The Prescott daily news., 1916-01-20
THREATENED EM-
 FARGO LASTED
 BUT SHORT TIME
Arkansas Trunk Lines Notified Shippers They Would Not Ac- cept Freight for New York or Eastern Points.

LittleRock, Jan. 20.-Like one of Arkansas spells of winter, the threat ened embargo on cotton and other shipments to eastern points, which had serious aspects Wednesday, blew over Tn short time. The embargo lasted but few hours before it began to thaw out and railroads began to ac- cept freight.
 After receiving notice on Tuesday that eastern railroads would accept no freight not perishable or intended for human consumption, the Arkansas trunk lines notified the big shippers of Arkansas that they would not accept points. This would shut up every bit of cotton in the state, and imme- diately the cotton factors began to see ruin staring them in the face. There were the mills in New England begging for cotton, and agreeing to unload ears upon the day of arrival and the cotton growers and commis- sion men who had spot cotton, on the other. Both would be seriously af- fected by the refusal of the railroads to handle cotton.
 Practically all banks of Arkansas have large sums loaned on cotton and there was feeling of unrest for fear the price would slump, and the banks withdraw their loans. The cotton frpnc of ittla pnolr ters became real busy and started a regular flood of telegrams to the h. ter-state Commerce commission and to Arkansas representatives at Wash Iington, asking that the railroads be forced to accept all cotton offered to them.
 The commission men were anxious to deliver thousands of bales of cotton to the railroads for shipment to the eastern mills, as this would relieve them of further responsibility. The railroad, once it signed receipt for the freight, became virtually the GUS todian of the cotton, and if it could not be promptly delivered, must bear the expenses of storage and for in- surance. The cotton dealer would get his money at once, for his sale is as per bill of lading attached, and it would then be between the railroad and cotton mill as to the delay in de- dlivery.
 On Wednesday morning some of the short line roads in Arkansas began to accept bills of lading for cotton, and before night one or two trunk lines had followed their example All lines are expected to receive cotton be- fore the end of Thursday. This is all based on reports that several of the large eastern railroads are to lift their embargo within the next twenty four hours, and fairly prompt service is promised
 ''It is not only unfair, but nonsen- sible to blame conditions on Arkan- sas railroads" said R. NJ. McWilliams Assistant General Freight Agent of Southern railroad on Wednesday af- ternoon. "When We do not haul freight we are losing money, and it stands to reason that We would not re- fuse freight if We could handle it.
 "We can haul all the cotton offered to us promptly as far as St. Louis, but the eastern connections will not accept it from us there. The same thing is true in Memphis and other concentra tion points. We will haul it to either of those places, but if We accept it for eastern points we would only have our cars filled with it in St. Louis, and we would have to carry the insurance. We might sign for it and not load it, but all cotton signed for and left over 24 hours in the compress, places insurance and storage charges on the railroad and this would soon eat up the freight charges
 The congestion of freight in the east is due to the heavy export shipments, which cannot be moved flom New York. Railroads of Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, have all their tracks filled with loaded ears which are billed to New York for transportation to Europe. Ships are Iunattainable to carry this abroad, be- cause all the ships are in use as trans ports he greater portion of them. Railroad state that the eastern roads will no | |. .cept freight even on