The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1906-11-28
Representative of Standard
Steel Narrowly Escapes
Being Mobbed.
MISTAKE IN IDENTITY
inadvertently Put in Light Before
City Council of Agent of
Cameron's Company.

If Mr.. Cameron OF the Hammond,
Whiting & East Chicago street car
line could have been present at last
evenings special session Of the coun-
ell he would have seen at once that
1t will be difficult for his company to
get another franchise in Hammond
under present conditions.
The special session of the council
was not held with the intention OF dis
cussing further street car franchises
for the Hammond. Whiting & East
Chicago Street Car company, but
merely for the purpose of ratifying a
sewer contract that the board of pub
lie works and w. f. Brunt had enter
ed into. The contract of lying 2,40O
feet OF eight-inch water pipe in Mer-
rill street was awarded to Mr.. Brunt
at this special session in order that
he may Immediately begin on the
work
The street car service might not have
come up at all last night had not Mr.
Douglas. the local manager of the
Standard Steel Car company, in COM
pany with J. N. Beckman, who repre-
sented Mr.. Turner, stepped forward
and reminded the council of an in
pany when it first intended to locate
here. The inducement was that the
new company could expect transpor-
tation facilities for its working men.
With men already on the ground the
problem for their transportation is
| growing, and Mr.. Douglas was present
| to seek relief.
Ignorant of the position that the coun-
ell holds with reference to the stree
car company Mr.. Douglas did not real
ize what he was about to start
when he came to the council
chamber equipped with a sample
ordinance all written out, asking
for a fifty-year franchise on East
State street and south on Colum-
| bia avenue to the Nickel Plate
tracks, the State street line TO con-
tinue where the present one leaves
| off Both ne and Mr.. Beckman ap-
| peared in the interests of the Steel Car
company. arguing that any facilities
that may be given the employees in the
way of transportation would benefit
the city at large, although this trans
portation would not necessarily have
to come from the Hammond, Whiting
& East Chicago Street Car company.
BY not being properly introduced
| Mr.. Douglas gave the impression that
| he represented the street car con-
pany. This caused an uproar by enc
mics of the company, and Mr.. Douglas
speedily explained his true position.
The Chicago, Lake Shore & South
Bend company, which is building this
way and already has a right of way
through the north part of the city, has
| promised satisfactory service, as wei
as have other companies whose repre-
sentatives come almost daily to Mayor
Beckers office, asking for franchises
AS the mayor would like to see {
sweeping license ordinance go into eff
feet by the first of January he urgeC
that the committee on licenses get to
gether for a discussion and that al
ordinance be prepared for the nea
future.
Similar advice was given to I'll,
street and alley committee in oIde
that the so-called gate ordinance ma.
be prepared
Although no formal specification
have been handed in. Mayor Becke
announced that the Michigan Contra
people mad submitted new plans 70
their depot and that the plans for tn
second seem to be even more attrac
tive than the first.