Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-08-22
Fl. c. Couch of Public Ser vice Company Ready to
 Aid in Establishment.
WITH ASSOCIATES
 HAS STUDIED MATTER
Head of Arkansas Light A Power Company Tells How and Why Such Institution Would Be oi
 Value Banks Show Interest,

Arkansas should have part of the cotton miIs of tne country. and Pine Bluff is the most logical location for the mills, is the opinion expressed by II. C. COucb, president of the Ark ansas Light x Power company, and :fle lAfkansas public service com pany, whose general offices are in this city
 MT. Couch further said that he and -his associates have looked into the Snatter, have made a clear study of the cotton mills in Georgla and the Carolinas, in order to aeauaint themselves with conditions and see Nj they would fit here They have made very close study of conditions within a radius of 30 miles and are well informed as to the opportun- ties in this section.
 The result was such as to lead him to say that they are ready to go into uhe proposition, provided there is Sufficient cooperation on the part of local capital. He said they are not only willing to invest in the en- terprise themselves, but they will also use their influence with outside capital.
 y MT. Couch returned Monday night from Washington, where he had a conference with Carl Vrooman, as slstant secretary of the department of agriculture and chairman of the national priority board of the coun- cfl' of national defense, explaining how his company will furnish power to run the irrigation pumps in the Arkansas river belt Mir. Vrooman said this appealed to him as a proper measure in the conservation of food stuffs.
 The company is desirOus of secur- ing prompt delivery of motors, which work has been retarded by war con- tracts held by the manufacturers
 Owing to the fact that irrigation of the rice lands comes under the nature of food conservation, MT. Vrooman Will make the necessary recommends tions to the war department
 Conditions Favor Project. ..
 The study of local conditions in the territory tributary to Pine Bluff show such wonderful opportunities flor industrial development, that if
 
 they can be pushed, this city will become the greatest in the state. He also said that this state can be lending state in the financial world.
 Referring particularly to the ques- tion of establishing cotton mill in Pine Bluff, he said that this sec tion produced the raw material in abundance. They have found in their studies in Georgia and the Car ol1nas that one of the essentials is the available power at the right kind Of price. "That, we propose to fur nish," he said. Further. we pro- pose to assist and do some of the fi- nancing, so that the company will not own the mill itself. We will use our influence to get outside capital and we need local capital to cooper ate and invest.
 "In Gastonia, N C., the mills built up the place from population of 5000 few years ago, to 30,000. At that place they paid IS cents a pound for cotton; it cost 15 cents to put it through the mill and the product sold for 60 cents a pound. So the com pany where the mill is located will sell the crop at 60 cents.
 "A good many local men in those cities. lumbermen, wholesale mer- chants and professional men have in- vested in these mills. These mills buy large amount of cotton from Arkansas.
 'We raise the cotton here at home. We have the power here at home. We will sell the power at the same rate as in Georgia and the CarO]inas.
 "We were advised to buy new ma chinery for the mills, making them up-to-date as the best machinery pro- duces the most satisfactory results. As to the question of labor for the mills, many of the women and girls in Georgia and the Carolinas make $40 per month. There are a good many women and girls who would be glad to work in local cotton mill.
 Banks Displays Interest.
 A. B. Banks of Fordyce, one of the | best known, best posted and most i influential of the capitalists of this l