The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-08-12
CLUBS LIGHT
PLAN MAY END.
NEW CAR LINES
Bayis Tells of Agreement
With T. H., I. & E. Not to
Assess Additional Improve
ments This Year.

That petlt1On SI6Hoo ~.
more resident property owners lol al
ornamentalconduit lighting systSM
for Main street would be presented tue
board of public works, was tue oscia.-
alton made today by Chairman y. M.
Haas of the Commercial cluo puoilc
improvement committee.
This petition, however VIII not De
ACCOMPANIED by any guarantee that
the CITY will not have to pay any
more for such improvement than wnat
a trolley pole lighting system Woulo
cost. which Mr.. Haas says the Doaro
has demanded.
He says the petition will be present
ed under the same method as per
tains to the submission OF petltlons
for other kinds Of public improve
ments. which do not require such
guarantees.
Haas Accepts Terms.
"If the board will only CONSIDER tue
installation of the ornamental stano-
ard system for the business dlstrlct
by the submission Of petition OF
resident property owners, then tnese
terms will be accepted" said Mr.:
Haas. LAS q matter Of fact the Doaro
could act on a petition of NONRESIDENT
property owners, according to law
cited by the city attorney, or the board
could act without the Formally OF any
petition being presented, because the
law explicitly sets forth that no re-
monstrances shall be heard when the
board orders the improvement OF
street with lamp posts, although the
cost is assessed against the bene1ltted
property owners. In the case or thls
proposed improvement the great ma
jority Of property owners are IN 1aVor
of it and there is no reason whey the
board should assume the attitude IT
has"
President Bavis Of the board OF
public works declares that If the pro-
posed ornamental lighting system was
ordered without the resident property
owners first petitioning for the i'm
provement, thereby compelling the
board to act on the matter. the city
administration and the members OF
the public Improvement committee o!
the Commercial club could be charged
with breach of faith by the Terre
Haute, indianapolis & Eastern traction
company, and, furthermore, the COM
pany might refuse to fulfill its promise
to extend it's street car lines into
Beallview and to Morton park
agree WIN !. n.y. u q z.
when the board last spring order
ed Main street from the bridge to
Fourth street paved on the establish
ed grade the traction company was
confronted with the necessity OF hav-
ing to share with the c. & o. the ex-
pense of raising the railroad bridge
one foot" explained Mr.. Bavis. "Trac-
ton officials then met with us and we
ALL hot yl-n
grading down of the street five inches
from each curb so that their cars
could pass under the bridge as it now
stands, providing the company would
agree to the two car line extensions.
This proposal was taken under
consideration by the traction officials.
A little later they met with us, the
members of the Commercial club i'm
provement committee and a delegation
representing the South Side Improve
ment association. At this meeting the
company officers agreed to the boards
proposal providing no other public i'm
provements affecting the company
would be ordered by the board this
year. The Commercial club men
urged us to enter into such an agree
ment with the company and we did
so.
Would Break Promise.
Now these same Commercial club
members would have the board break
it's promise to the traction company,
made to secure badly needed car line
extensions, by ordering a public i'm
provement which would mean big
expense to the company. If the light
ing system urged by the Commercial
club is installed the traction company
must pay the major share of the cost
of laying conduits because its feed
wire would be placed in them. Even
II the Commercial club advocates a
breach of faith with the traction com
pany the board of works will not will
lingly be a party to such plan by
taking the initiative in ordering such
an improvement. If the residen,
property owners petition for such ar
improvement the board has no Other
recourse than to act on the matter"