Me- Gehee. He also said that Monroe, La, had better rates into towns in Southeast Arkansas than Pine Bluff had, md in this way Pine Bluff was at Q disadvantage.
 Vice President Johnson favored with q committee of busi- h"Ss men and aScertaining what could i f"' done 10 relieve the local situation He was willing to meet them half way, l he said It WAS for that purpose, he said, that the* came here
 On motion el w H. L.aHsfofd com mittee composed Of the following bus mess men was named by President P 1 r. Byrd of the Board of Trade to meet l in the afternoon with the railroad off nlals and devise some way to better he freight rat" conditions here. F. C Howell F. D. Russell, J. W. WH- kins, \. N. Nunn, II. Riley, Y. o. Alexander. Fred Fox, W. H. West brook, J l.. Caldwell and P. r. Byrd :
 This committee met with the off 1. eials If ne railroad at o'clock in ! he afternoon and the conference last | ed for two hours md twenty minutes. 1 It was announced, after the confer | ance, that the railroad officials had | agreed Q give .pine Bluff the coneen- | ration rate
 The party of visitors left last night l 'or Helena, where they will confer l with the shippers today, and then pro- 'eed to St. Lonis. their headquarters,