The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-05-26
OFFICIALS ARE
NOT WORRYING
No Relief Is in Sight and Company
Declines to Do Anything, Nor Will
It Give the City Authorities Any
Satisfaction Whatever-Hammond
People Disguised.

The people of Whiting, East Chi
cago and Hammond have reached the
limit of patience with the Hammond,
whiting & East Chicago Street Rail-
way company and conditions have be-
come so bad on certain parts of the line
that the public is the verge of re-
volt against the tyranny of "A company
which bIandIy promises improvements
nnd then delays them until their nd
vent is a matter of sulIen indifference
rather than cOnEratulation.
1t is understood that the local COM
pany is about to come before the
Hammond board of public works with
a request for franchise rights on GER
tain other streets in Hammond and
West Hammond. II the attitude of the
mind of the leading business men of
this city is any criterion to go by. 1T
is not likely that there will be one
foot of the public highway given over
to the present company without serious
protest.
WIN Ask for Another Franchise.
The fact that the company is about
TO ask for additional franchis rights
IN Hammond and West Hammond
makes the question of what the com
pany is doing for the city at the pres
It was for this reason that a re-
porter for TIE TIMES accompanied by
staff photographer. made trip of
inspection along the line. In fact. this
idea of revealing the true condition
of the lines of the street car company
was urged upon the paper by infiuen-
tial residents of the city who have
grown tired of waiting for improve
ments and who wonder every day Of
their lives if it is not possible to
bring the company to time.
HOmewoOd People Disguised.
For instance: The people of the
Homewood district have indicated time
and again that 1t is of vital import
ance to have South Holman street
paved this year. This cannot be done
until the street railway company de-
cides whether or not it will rehabili-
tate its south lines and also whether
1t will double track this part of the
road.
Should a new company enter town
Of this size 1t Is certain that it would
have to pave and maintain a strip Of
the center of the street The Ham
mond company got a franchise when
1t was the custom to give franchises
y,
pany got everything and the city moth
ing.
The people on South Holman street
through Mayor Becker went to the
officials of the local line and asked
them to double track SoSuth Holman
street The fact was pointed out that
the width of the street is being es-
tabIished now for the next twenty
years; that the traffic both actual and
prospective, is enough to warrant the
company in double-tr tracking its line
that 1t is better to have a double track
from Douglas or Carroll streets to
Conkey avenue than to have ugly
switches every five or six blocks.
Company Takes no Action.
But IL the company listened to these
suggestions it did not take action, and
now the paving of the street has been
delayed so long that it is question
whether it can be done this year.
Homewood. residence district OF
which the whole city may be proud
a district where hundreds of thousands
Of dollars have been spent in building
and beautifying homes. has its appear
ance ruined by the delay of cold
blooded street car company
The excuse has been given that or
account of the recent consolidation OF
the Calumet Electric with the South
Chicago City Railway company, the of.
flcials OF the company have not hat
time to go over the route and decide
what they will do.
Pictures Poor Conditions.
But the delay has been too lonf
TO make such an excuse hold water
It now appears that. there is posi-
lively no prospect of even the re
laying of one track on South Holman
street this year, to say nothing o
two. The people of Homewood an,
Of Hammond for that matter, for tn,
whole city takes pride in Homewood