The Medina sentinel. [volume] (Medina, Ohio) 1888-1961, 1914-12-25
n. @. Company
Enjoys Delay

ron, are becoming impatient over Cne
delay of the State Utilities Commits
sion in arriving at decision as to
whether or not the Northern Ohio
railroad shall operate two additional
trains day.
In the early part Of October, the
railroad commission held public
hearing on the case in Medina. The
last step taken was the filing of briefs
in writing by the attorneys, for the
patrons and the railroad company
with the commission.
In the briefs filed with the public
service commission, Attorney Arthur
Van Epp represents the petitioners,
and John B. Cockrum the railroad.
At the hearing in October testimony
showed that the train service on the
Northern Ohio is inadequate, the COM
pany offering as it's excuse that more
trains would not pay. Mr.. Van Epp
does not accept the statement that the
additional trains would be run at a
loss. He says that the six months
experiment of several years ago that
failed to pay does not mean that the
same results would follow now. He
POINTS out that when, about year
ago, there was an agitation for more
trains it was found that the carrying
of milk alone would pay substantial
part of the cost. He concludes this
part of his argument thus: "Their
plea, (the railroads') would seem more
meritorious if some honest effort had
been made by them to build up bus
mess along this line Of railroad that
would be profitable, but instead of that
they demand that thepublic guarantee
certain profitable amount Of busi-
ness before adequate service is pro-
vided."
The Northern Ohio railroad is leased
and operated by the Lake Erie and
Western Railroad Co., for 999 years.
The fact that the Northern Ohio is
maintained as separate organization
for which separate books are kept,
does not, in Mr.. Van Epp's opinion,
make it any less part Of the Lake
Erie and Western system. And Mr..
Van Epp also contends that as the
law declares that ".every public util-r
ity must furnish and provide neces-
sary and adequate service" the North
ern Ohio should be compelled to
comply with the law, even though
such compliance would force the COM
pany into a receivership.
The answering brief of John B.
Cockrum, general attorney for the L.
E. & Western and Northern Ohio,
covers IA typewriter pages. He says:
"The defendant has admitted the
deplorable financial condition it is in,
and has admitted the inferior service
performed by it, all due to it's finan-
cial inability to provide better ser
vice, and regrets exceedingly that it
must come to the commission with this
tale of poverty and show the impossi-
bility of the things desired Of.
"There are no earning from the
operation of this road, Of any kind,
that can be used to furnish additional
service, and this being true, cannot
conceive how it would be possible for
the commission to make an order that
would require any additional service
on this company under the circum
stances"
notwithstanding Attorney Van
Epp received notification Thursday
morning from Columbus that the pub
lie utilities commission had refused
the application of the Medina Chamber
of Commerce to compel the Northern
Ohio railroad company to put ad-
ditional trains on its line through Me-
dina.