The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1908-05-07
TO ASK FOR MOTOR
GAR ON BAY Line.

manded of the Chicago ~ North
Western on the Green Bay extension
line, from this city to Green Bay, and
if necessary merchants of this city will
appeal to the State Rate Commission
to secure the service which appears to
be the only hope of relief from condi-
tions which discriminate in favor OF
Green Bay at the present time and
which threaten to prove permanently
damaging to Manitowoc. A formal
request for the installation of the
motor car will be forwarded to the c..
Il N. w. head offices within few
days and it is hoped that the company
will comply without the necessity of an
appeal to the Rate Commission which,
however, will be taken as last resort,
it is said.
This motor car service, though new
and an experiment, has been success
full on the lines of the Illinois Central
between Madison, this state. and Free
port, H., and the State Rate Commits
sion has approved the innovation as
satisfactory and it is this endorsement
that is counted upon by local
merchants to win the service for the
Green Bay extension. it is claimed
that the service can be operated at
exceedingly small cost, after equip
ment, and it will accommodate large
passenger traffic, though of no value
for freight accommodation.
Demand for the new service is
prompted by the fact that the G, & n.
w. has advised business men of the
city that the company will be unable
to meet the request for readjustment
of the train schedules of the Bay eX-
tension and will refuse to install an
additional train at this time, the busi-
ness not warranting the expense. Mr.
Andrews. Of the traffic department,
conferred with Messrs. Thomas
Torrison and August Schuette, the
committee appointed by the business
men, and explained the situation
stating that the G. & N. w. could
hold out no promise of relief at this
time. No definite move has been made
looking to the demand for motor car
service, but the matter is receiving at
tention of the committe and will reach
officials of the road.
IT, .".ho 9. & y. w. Company ap-
preciates that NJ anitowoc is not being
treated fairly under the present train
schedule of the Green Bay line was
admitted by Mr.. Andrews to the COM
mittee and he declared that the com
pany was willing to do anything in
its power, within reason, to accommo-
date the city. This statement en-
courages the committee to believe that
the company will give favorable con-
sideration to the proposed plan for a
motor car, especially as it is claimed
that the car can be operated at small
expense, and while there may be in
sufficient revenue for regular train,
the traffic may meet the cost of the
motor service.
Motor cars are used extensively by
railway lines in the South and are
being adopted on many branch lines
in this section also. The service is
provided by one car, similar in con-
struction of an interurban car, with
only one entrance, at the side of the
car. There is accommodation for
from 60 to 100 passengers and COM
partment for baggage and two men
are required to operate the car, one
as a motorman or engineer and the
other for conductor and brakeman.
The car is operated by gasoline motor
and it is said the service has proved
more than satisfactory on the Madi-
son-FreepOrt run of the Illinois
Central. The service was ordered by
the Rate Commission when protest
was lodged because the Central had
curtailed it's train service and when
patrons of the road objected to the
motor car, the Rate Board ruAsa that
the service was adequate and IN every
way reasonable.
With the motor car, which is said to
operate at the rate of % to 40 miles an
hour, the G. & N. w. could bring a
car to the city early in the day and il
could return late in the afternoon, and
it is suggested that, while here, the car
could be operated on the Two Rivers
run instead of the regular trains as
now. The danger, from the present
schedule on the Green Bay line is
that the trade from the territory will
become permanently attached to Green
Bay and that even should re-adjust-
ment of schedules take place later, it
would not benefit the city and restore
the patronage lost.
Though the G. & N. w. officials in
timated at a previous conference with
the local committee that the company
would make a change in schedule, it
is now declared to be impossible be-
cause of the decrease in business of
the branch line and no assurance can
be given when it will be possible to
make the change. Under this situa-
ton, Manitowoc is forced to accept
the discrimination practiced against