Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-12-30
Business People Appeal to
Senators in Behalf of Ar
kansas River Work.
WANT STREAM OPENED
Traffic Bureau Shows That Freight
Rates Will Decrease When River
Is Navigable the Entire
Year.

getic fight to have an appropriation
for work on the Arkansas river III
cluded in the annual rivers and har-
bors bill to be adopted at the pres
ent session of the United States con-
gross, was made plain yesterday,
when Commissioner w. M. Taylor OF
the Pine Bluff traffic bureau, Secre-
tary r. B. Bloom of the Chamber of
Commerce, and individual residents
ri the city forwarded letters to United
States Senators Clarke and Robinson,
urging that they use every effort to
get such an appropriation included in
the bill. and citing specific reasons
for such action.
Mr.. Taylor's letter. which was
signed By number of the largest
buJinea: houses q pine Bluff, in
addition t., Mr.. Taylor himself. stated
the case in plain, direct terms, being
as follows:
Our attention has been directed to
the absence CT any appropriation for
the Arkansas river in the proposed
Rivers and Harhors bill, now pending
before the senate.
eve are attaching for YOUR in
formation copy of petition tnaS mas
been filed with the interstate COM
merce commission by this organiza-
ton, which petition seeks the estab-
lishment to Pine Bluff from produc-
ing territory east Of the mississippi
river Of through rail and river rates,
i. e., rail rates to Memphis and river
rates Memphis to Pine Bluff. Fol
lowing precedent, the petition asks
that these rates be made lower thar
the present through all rail rates.
This means, should the petition sbc
granted, that from the territory in
which ninety per cent. of the pro-
ducts consumed in Pine Bluff origi'
nate. the shipper would have the OPP
ton of shipping through to Pine
Bluff by rail and river at rate from
ten to twenty per cent. lower than nc
can now ship through by an all raj
route,
Zone boat now operates bn the AZ
kansas river from it's moath tossPint
Bluff. The navigation is hampered
considerably about four months II
the year under present conditions
This difficulty is the only obstacle
we know of that would cause thu
commission to refuse our petition
Should the present work, which J
negligible, be removed from the river
it would seriously handicap the de-
yelopment of river traffic, remove
beyond our reach the posslHlltle:
that lie in the natural advantages VIZ
should enjoy by reason OF our ioca
ton at the head Of navigation on th'
Arkansas river.
Large commercial centers have
been built up in the United States D,
reason of their location on nav'gaol'
waters, and we believe that with tn
nroper development, which the Ar
kansas river is entitled to, the ulh
mate benefits to the state would u
very great: ~ ."
I'VE believe our natural advantage
has been lost sight of for many years
and the steps we are now taking VII
eventually lead to demand by shlp
ners to use this natural highway G
commerce, and the consequent ton
mage will result in the establishment
OF boat lines to connect with the RAJ!
roads at Memphis and other points
The prospective traffic from tn
onening cf the panama canal, the de
yeIopment of local river points, ana
above all, the saving in transpofta
ton charges that righttully belong u
cities and towns located upon navi
gable river, are further reasons wh,
The A,kansas river is entitled to
reasonable appropriation for malnten
!. ance and developments"