The San Francisco call., 1906-12-15
UNITED RAILROADS
BLOCKS CARMEN
Company's Counsel Refuse
to Show the Records of
Damage to Cable Lines
GRIP ON CITY SHOWN

public well in transportafion facilities,
the experts of the United Railroads
who are giving testimony before the
board of arbitration became suddenly
silent yesterday when they were asked
IL all the cable lines of the company
could not have been restored with COM
paratfveIy little difficulty after the nre
II the company had desired to do So
Albert Johnson, counsel for the Car
mems Union, requested the attorneys OF
the company to produce the reports
which the company received from It's
experts on the condition of the cable
slots and power-houses after the nre-
This they refused TO do, and neither
coaxing nor argument could move them
II is assumed by the union oftcials
that this refusal is an admission by the
transit corporation that the cable lines
could have been operated and the city
served with adequate transportation
facilities almost Immediately after the
holocaust If the United Railroads had
not been engaged at that time IN plot
10 get franchise worth millions for
price which is commonly reported to
have been but $3.50. 900.
Gould not the cable lines have been
operated within a few days after the
fre2' asked Johnson of General Man
ager Chapman of the United Railroads
Il 90 not know" was the response.
'Can you furnish US with the proofs
of loss which the company put IN on
the cable power r-houses? was the next
question.
7 have never seen them" replied
Chapman.
who does know about the condition
Of the cable lines2
I am afraid. Mr. johnson" inter
posed Stanley Moore Of counsel for the
corporation that il will be impossible
to introduce that evidence
WANTS REPORT PRODUCED
u wish TO show that the cable lines
could have been operated within sixty
6avs, at the outside and the $50 cars
which have been lying idle since the
fire put in use at once" said Johnson.
can we have access TO the reports OF
the engineer of the company which
were made on the condition of these
lines after the earthquake and fire.
7 am sorry to say Mr. Johnson. 90
not think you can" answered Chapman.
WHY have your witnesses reduced
70 writing their statements, In which
they say they have done everything
they could TO accommodate the public,
and why have they carefully left out
all allusion to the cable linesE John-
son asked I intend TO show that these
gentlemen. who would have you believe
they were so anxious to serve the pub
lie could have operated the cable lines
within sixty days. Instead OF this they
set deliberately to work to tear up the
cable tracks IlaI lucl AAASA NAeASS
their grip on stricken municipality.
We demand to see those reports
They were private reports, replied
Stanley Moore and you have no right
10 see them. You know you have no
right TO see them
POOR GRACE OF COMPANY
Private reports, There are no pri-
vate reports" retorted Johnson. Are
Won aware that this is q public service
>
from YOU that you should hesitate
to place these reports before this board
when you have been urging that you
did everything to serve the people
We have noticed an undue curiosity
on your part to examine the papers
Of the company which have been sub
mitted to you" Moore answered, ,and
we have determined not TO show you
anything more
This is an important matter, con-
+inued Johnson. We do now assert
that while you declare that you have
been doing your best TO serve the pub
lie since the 18th of April. and that
the extreme conditions under which
your men have worked since that time
are not of your making, the truth
IS you deliberately went TO work TO
seize privileges. and that these privi-
leges. worth millions of dollars. were
granted TO you. II you had wanted to
serve the public. and If that had been
your only motive. you could have re-
placed the cable roads in a short time
Earnestly and confidently and in the
utmost good faith. we propose TO show
that the United Railroads perversely
and with generalization fastened its
grip on this stricken municipality
COMPANY MAKES REFUSAL
sT resent these harsh and bitter
words toward my unfortunate client"
Interrupted Moore senior. We feel
this exhibition Of feeling so seriously
that we will cut of this discussion at
once by saying that we will not fur
nish YOU with these reports"
I am told" said Moore junior, that
the report YOU want was made by
George H. Davis. the consulting en-
zfneer of the company in New York,
but in any case we absolutely refuse
10 let you have il.
Then we will show" answered
Johnson. by the report Of Engineer
A NJ Hunt that outside OF q few minor
defects the cable system was practi-
caIly uninjured by the fire"
I see that counsel continues to ad-
dress me as II I were able to rule on
this matter" said Justice Beatty. We
decided at the first that we could not
compel either side TO introduce testi-
mony that il did not wish to present.
You can draw your inference from any
such refusal"
TALK OF EIGHT-HOUR DAY
In the afternoon the question of the
eight-hour day was before the board
and Mr. Hibbs of New Jersey of car
mile" fame was on the stand. He rep
resented that the unwillingness of the
company to accede to the eight-hour
day was merely on account of its
solicitude for the men. who would be
compelled 20 work eight consecutive
hours on one shift owing to iae inabfI-
ffv NJ fhe men hired by the cnrnanv
to arrange. a reasonable schedule of
hours on the e3ght-hour day basis.
We have been on this eight-hour
question for several years now" in
terrupted A. A. Moore.
Yes, indeed" quickly responded
Johnson. for the last twenty years at
which time the men were working
seventeen and eighteen hours a day
BY keeping at it ever since the hours
have been reduced to sixteen. fifteen
fourteen. thirteen, twelve, eleven and
10 ten, and they will be further re-
=