Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-12-02
Drainage and Levee Work
In1peded by Reason Of Ex-
ennptlon State Property.
.tsoECOMMEND COUNTY
MAN FOR PEN BOARD
Chandler OF Commences Trustees Be-
lieye jefferson Should Have Rep
resentati0n on Commission
C0niIoIiing Penal Farms.

! Trustees Of the chamber of COM
merce, in regular session yesterday
neon at the Hotel Pines, where they
i enjoyed the usual luncheon, took the
first step in a movement which is con-
Sldered Of more than ordinary i'm
portance to drainage and levee dis
tricts in jefferson and Lincoln coun-
ties.
The trustees instructed the presi-
dent Of the chamber of commerce to
appoint a committee to confer with
State Senator Creed Caldwell and
! Representatives Niven, Newton and
| Magee, to the end that special bill
may be passed by the legislature, at
It's next session, to have the state
convict farms pay taxes in drainage
and levee districts, to which they
would be liable if they were not state
properties.
Before the state purchased the
Tucker and Cummins convict farms,
those properties were considerable tax
payers, to the state and the county
as we'll as TO road, drainage and levee
districts in he territory involved.
Since the state purchased the proper
ties, however, the counties and the
road, drainage and levee districts
have been Handicapped in their efforts
to improve physical conditions, be-
cause those large bodies Of land were
'non-taxpaying. The purchase by the
state of the Tucker farm properties
virtually sounded the death knell of
the big proposed road district from
the free bridge to the northend of
the county.
Want Man on Penitentiary Board.
The trustees also adopted a reso-
luton instructing President H. l.
Holderness to appoint a committee to
confer with Governer-elect c. H.
Brough. to endeavoG, to have Dr.
Brough name Jefferson county man
as a member Of the state penitentiary
board. 1t is felt by the trustees, and
by Jefferson county generally, that
man from this county should be nam
ed on the board, because one of the
convict farms is located in this coun-
ty and another is, virtually immedi-
ately adjacent, in Iih,Soln county. :
1t was made plain during the dis
cussion that the trustees have no one
in view, to be recommended for the
position, and will not recommend any
one for the honor, merely taking the
stand that a jefferson man should be
a member of the board.
On the request Of the Country club,
the trustees decided to use every eff
fort and influence to have the rail
roads furnish the cars necessary to
haul to Pine Bluff the material need
ed for the top surface of the new
Cherry street extension road. The
material is long overdue, because of
inability of the shippers to obtain the
cars.
Tn the matter of the building of the
extension road from the dollarWay to
the Sheridan road, r. 0. McGehee
stated that recommendations have
been made to have the owners of
/ gravel along the route of the road
present the gravel to the road, if it
is suitable for road building, thus to
aid in building The road. A test of
the gravel, to determine if it is suit
| able is to be made at once.
Discuss Paving Of Avenues.
| 1t was decided, after considerable
discussion, that the chamber of COM
merce sound the feeling among prop
erty owners and the railroads, in the
, matter Of paving Third and Fourth
avenues. 1t was said there will be no
petitions circulated, the intention be-
ing to discuss the matter with the
roads and the property owners, to
ascertain their desires, and if a ma
iority favors the paving of those i'm
portant and much travelled streets,
: further action may be taken in the
matter.
The meeting was attended by all
members of the board, and quite a
mass of minor and routine business
was discussed and acted upon.