The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-04-24
STREET-RAILROAD SITUATION.


Mr.. Defrees Reads and Comments the
Yontz Ordinance.
Mr.. Defrees sat in the Board of Public
Works Office. yesterday afternoon, quietly
reading one of the three copies of the Yontz
ordinance which have been submitted to
the board by the Citizens company as
basis for framing o new contract In pur-
suance of the suggestion made at the pri-
vate conference held Tuesday evening,
April7 There's weak point right there"
he calculated as he read Section !. 1T says
whenever any street 'shalp be improved
the company shall pave its tracks. That
would let them out on all the streets that
have already been paved. and they could
keep the powders on their tracks
on Washington and Pennsy lvania
streets" After reading the ordinance
through carefully no laid lt aside
with the remark: "Well. see but two
dinance. One is that the new franchise
ought to date from the time the contract is
made, instead of ten years In the future.
and the other 10 that provision In Section
Way on all stroessn This is the provision
requiring the city to first notify the COM
paDy that line is wanted upon any street
or streets before granting 2 right OF way
upon those streets TO another company.
Speaking of the provision requiring the
company to put in at least five miles per
year of rapid transit for ten years and ev-
cry year thereafter until its system should
be completed. if the city should so
direct, MIR Defrees regarded 1t as
company. 1t might under this be re-
required to put in rapid-transit equipment
upon lines where the business would not
justify it, -,
How about the question of fares" was
"Well, / don't know" replied Mr.. De-
frees. THAT is knotty question. man
can ride an awful distance for cents now,
though not so far here as in Philadelphia,
st. Louis and some of the larger cities. bat
the transfer system here is very complete.
and one can get to about any quarter OF
the town he wants. and this company can
never expect to carry anything near the
number of passengers that are carried In
those cities"
Want the business Settled.
cit is hardly possible" said q large manu-
facturer yesterday. that the Board of
Public Works does not realize how anxious
the general public is to have this street
railroad business settled and out of the
way. Though do not own dollar of the
company's securities l ain vitality inter-
ested In the matter just as is every other
man whose financial interests are bound up
in the growth of the city, and am anxious
to see something done. The matter has
been on for nearly two years now and we
have just one rapid-transit line. 1t has
been directly before the Board of Public
Works for over three weeks and nothing
has been done with it; on the contrary. the
board gives the public to understand that
it is doing nothing and would much rather
do nothing with it. As matter of fact
what has that board done thus fart The
water contract expired months ago and it
has not touched the subject; the gas
contract ran ont long ago and
the board has done nothing with
1t; not step has been saken toward devils
ing general plan of sc werage; In fact,
every matter of large Importance, except
the Broad Ripple franchise, has come to
stand-still. while the board is busy refer
ring complaints about uncleaned cutters to
the street commissioner and gathering in
formation 1t strikes me that Mr. Con-
duitt ought to know enough about the
street-railway business to go ahead; he
was on the Commercial Club committee
that fully investigated the subject a year
ago. / don't imagine the business mas
changed much since then. What we sup
posed to be the great beauty OF the new
charter was the idea that through these
boards the executive business OF the city
couId be transacted inteiligently and
quickly without being subject to All the
delays, political schemes and possipie cor
ruptiOn that government by City Council
usually entails. Now we've got ouG new
government why doesn't it give some Owl
dencs of being alive.o