Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-05-15
AY CONSOLIDATE THE TWO ROADS
th and South and "Par ker'' Lines May Be Biz Trunk Line Through Pine Bluff Conference Like
 
 ly Bff:asen A. L. & G: Officials and Local Promo tars of North and South-J M Parker and w. A, Otis Attend Meeting at Board of Trade

proposition along that line. but he took care not to submit any propo- sltlon whatever, contending that his associates should first know that Pine
 Bluff heartily favored the road to such an extent as being willing to give them every encouragement. both ill sentiment and business. He said that it appeared to him that the ideas of local people along the line of rail-
 roads had been thoroughly crystal
 ized. We didn't come here to be in- duced to build this road he said,
 'but we understood that we were to exchange ideas that might lead to
 its construction on strictly busi- ness basis. If the road is to benefit
 Pine Bluff and the builders as we'll
 it must be built that way We must be able to successfully compete with
 other roads now in the field.
 When We first took up the Parker
 road project We decided to build
 South from Pine Bluff and get q
 Northern connection from this city.
 By this we would get the benefit of
 all inbound freight and enjoy the dis
 tribution of freight South of Pine
 Bluff. But after looking over the
 situation We finally built the South end of the road first. We started at
 Monroe and went to Hamburg, dis
 tance of 65 miles. We have a Rock
 Island connection there and we are giving that town a good passenger
 tsAasa to exteIu to Pine n1ahdART 4df11i9gss iigss x
 we could get a Rock Island connec-
 tion on the North. A glance at the
 map will show one at once that it
 would be impossible to benefit our
 selves or Pine Bluff by only extend-
 Ing the road to this city. Freight
 would have to be brought 100 miles from Crossett and at the same freight
 rate that would be in effect from points at least 200 miles away on competing roads. The North and South railroad would not be valuable without Southern connection. Two short lines could not make it a pay ing proposition. There should be one continuous road from the Rock Is- land on the North to the present A. L. and G. terminus on the South, through Pine Bluff. That is very attractive country North of Pine Bluff but you should not entirely overlook the country South of your city. Ii it appears best to you that We should build the road through Pine Bluff to the North, of course we would ap- preciate a subsidy. That would be a mere trifle compared with the hearty and endorsement that we would expect from the business peo- pie of this city and section. Gentle men, good will and harmonious feel ings are far more valuable to us than any bonus. We do not wish to an- tagonize any individual or party of men who might have had their plans arranged for any roads in or out of Pine Bluff"
 John F. Rutherford was asked for an expression and gave it in a few words. He said the committees went about raising money when it was not sure what the Parker road would do' ; put ir was included in the three de- tired, He said he knows one thing md that is, that Pine Bluff wants md needs railroads. He believed. he i aid, that two lines would be bene- icial to Pine Bluff, even if they were hort lines, but he realized that one i jig line, with one management, would [ 'e better paying proposition from { n operation point of view. MT. Par ger nor others could antagonize him f they built roads into Pine BinH Ir. Rutherford said there was no on" yho would more heartily co-operate vith them than he. We want rail oads", he continued, 'So far as m concerned I am ready at all ines to give any enterprise that will e1n hui1d m Pine Bluff my assist nee and support" Mir. Rutherford ssured the Parker people that they ad the hearty endorsement of the