The Prescott daily news., 1915-11-18
MILLION TONS OF
 FREIGHT ANNUALLY
This is Inducement Offered by
 Deep Waterway Advocates at Session Just Closed in Little Rock before U. s. Engineers.

OoHS ol IrelgnC annually was the ln- ducement offered by deep waterway advocates in the closing session be- fore the United States Army Engi- neers Tuesday afternoon, in their plea for four foot waterway in the Ark ansas.
 United States Senator Joe T. Robin son made the closing argument and frankly informed the engineers that If the Arkansas river was in any other part of the country the needed i'm provements would long ago have been made. He declared that the tonnage 1 Is here, and that no matter what the cost of the improvement is, it is good investment on the part of the government. Senator Robinson stated that he was first and last for the i'm provement of the Arkansas until a regular channel could be maintained at small cost.
 Carl J. Baer, secretary of the Lit tie Rock Chamber of Commerce, was the principal speaker of the afternoon, presenting figures to the commission to show tonnage that could be expect ed if the improvements were made. He declard that Arkansas was the most discriminated against state in
 he United States, in regards to freight rot TIA alone has retarded the development of the state, and had almost paralyzed it's industries. The speaker stated he was not opposing the railroads, and the opening of the river would take away the low priced tonnage, and permit the railroads to use the cars demanded in it's transportation to bet ter classitications of freight. Mir. Baer estimated the tonnage Little Rock will now give river packets if i transportations is assured, at 500,000 tons per annum. The most of this is bauXite, but Mir Baer stated the busi- ness interests of all cities along the river would work with the government engineers to increase it annually until the government was reaping a harvest on the investment
 Mir. Baer went thoroughly into the improved models in river boats, which have to great degree removed the demands for deep water. He sub mitted much in the way of statistics to be considered by the Board at it's leisure.
 James P. Hove, for twenty years a coal operator of Arkansas, told how a large company had been organized to ship coal from the Logan county field to Mississippi river points in barges but the proposition failed because of the death of the Rentuckian who was to finance it. He also spoke of an- other company which was ready to take up river shipments and develop large coal properties if given assur- ances that navigation will be kept open. Mr. Hove estimated that there i is yet S00,000,000 tons of coal in Ark ansas fields, and the annual produc- { tion now is only 100000. He asserted that lack of freight rates now re- stricts the Arkansas coal trade to the surplus that other states cannot sup ply, and the higher grades of coal, which only Arkaisas produces. MT. Hove states that the annual output of coal in Arkansas would be increased to 2,000,0 ,000 tons annually if river traf- fic was opened. Mir. Hove did not stop with Ozark as the head of navi- gation, but told of practical harbors at the mouth of Vache Grasse, in Se- bastian county at the mouth of the Poteau at Fort Smith, and the opening of the Poteau to the fields about Poteau, Okla., which could be accom- plished at very small outlay
 Capts. Hicks of Pine Bluff, Daniels of Little Rock, and Evins of Dardan- ellie; gave their opinion of the river inn provement, and all expressed the be- lief that it would not cost great deal to bring back the old steam boat days. Capt. Jeff Hicks stated that it would not cost near as much as the engineers estimated, for there was only a few miles of caving banks, and the other would not have to be touch ed. This statement was made in re- ply t. volunteered by govern ment ena ger that permanent inn