The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-04-30
They IndOrse the Ordinance Before
the Council, with Some Minor
Amendments.
ATTITUDE OF THE COMMITTEE
1T WILL PROBABLY REPORT THE
ORDINANCE FOR PASSAGE.
Running Of Trains Through the City
Considered by Council Committee
-Engineer johnson In Town.

The Council committee on public safety
and comfort met last night in the Police
Court room to hear expressions on the or
dinances regulating the speed Of electric
street cars and automobiles. Three auto
mobilists and three College-avenue resi-
dents appeared as committees and Linton
A. Cox as an individual
The automobile ordinance was first con-
sidered This ordinance was introduced by
Mr. Grail and limits the speed to eight miles
in the district bounded by North, East,
South and West streets and twelve miles In
other parts. 1t requires the initials of the
owners to be carried, registration of all au-
tomobiles with the controller, lights and
slowing down in turning corners in the
downtown district
Fred M. Ayres, president of the Automo-
bile Club of Indiana. was at the head Of the
automobilists' committee. The other MEM
bers were Harry T. Hearsey and George w.
Pangborn. Mr. Ayres urged the elimina-
tion of the words downtown district in
the. ordinance and said the automobiles
should be required to go slow around all
corners He also suggested that the ordi-
nance be amended by requiring the initials
to be on a horizontal line, at least three
fourths of an inch from point to point, Of
plainly visible.
MADE NO OBJECTION.
He made no objection to the maximum
speed fixed but he and Mr.. Pangborn and
Mr. Hearsey advocated the ordinance as
fair and representative of the best judg-
ment of cities and States that had already
dealt with the subject. Mr.. Hearsey said
racing on the streets must be stopped
fho 70 ma faf
the maximum fixed, and expressed the be-
lief that they were safe. Any change should
he I'm reduction rather than increase He
said he lived on Meridian street, north of
Fall creek, and that this street was the
scene of many races of automobiles, and he
and others lived in constant fear Of acci-
dent to themselves or families.
Mr. Ayres assured him that the Auto
mobile Club was just as much interested In
stopping this as he was He said there
chimes at dangerous speed, and that the di-
rectors of the club had only on Tuesday
decided to make an effort to prosecute those
who practiced high speeding. The ordi-
nance would be valuable. Mr.. Ayers said
the club members wished to be distinguished
from those who are careless of the menace
to pedestrians that high speed involves. and
that twelve miles an hour was a proper
limitation. He said he could stop his ma
chine when going at that rate of speed in
ten feet.
COMMITTEES POSITION.
The committee, which is composed of
Councilmen Sourber. Spray, Rhodes, Ep-
pert and wolsiffer. will probably unani-
mously report the ordinance for passage,
with the amendments suggested by Mr..
Ayres Monday night. Mr.. Grail. who in
troduced the ordinance, was present and
said the automobilsts showed proper con-
sideration for the public in their sugges-
tions He accepted all the amendments
The amendment requiring initials i'm a hor-
izontal line prevents the use of monograms
which would comply with the ordinance as
originally drawn, but would not identify the
machines.
The College-avenue committee was COM
posed of John r. Allen. c. W. Letter and
p w Bartholomew. They are all members
of the College-avenue PrOperty-owners' As
sociation. They urged that the ordinance
prepared by them and introduced by Mr.
Billingsiey, which limited the speed OF street
cars to eight miles hour, be passed
They said the big interurban cars now
using College avenue run at a speed of
great danger They did not think the ordi-
nance would interfere with the schedule of
the city cars. which is close to eight miles
an hour. They said the addition OF other
interurban lines 10 the street would make
the high speed menace. The committee
decided TO investigate before reporting on
this ordinance.
Mr.. Ayres arranged to take the members
of the committee out In automobiles at any