Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-08-30
PULLMAN LEASES.
Cutthroat Clauses Therein En-.
tireIy Ignored.
COMPANY MADE ALL THE REPAIRS

Except q Very Few Justly Chargeable to
the Tenant-Some Lively Testimony
About the Meeting at Blue Island That
declared the Strike on the Rock Island
-Howard's lnflammatory Talk-The In
vestfgation Nearing Its Conclusion.
CHICAG, Aug. 30.-''We have now lis
tened to the testimony OF all witnesses
VINO, at the suggestion of interested par
ties, have been subp@naed to appear be-
fore US. All have testified, with the ex.
ception of few who are out of the city.
Are there any other persons present this
morning who would like to be heard >,
That was the remark made by Labor
Commissioner Wright after examining
q batch of witnesses, which examination
was closed little before noon yesterday.
The commissioner looked over his
glasses around the room. Nobody made
any motions toward the witness stand
and there was no response to the invita-.
tion. ''No one has filed request to offer
testimony in rebuttal as yet and we will
adjourn until tomorrow morning at 20
O'Clock" said Mr.. Wright.
Will Occupy All of the Week.
The commission will meet and talk
over the situation before determining on
the nature of further proceedings" said
herman after adjournment He thought
perhaps the remainder of the week would
be required to complete the investigation.
More witnesses are to testify, and num-
Der who have already been on the stand
promls to send in statistics. Most Of
the morning session was occupied by
quite cloud OF witnesses sent in by the
Rock Island road, three or four of whom
were railroaders who didn't strike and the
remainder comprised a batch Of Blue ISL
Lailors, bakers bartenders, milkmen, feed
store clerks painters and farmers. But
before they were put on the stand couple
OF Pullman officials gave testimony.
Testimony About That Lease.
Iheee witnesses came to tell the COM
missioner that the lease signed by the
Pullman tenants, like those signed by
most people, who rent houses from agents
IN Chicago, was not taken seriously by
either party. BY the average Chicago
lease, If cyclone We're to blow away
house the tenant could be made to pay
the damage, and the Pullman lease seems
to be of the same kind. The first witness
was W. B. Hornbeck. He is the acting
town agent of Pullman, and has power of
attorney to sign lease agreements for the
Pullman company. He said all repairs
TO houses at Pullman We're made by the
Pullman company at the expense of the
company. Such repairs had averaged So
6D a month for the past year. No irs
We're charged to tenants. Commissioner
Herman wanted to know why, then. a
tenant was required to sign a lease agree
ing to keep the property in repair.
Broken Glass Charged to Tenants,
The witnese.iid not know why the lease
had been SO worded. He knew that such
provision was a dead letter The company
had never asked him to enforce it, and to
mis- knowledge it never had been enforced.
He only knew that the company did not
charge the tenant with repairs. He did
not make the lease and did not know who
made it.
James l., Walker, superintendent of re-
pairs in the town of Pullman, was called.
and said that generally the repairs Were
done at the expense of the company
Broken glass was charged to the tenant
with certain exceptions. Mr.. Walker said
that he decided whether tenant was re-
sponsible or not. If the tenant did not
like the decision he could appeal to higher
officers. The monthly bills for repairs on
the dwellings alone amounted to about
81 900
Witness said that the only glass charged
to tenants was such as was broken by the
tenant or some one for whom he was re-
sponsible. All repairs made necessary by
wear and tear or by storms were made bv
the company.