Los Angeles herald., 1910-07-14
RAILWAYS START
ANOTHER PETITION
FOR REFERENDUM
Street Car Corporations Initiate
Attack on New Girder
Rail Ordinance
OBJECT TO GRooVED TRACKS
President of Utilities Board Up
holds Stand on Matter
Taken by Council

Another referendum has peeh
initiated. This time the street rail-
way corporations are circulating the
petitions They began work last even
ing. The referendum is directed against
the girder rail ordinance fecehtly
passed by the city council The clrcu-
latIon of petitions began at O'CLOCK
last evening and the statement was
made later that in an hour 4O0 sigma
tures were obtained.
The street railway corporations claim
that they will be supported IN the
referendum movement by members OIL
the Merchants and Manufacturers as
sociation. the chamber of commerce.
and the Hotel and Restaurant Keepers
association. The Los Angeles Pacihc'
Los Angeles railway, Los Angeles 6
Redondo and the Pacific Electric are
the railway corporations back or the
proceedings.
The ordinance attacked is known
under the title of "An ordinance TO
require the use of groove glruer Iali9 1lS
on street railroad tracks upon paved
streets and the replacement of old
rails of such tracks with new rails
upon paved streets
q The ordinance was passed by the
council on June 21, over the protest OF
the railway companies; was approved
by the mayor on June 2S ana WAS
Tho hotel men of the city took the
attitude that the new rail would add
to the noise of city streets, and was
Objectionable for that reason.
ATTACK GROovED RAILS
From an operative standpoint, rail-
yyav officials state that the new rail-
will add to accidents. They say that
should a bit of iron be dropped in the
groove of the rail 1t will tend to break
car wheel fanges so that derailment OF
cars will follow on making the hrst
curve.
1t is from an engineering STANDPOINT
that the greatest objection is made,
for the, new rail will not permit OF
turning when worn down. ,,,
Another assertion is that ''T' rail-
is center bearing, while the lip or
g1rder rail forces the weight Off the
center of the steel and tends to tip the
rail TO one side of the ties.
Los Angeles Pacific engineers state
that the grder rail has not the life or
the "T" rail, for the reason that when
the ball is worn down the flanges or
passing car wheels are dropped TO the
grooves and grind continuously
At the time of the Huntington
roads entrance into Los Angeles the
tracks of the city were laid with a
lin rail that for operative purposes
was similar to the grooved rail now
required These rails were taken out
and replaced by "T' rails throughout
the city.
When the passage of the ordinance
occurred w. e. Dunn appeared on the
floor of the city council chamber ana
asked permission for the companies to
use the "1'' rail stock on hand, stat
ing that there is 500. 900 worth of rails
in Los Angeles for paving purposes
that cannot be used if the new ordi-
nance goes into effect. He also stated
that the grooved rail is a patented
article and must be purchased of the
patentees instead of in the open
market.
LISSNER DEFENDS RAILS
1t is claimed by the railway officials
engineers in the east the sentiment was
practically unanimous against the
grooved rail and in favor of the 'T''
rail for street work
Meyer Lssner, president of the
board of public utilities, when In
formed by The Herald last evening of
the referendum petition, said:
"I am surprised to hear of the rail-
roads actions. 1t is a matter that has
not been brought to the official notice
of the board. Grooved rails were
recommended by the city engineer and
a thorough investigation was made by
the mayor and other city officials. AS
the girder rails have proved successful
In many large cities we shall insist on
girder rails being used in Los Angeles.
"I believe that girder rails are the
really practical things, and know that
many cities which have them in use
would never go back to the use of the
other rails"