Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1916-01-01
Pine Bluff & Rosedale Com. paay Arranges for Pur-
 chase of New Boat.
MERCHANTS OF CITY
 PROVIDE THE CASH
More Than Half of Sum Needed Loan. ed by Local Men, and Steamer WEI Re Put in Service About Middle
 of Month.

ttrday for the purchase of an addi- t onal river steamer by the Pine Bluff & Rosedale' Packet company, and about the middle of January the new beat will be put into operation out of Pine Bluff, giving this city semi
 weekly steamboat service.
 Joe C. Meyer, of the packet com pany, yesterday wrote the present owners of the boat, announcing that he will leave here within the next few days, probably by Wednesday. for Cincinnati, where he will pay over the purchase price, and take charge cf the steamer, to bring her to Pine Puff.
 It is planned to have the boat given new name after she arrives here, and already there is a disposition to have her named the "Pine Bluff" The boat is first class river packet, which cost more than $2O,00O, and which draws only 12 inches light, a draft So slight that she will be able to operate on the Arkansas river, between Pine Bluff and the Missis- sippi. throughout the year.
 The steamer is now at Ironton. MT. Meyers and other interested are now making efforts to have the vessel lcaied with freight for Pine Bluff on this trip here, and because they will te able to offer unusually low rates, ii is expected she will bring in full manif6st when she arrives at Pine 1 Bluff.
 l Local Merchants Cooperate.
 The arrangements for the purchase Of the new boat were completed through the cooperation of local merchants and shippers, following 8 conference at the chamber of com merce rooms early in the week. At l this conference, tn owners of the Pine Bluff & Rosedale Packet com pany expressed their willingness to purchase the boat and put her in the Pine Bluff river trade, provided they could obtain from local business men l loan on reasonable terms, at low 1 interest rate. The loans would be excellently secured, it was stated
 The conference approved of the proposition, and the following day a Canvass of business houses was made, In the several hours devoted to the canvass. $S,5O0 was subscribed to- ward the loan, to the qualification of everybody concerned. Yesterday the remainder of tke loan was placed and MT. Meyer wrote the owner of the , boat that the company will exercise it's option, and that he will be in Cincinnati in person to pay over the money.
 Helps In Rate Fight. Coming just at this time, wher there is considerable complain against increases in freight rates ant when the government is threttenint ;c abandon work on the river becaus' "ihere is no river business bein, done," the decision of the packe company and of the local merchant to place this additional boat in tn Tine Bluff-Arkansas river-Whit river trade is considered to be a mat ter of deep significance.
 That local shippers should advanc money to the packet company for tn purchase of the boat, means, in actua effect, that these shippers vii patronfze the boats of the compan whenever possible, this bringing tn boats a big amount Of business. The .LightwoOd has done a record breaking business the past year. car ryiAg capacity nearly every trip. m additional boat, especially a6 1t wil open new territory, will increase b, s large margin the amount Of busi ness transacted on the river. and th, United States engineers will b, shown a positive example of the ac Elual business done on the river-eve1 without improvements by the govern Elent.
 Big Decision Pending.
 In this same connection, 1t will be recalled that decision from the in. terstate commerce commission is ex. Iected almost any time now, in the petition of the Pine Bluff traffic bureau for the promulgation of com. tination river and rail rates to Pine Bluff f1om principal shipping points ir the North and Central West. The Hetition suggests that Memphis be mat the transfer point, where | the freight is transferred from tht ] railroadf to the river boats It is g fact, hd8ever, that Pine Bluff. witl In semi teekly steamboat service. car feasily leceive large quantities ot freight lfrom Pittsburg. Cincinnati Cairo, A Louis, and. other big cen tral shiIping points, all the way b,