The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-03-04
Council Committee Recommends
faction as Best Way of Rem
X edying Defects.
OWNERS SAY LAW is UNJUST.
Civic Improvement League Agrees
10 New Measure Which
Would Be Satisfactory
TO All.

Officers OF the Civic Improvement League
argued with team owners before the Ways
and Means Committee Of the City Council
at ihc public hearing yesterday relative 20
the bill which conlemplatcs repeating the
wide-tre law.
Gtorge r. Leighton, Henry r. Kent and
William 8. Steuyvesant represented the
league. @;hiie George J. Tansey of the 81.
Lolls Transfer Company. j. NJ. Allen of
the Columbia Transfer Company, John T..
Seihrich Of the Heinrich Coal Company
and iofiicers and members Of the Team-Ou
ersss Association spoke in favor Of repeal
Ing .the law.
,he team. owners declare the wide tire
law. is unjust, impracticahle and unccnstt-
fpdbEai. The Civic Improvement League
adriits the law is effective to a certain eX-
teTs hat plead. in the interest of good
stTt*ts. with the team owners, To draft an
anlendatory ordinance 10 srit them as well
us the advocates Of good streets. They de-
clare they are willing to meet the team
owners half way and pledge their assistance
In drafting new law that would be sat
tsf3ctcry Ia all.
The members OF the Council committee.
Messrs Boyce, Hoftmann ana Hodges. were
OF the opinion that the hest remedy would
be Tor the Civic Improvement Iague mem
hers and team owners to agree on an
Rmendatory ordinance.
EASY TO RUIN ROAD.
Mr. Stuyvesant said: III is a regular thing
to haul leo brick. weighing 300 pounds
plus The weight az the wagon. on a tire
varying from one and one-half TO two
inches in width. | measured the tire of
n coal wagon, with weichers certificate,
,calfng for l3.i.0 pounds, on three-inch
tire. No streets can be built TO stand that
kind Of traffic. Every one who has Travelled
in Great Britain, on the Continent. las
noticed the splendid roads everywhere and
eso the fact that al wagons have broad
tircs. No matter how we'll road ma! ID.
built, it can easily he ruined
Tie Massachusetts law requires that
wagons having iron steel aNles shall have
tires az width twice the diameter of the
axle At the shoulder. IL they have thimbie
and wooden aXles. then the tires shall be
equal in width 10 the diameter of the axle
st the shoulder. These seem good provi-
eions in that the owner of the wagon natu-
rally proportions the diameter OF the axle 10
tho load To be carried.
"A narrow tire makes rutS and breaks in
the road. which makes it worse for the
wagons following. Hard hauling again re-
nets on the road. acceler8ting its destruc-
rion- narrow tire makes and finds cracks
and ruts that a broad tire would never
break nor drop into
REPEAL ORDINANCE
Mr.. Tansey stated that the ordinance had
been drafted by those not in the teaming
business and that consequently its require
ments are not based on scientific principles.
The only way TO rectify the error, he said,
was TO repeal the ordinance and draft a new
Leighton to meet with members of the Civic
improvement League.
Mr.. Allen stated that II would he impos-
sible to change the width of tires row in
Eafd he had experimental with twelve
wagons In an effort TO conform with the
ordinance. but had found the wagons unfit
for service. MIR. Kent stated that IL was
his understanding that teamsters and team
owners had been consulted before the law
was drafted.