Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-05-17
THE PROPOSED lNTERURHAN.
Promoters Decide to Ask for Three Per
Cent Tax Instead Of -four.

Cent Tax Instead Of sFour.
The interurban company which pro-
posed to build line from Ottumwa to
Des Moines, by way of Eddyville, Bux-
ton and Knoxville, after consultation
with number of prominent citizens
and the members of the committee rep
resenting the Ottumwa Commercial as
sociaIion, has decided to ask the peo-
pie of Ottumwa to vote three per
cent tax, In stead of four per cent
tax, in aid of the project.
Herewith Is published the petition
for an election asked by the interurban
company, with the change suggested
by the promoters OF that project. The
only change from the reading of the
original petition is that the interurban
company asks that a three, instead of
a four per cent tax be voted. Upon
reading 1t will be seen that no other
change has been made. Every clause
inserted for the protection Of the peo-
pie by the committee representing the
Commercial club and the Retail Mer-
chants association remains In the petit
ton.
The reasons animating the interur-
ban company's action in this matter
are given as follOWs:
First, a desire to fully meet the
wishes of the committee of representa-
tive ;citizens mentioned, which had
originally offered a subsidy tax of three
per cent, but which the promoters, for
reasons connected with the financing
of the road, did not feel at that time
that, they could accept; although at no
time did the promoters fail to recognize
the strength of the committees state
ment that as Ottumwa was the start
ing point, the first road build would
serve the people at one side only,
while the city was voting tax so near
the legal limit that it might not be able
to offer sufficient inducement for the
building of line in another direction
Second, since the meeting with the
committee that agreed upon the rate
of tax the promoters have ascertained
beyond reasonable doubt that two
townships served in another county,
which they had thought would not ex-
tend the necessary aid, have given ev-
cry assurance of extending such aid,
and this aid will amount to nearly as
much as would the additional one per
cent in Ottumwa, so that without en-
dangering the financing of the enter
prise the promoters have been able to
voluntarily accede to the committees
wishes to retain the legal right to aid
a road in some other direction to the
extent Of two per cent.
A third reason was that the interur-
ban people believed that such conces-
sion, right in itself, if possible to be
made without endangering the whole
enterprise, would afford such an evil
dence of good faith and good intention
on their part that the citizens Of Of
tumwa would gladly assist generally in
the Herculean task of securing the sig
natures of the over 1000 resident free
hold taxpayers of the city and thus
hasten the time of election and actual
construction of the road.
This step, while voluntarily taken by
the interurban people, was only taken
after consultation, not only with the
members of the committee, but with
very many of the heaviest taxpayers
and most influential and representa-
tive citizens and their concurrence
fherain