The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-02-16
|C|T'Y COUNCIL
PROTESTS BILLS {
enactment Of Two Bills Before the
Legislature Protested by
Council In Resolutions
Today.
THIS CITY Is AFFECTED.
Passage Of Ono Bill Would Cause the
Discrimination Of One street
Car Line Ex-
. tension.
l
THIS CITY rs AFFECTED

Legislature. were protested against
by the city council in resolutions
passed this morning and yesterday
evening One of the bills would re-
Iquire all street car companies to nave
all street cars in charge OF two com
petent employees. The other is Din,
that, In brief, provides for the regu.
lation and control of all electrician
wiring by the board OF railway com
missioners. taking this power away
from the various city governments.
The resolution protesting the enact
i ment Of the first bill Is self explana-
] tory. The main part Of this resolu-
ton follows:
/ Whereas, there are certain lines
now being operated in this city on
which the fares collected are not sui
4 icient to pay the salaries OF two com
lpetent men; and
Whereas, We believe If this bill
above referred to, II enacted 1t VIII
tend to postpone the extension OF
lines into new territory, that might
be run il only one trainman were.
used on car but which extension
would not be made IL it were neces-
sary to employ two men on the car,
the result of which would mean re-
tarded street car system in this city.
i Therefore.
/ Be It Resolved, BY the city council
LOT the city Of Keokuk: That we here
iby request the state senator and the
Estate representatives from this dis
ltrict to use all honorable means In
their power to defeat the passage OF
said bill; and
j Be It Further Resolved, That the
city clerk be and is hereby instructed
to forward copy of this resolution
to the Honorable Joseph R. Frailey,
state senator, and to the Honorable
Charles F. Sawyer, state representa-
4 tive from this district.
Disastrous to Companies.
]. p. Ingle, general superintendent
of the Keokuk Electric company, said
this afternoon that the passage of this
bill would seriously cripple the local
company and that 1t probably would
4 throw the Fort Madison street car
company into bankruptcy. On two Of
the extensions here but one man Is
lemployed on the cars-the Mckinley
avenue extension and the depot line.
On the first OF these two extensions
1.-THE fares collected are not sufficient
to pay the wages Of one man. On
the other, the fares collected are not
sufficient to pay the wages Of two
men, not counting the other costs of
1 operating the car. II the bill is en-
i acted one CT these two lines will like
lily be discontinued. probably the de-
pot line, he said. In Fort Madison
but one man is employed on any OF
the cars there and IL 1t should be-
come necessary to employ two men on
each car, the company would not be
able to pay expenses. Many other
street car companies in the smaller
cities OF the state would be crippled
seriously If not absolutely ruined II
4 this bill should be enacted.
The second bill, regarding the
placing OF electrical wiring under
the supervision of the railroad com
mission, is protested by the city
council in their resolution on the
4 grounds that the subject matter of
the bill is such that 1t may be more
properly and efficiently dealt with by
4 the respective cities and towns than
is possible in the manner provided in
the BILL Requests were made by
i the council to Senator Frailey and
Representative Sawyer to prevent
i the passage Of the bill II possible.
Says Bill is Too Broad.
4 Mayor Mocrhead said this after
noon that enc Of the reasons the bill
lis being protested by the city is that
it is too broad and gives the COM
mission too much power. He said
that If the bill is passed, the railway
commission, or their representatives
would have the power to supervise
and direct the wiring of every resi-
tdence in the state. Moreover, the bill
i provides for the employment Of an
electrician, rather than an electrical
engineer, to supervise this work for
4 the commission
Z. The bill would provide for the en-
ployment in every city. of one or