St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-12-23
WHY NO VESTIBULES?
This Que stion PointedlyA ASKED
Supt. hoskins.
A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST
Movement in the Interests Of
MOtOneerS.
MO CARS YET KESTlBULED.
The Company Defies the Law.
Say Labor People.
H0SKiNS TALKS GUARDEDLY,
TALKS GUARDE0Ly.

The ball was opened yesterday in the
direction of bringing the Twin City
Rapid Transit company to time in the
matter of yestibuling its electric street
cars for the protection Of it's motoneers
from winter weather.
A complaint for the apprehension of
Frank 5. HOskinS, superintendent of the
st. Paul end of the Twin City Rapid
Transit company, was drawn up by the
county attorney yesterday and filed
with the clerk of the municipal court.
A warrant was then issued and turned
over to the chief of police. who served
it upon Mr.. Hoskins at O'Clock
Yesterday afternoon. He will ap-
pear in the municipal court this
morning to make response to the
charge OF violating the state law passed
last winter providing for the vestibul-
ing of electric cars. That law required
all electric street car lines in the state
to yestlbule electric cars, and in case
company operates more than 100 cars,
to have at least half of those operated
provided with attachments to protect
operatives from the weather prior to
Nov. l, 1898, the other half to be yesti-
buled by Nov. l, 1894. The time has
passed and the cars, other than the In
terurban cars in this city, have not been
vestibuled. Labor Commissioner Powers
had an interview with the street rail-
way officials some days ago i'll which it
was represented by the company that
WORK would be begun at once to comply
with the law. The charge is now made
by some observing people that the
street railway company is making no
effort to comply with the law and that
any attempt to force a compliance
would meet with opposition in the
courts with view of testing the mat
ter.
The complaint was sworn to by James
Morrow. who is prominent characte
in united labor circles, charging a.
ton of the law yesterday. G. -,
Of the Lafayette avenue -.lG Il 40
street line, was selected,for tess tse.
In the complaint the statements are
made that Frank S. Hoskins is the SUI
perintendent, managing officer and
agent of the Twin City Rapid Transit
company, which is corporation operat-
ing electric cars on the street railway of
the city Of st. Paul. He is charged
with wrongfully. unlawfully and know
ingly causing aud permitting to be run
on the car line mentioned the car men,
toned by an employe who was stationed
upon the front platform of the car,
without having provided any enclosure
on the front platform made of iron. wood
orglass,o or any other material. as required
by the law, for the protection of the en-
ploye from the inclemency of the wealth.
er. The provision of the law is recited
that requires an inclosure where the
constant services and attention of an
employe is required on car. 1t is al
legged that Frank S. HoskinS, as man.
ager, required the employe to work
upon the front platform of the car with
out the protection from the weather re-
quired by law. 1t is also charged that
the street railway company has not
provided nor equipped half of the cars
used solely in this city. nor any OF them,
in fact, with yestibuies, as required by
law,
HoSKINS INTERVIEWED.
Superintendent Hoskins, who is made
the defendant in the case, was seen last
evening at o'clock by GLOBE re-
porter. At the time he rOfnsed to be
interviewed, but later talked guardedly
about the arrest. The warrant he said
had been served on him between and
6 O'Clock. but it had not been read to
him in detail. There was nothing he
cared to say except that he would be in
court in the morning. Just what would
be done by the company he could not
say. the attorneys for the company
were Mum, Boyesen & Thygesen, and
as Mr.. Mum was out of the city, the
case would probably be continued until
his return. The company had twenty
two cars on the interurban line vesti-
buled. and others were in the shops
being changed. Just how many were
being vestibuled he could not say, but
he knew that only ten cars could be
worked On at one time in the ShoDs