Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-12-22
which it was found to the equip
ment as it is today. The petition

says:
mo one will deny that the invest
ment of such a large amount of out
side capital in the street railway here
left local capital free to enter other
channels of business, which fact to-
gether with the large sums expended
for labor in rebuilding the lines, con-
tributed largely to the progress of
your city, and helped to establish a
confidence in its growth and future.
After the work of rebuilding the lines
and equipping them electrically was
completed, the street railway COM
pany was called upon to pave, with
brick paving. the right of way on the
main thoroughfares of Rock Island.
This was done at large additional
outlay on the part of the street rail-
way company, and, as the property
yielded no returns or profits on the
capital invested, the stockholders
were required to advance money year
after year to pay for the brick paving
along the company's lines. Each
succeeding year brought additional
| paving for the street railway COM
|
holders in the shape Of profits or div
idends until the amount expended for
paving on the street railway COM
pany's right of way, both by private
contract and city assessment, has
reached the sum OF $5S, 36i.70; whilst
the cost of preparing the tracks for
brick paving has reached the sum of
$2S, 2S4.20, or a total outlay made
necessary by the paying improve
ments of $S6. 643.90. The total of
single track street railway mileage in
your city is II 40 miles. OF this,
8 $40 miles. or two-thirds of the
mileage, is already paved with brick
paving. We submit that no local
capital could have stood up under
this heavy burden. and no other out
side capital would have done so.
The stockholders of this com
pany have looked upon your city's
growth with great deal of satisfac.
, ton, anticipating that the future
might bring them some returns fol
the money invested here. They are
in favor of public improvements and
point to what has already been ac-
Icomplished by them in this line, as g
proof of this fact. The company has
for the past two years passed through
a very trying period. The financia
depression so keenly felt throughout
the country has made heavy inroad:
, in our traffic receipts, and crippled
the company so, financially, that WI
, are forced to petition your honorable
body to afford us aid, by relieving III
of the outlay for paving operation
for year or two until we can recove
from our recent loss of traffic ant
improve our present financial condi
, ton. A continuation of pawn.
, operations on our lines for the mex
, two wears would mean bankruptcy
for this company, condition which
, we feel that neither your honorable
r body nor the citizens of Rock Island
+ whom you represent would wish tt
see or to hasten. If your honorable
body will grant our petition we fee
: that after a period of two years. will
the coming general Improvement il
the business situation, we will agail
q be able to resume our paving opera
= tions and bear our share of the pub
I Tic Improvements, as in the past"
e After the reading of the communi
+ cation, Aid. Foss moved that it be re
e ceived and placed on file, and Aid
: +. ii. Schroeder seconded the motion
il Aid Schneider offered a substitut
n that the prayer of the petitioners b
9 granted, which Aid Dauber second
n ed, Aid. Schroeder withdrawing hi
j. second to Aid. Foss' motion and sec
Il onding the substitute also, and i
n was passed by vote of 10 to 9 CHA
@ del and Nelson) but the negativ
d vote does not represent a disinclina
# ton to coincide as far as Aid. Blade
il is concerned, at least, as he e,
10 planned that while he was in symps
If thy with the step. he preferred
r defer action until paving was take
i up. The aldermen voting in the afiil
native were: Roth, johnson, Co
ken, F. H. Schroeder, Dauber, kuscl
N mann. Schneider, Kennedy, Crane
- and Foss.
Other Matters.
The council also let the contra'
% for the standpipe on the bluff. gran
- ed the ordinance sought by the ne
=. telephone company and adopted M
~ surgeons Twentieth street plat, a
!" of these matters having been d
a scribed at previous sessions of IL
~ municipal assembly.
n Florida aud the south!
er The quickest and best way fro
rs Rock Island to Florida and all poin