The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-08-03
WANT LOCAL INTEREST.
People Wanted as partners" so as TO
Create Freight and Passenger
Business.

Mr.. WI. Thackston, president, MI. u.
A. Clark, general superintendent and man
ager, and MIR. II. S. H~ayhesworth, attorney
Of NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. lnterurpan
Trolley line, in response to an invitation
extended them by Mayor Baker came
down last Friday night and made address,
es telling In a general way the general
plan and scope Of the company which Mr..
Duke is the head Of.
Mr.. c. S. Allen, soliciting freight agent
of the Seaboard Air Line came down from
ireenville with the party.
Mr.. Tbackston made the first talk. AS
president of the scheme as outlined to q
few gentlemen including himself by MIR.
Duke, then unfolded to o larger number IN
G~reenville, all of whom took hold enthuS-
iastioally and subscribed stock in the prop
ositaon feeling sure that 1t would be a pay
ing Investment in itself and then far above
this value. was the enhancement 1t would
mean for all other classes OF property.
Mr.. Thackston said the idea OF MI; Duke
was to have the people along the line OF
the road interested in the same by taking
stock. Mr., Duke knew that this would
mean that they would want the road TO
have their business, as passengers and as
shippers and as receivers OF freight. MI.
Thackston said he did not want the Idea
to get out that the southern extension,
which was absolutely necessary, was TO
60 to the highest bidder. There were
many things to consider IN the hnal Sc
lection OF o place for this southern terml-
nal, but Of course, there must be some,
local interest in the proposition Whlceever
place was selected,
Mr.. Thackston was followed by Mr.
Harry Haynesworth, the we'll known law
YER OF Greenville. Mr.. Haynesworth gave
avery clear and cogent explanation OF the
local interest feature.
The people are asked to be partners In
the enterprise and all, small sharers and
big sharers, were ON exactly the same foot
ing, he said, Each man would get q GER
tiflcate of stock for every hundred dollars
putt n and if the road paid, as all felt 1t
would do, each shareholder would get his
Greenville felt sure about 1t, he said. He
felt sure Of it and had put some OF his
money in it as had many others in Green
Vile. The only thing Mr.. Haynesworth
said, the road wants given 1t were rights
of way, They asked this and would accept
nothing else, II q man wanted to take
stock, he could do so, but rights OF way
was the only thing the system wanted CIV
en- it,
sUPT. CLARK.
Mr.. Haynesworth was followed by Mr..
Clark, who has been made general mana
ger and superintendent Of the property.
| Mr.. Clark has had wide and varied eXpe-
rience in managing electrical properties,
He told of the perfectly enormous earning
Of some of these properties and said that
in his opinion the interuban une should
earn, in this section, not less than $5,OCU
the mile, in all probability twice that much
but he thought 5000 an absolutely safe
| ~e&;o,oEn Il rn,,l1 nncf M nnnrntn the
line fifty per cent Of the gross earnings
| per mile which would make the net earn
ing 81, 500 per mile annually. At the max
imum cost Of $50 900 per mile this would be
q fine return an an investment for those
who put money in it. Mr.. Clark said ne
had been connected with and was inter
ested in a number of fine interurban prop
critics but the possibilities in this Pied
mont section we're the best he knew OF
anywhere in the country today. he told
of how he became interested in the pro-
iect. He came down to Greensboro to in.
vesti gate the street railway there and
liked the country. He and his associates
bought this property and then the High
Point property and had the idea of coming
on to Charlotte. Meanwhile Mr.. Duke had
become interested in the much larger pro-
iect and he :met Mr.. Duke through Mr.
Thackston with the final result that he
had been chosen general manager OF the
whole system by Mr.. Duke.
Mr.. Clark said he had promi. i Mr.
Duke to nave everything ready by the
first of September for beginning work
and that Mr.. Duke would return from
Europe by that date aud that to make
good he must have things ready. This
6roposed Southern extension must be Sc
tected by that time. Mr.. Duke, he said
wanted to make the construction the
most rapid of any electrical road In the
country and the road bed itself -would be
second only to railroads like the PennsyI
yania, the G. G.. and o. and the Underwater
COMMITTEE SUGGESTED.
At the conclusion Of Mr.. Clark's remarks
President ThackstOn suggested that