Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-08-30
TO USE FORT SMITH
 ASSESSMENT +
 Bridge Commissioners to Go to Border City to Inspect Equitable System for
 Bridge District CITY TO BEAR BURDEN
CITY TO BEAR BURDEN
Pine Rluffians Are to Be Entertained By Free Bridge Officials
 There

Fort Smith, Ark, Aug 29.-"If every resident of Pine Bluff would visit Fort Smith and carefully in spect the new $7OOO00 bridge across the Arkansas and become familiar with the entirely equitable manner in which the payment assessments are made, I feel certain that all op- position to our bridge would disap- pear. It is an absolute fact that the Fert Smith-Van Buren bridge is worth almost as much as a railroad" That was the statement of E. B.. Bloom of the board of directors of the Jefferson county bridge district, Tuesday afternoon. He is stopping at the Hotel Main and came to Fort | Smith to make preliminary arrange ments for the visit of other mem- bers of his board and three assessors S of his county who will be here Mol- day. The: party will be composed of himself, Chairman w. D. Hearn and A. w. Nunn of the board of d.rec- tors, and Assessors c. H. Triplett, w. c. Crittenden and M. A. Hudson They will be entertained and accom- panied while in the Border City met ropolis by C. w. L. Armour, Secre- tary Roy Johnson, R. P. Allen, Hor- ace Rogers and others of the "We Do'' clan.
 "The contract for the Pine Bluff steel bridge over he Arkansas was let August 19," continued Director Bloom. sThe work was given to the Romeheld Construction Company of i Chicago at the price of $605,000 with a time limit of twelve months from date for completion. Work has al ready in small way, started, and not now so much matter of secur- ing popular support, although that is an immense and essential item, but at this time we are seeking to acquaint ourselves with the Sebas- tian-Crawforda county system of as sessment."
 According tp eMr. Bloom the bene- fit policy of assessment adopted To- cally is decidedly just. By that sys- tenn the Fort Smith district, he as serts, pays practically n per cent o1 | the cost of construction because Fort Smith secures greater advantages. Crawford county pays 29 per cent on the same basis. At Pine Bluff that city should bear the greater burden of expense, asserted MT. Bloom, be- cause the benefits resulting from the existence of the bridge redound large ly to Pine Bluff. He declared that Fort Smith residents and the news papers here had been loyal and had accomplished much good for the Pine Bluff enterprise.
 "The bridge at home will not con- meet with any other city or town on the other side of the river, con- 'cluded the visitor. "The river runs through the county and Pine Bluff is the only place within miles around. It will, however, when completed open up to the merchants one of the most productive trade ter ritories in that section of the state. The agricultural sections on the other side are wealthy and progres- sive and the people will swarm into Pine Bluff as their commercial cen ter"
 The board of directors of Jeffer- son county include w. D. Hearn, chairman; E. A. Howell, secretary; P. P. Byrd, A. w. Mum, F. B. Tomlin- son, F. G Smart and E. B. Bloom. There has been some opposition to the proposed construction of the bridge, but it has practically disap- peared and the citizenship now is about a unit in encouraging the movement