Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-08-13

later affidavit, published July 17, 1912 T. J. Collier stated OF oath that there were 5,23o property holders in Jeff lerson county. His recent claim is 6,221, The Commission has claimed all along that there are but 1 ,6332 iT@perty owners in this county.
 When the Commission convened :ts meatin8 at 10 q. nl., thera were a large number of interested spectators present and T, J. Collier, president, and J. P. Oracle, secretary of the Taxpayers Association, with their at torneys, Carmichael and Graeie of Little Rock, were on hand The dent W. D. Hearn of the Commission, and all the members answ swered the roll call, Attorneys Coleman and Can't and Danaher and Danaher acc ed as iegal advisors for the Commits sion.
 Mir. Carmichael stated that il was the duty of the Commission as he in- terpreted the Bridge act, te compare the names of he property ow CTS with those on the assessors books. Unless this was done, he said, the next plan should be 10 take up the matter of repet' tions. Until we know the exact number of pro cmty owners n the county he said, we cannot proceed. He said there Ware l25 repetitions OF. the lists that there were more than 6,00o property oWn- CTS in the county and that they would be able to SHOW that 2,SS0 was net a majority of them.
 MT. Coleman stated t6at the Board had already made a thorough count as tc the number of property owners n the assessors boks That is what. you are going to be heard on" he continued, and I understand the Boald is now ready 10 hear your evi- dence to the contrary.
 Mir. Carmichael moved that the Board examine the assessment books and compare the names thereon with the original sig atures on the Bridge petit on. He said that A. z. Orto's name appears on three Deti- tions, z. Crtcs fcur times, the Fur ner Bedding Factory, twice, and the name of F. c. Smart, one of the Commissioners, four times.
 During the investigation it was proven to the sat sfaction of the Taxpayers officials and attorneys that Dr. z. Ortos name appeared on y once on the petitions and not four times, as claimed by them. The Tax payers officials created amusement in acknowledging that they did not know that there was such a man as A. z. Orto, the well known official of the Lloyd Company, in Pine Bluff H s name appeared twice on the pe- titions, but only once from himself and on ancther petition he was auth- criZed to sign for another property owner and after signing the name he wrote under it ''by A. z. Orto." This was what prompted the charge that he had signed the petition twice, when as matter of fact h's name had been counted cnly once, in the 2,SS0
  We want to submit that names of same way" said MT. Carmichael. We want to submit that names of firms are given and that names of individuals, members of the same firms, are also listed. There are thirty-three partnership signatures sted for the, Free Bridge and forty five corporations ask for the build ing Of the Bridge without authority from their stockholders, as required by law. In ether words, resolutions by their directors did not authorize their off cers to sign the petitions. We want tc ask fer the striking out Ol dll HdiliCS WitAuId VII II Oll Iib Bridge petitions, representing total of 1880. If the withdrawals, cor porations and repeaters come off there will be no majority in favor Of the Bridge
 Nr. Carmichael then argued as to the manner of counting the railroads as property owners, stating that the roads were taxed according to mile and met acreage. He then sugges ed as to what list should be used by the Board-the 1909 assessment or the 1911 assessment
 The Board agreed to hear all the evidence ard to permit the Taxpayers to show, if they could, that there
 were as many rspeatersa as they
 claim. This the opponents were un- ahle' tc do np to the hour of adiourn- ment yesterday afternoons o'clock. The Beard will reconyene this morr-