The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-10-13
COMMISSION HEARD
RIVAL CLAIMS
Citizens. Committee, Railroad Men
and Railroad commissioners Have
Lengthy Conference on the Tn
ion Passenger Station
DECISION PROMISED IN THE
NEAR FUTURE


their talks in the hearing called by
the Florida State Railroad Commits
sion to go into the union depot
proposition.
Col. r. F. Rogers. chairman of
the Board of Trades citizens com
nlittee of ten, called on the diner
ent members to talk in behalf of dhe
union depot
The full commission, namely:
Chairman Burr and Messrs. Bitch
and Dunn, were present and gave
their closest attention to all of the
talks, asking a good many questions
from all parties at interest and show
ed that they possessed a splendid
fund of information on conditions
of railroads and improvements of
this nature throughout the state, the
financial condition of the companies
and the state in general.
las we cannot finish the report of
the proceedings THAT we desire To-
day, and will have to continue it till
tomorrow, we will say now that the
gentlemen, through their Spokesman,
Mr.. Burr, said they would give the
matter their most careful attention
and would act on it at the earliest
moment and announce their decis-
ion, but if such decision should be
favorable % a depot, they wished to
say now that they were not in favor
of ordering it done just at this time,
when the financial condition of the
railroads are in such an unsatisfac-
tory condition, and. in fact, not till
ample time had elapsed for these
conditions to have been overcome
Mr. T. ID. Rooney, secretary of the
Board of Trade, was the first speak
er on the citizens committee. Mr..
Rooney gave a brief outline of the
movement, its beginning and results
down to date, of its needs and the
fact that a great majority of the bus
mess men of the city had petitioned
for it and that the petitionfng had
been done in an unbiased way, the
Board of Trade taking no side in the
matter until the people had express
ed their wishes and the matter had
been brought before the commission
in the shape of the great petition OF
$50 names in favor, few against
and a few Indifferent.
Mr.. L. w. Duval was the next
speaker He said he would class his
So. - =, +I,,.r~1> r.,.11s ~ rvot
the necessity of union depot; sec
ond, whether or not the ma jority
favor it, and. third, whether or not
this is the opportune time to have it
ordered. AS to the opportune time,
he would leave that to the railroad
commissioners, as they were the bet
ter judges. He realized the financial
depression that the railroads were
laboring under and did not wish to
work them any harm.
As to whether the people wanted
the depot, the large number of sign
ers, after a fair and unbiased cam
vass of the city showed, and he did
not believe that a counter petition
circulated today would change the
number either way to any extent.
AS to its necessity, he would refer
to the schedules of trains, and Mr.
Duya1 gave very comprehensive
statement of this part of the situa.
ton, giving the arrival and depa--
ture of all trains on all roads. He
showed that seven trains arrive JUS
afternoon each day, Within two
hours, and beginning next week two
more will arrive. Counting depar
lures, both of these numbers are
doubled. The transfer of the pas
sengers and their baggage from one
depot to another is quite an under
taking and much expense and il
many cases the connections canno
be made on account Of the marrow
; margin of time, when a train may b,
late and persons have to remain Owe
in the city
Mr.. Duval said he had often see1
hundred white passengers waitin;
in and about the A. C. L. depot, whel
it only seated a quarter of that mum
ber
Mr.. Frederick R. Hooker was mex
called ON. He said he could scarce
ly do better than say amen to Nh
: Duval's talk, as he had pretty vel
: covered the situation, but would ad
a few thoughts. He, as city attor
ney for Ocala had seen the necessit
4
f at each one, as the arrival and dc
partures of the trains were so nearl
d at the same time that one man cou!
f not do the work. The policing wa
a necessity for the protection of tn
e public and the railroad companie
and a ,,nion dorot uronIld ma Ia t.hi