Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-08-10
OPEN HEARING ON
JITNEY TOMORROW
Utilities Attorney to Take Testimony TO
Determine Whether There is
Public Demand.
BOARD ASSUMES JURISDICTION
Facts, as Gathered From Citizens, VIII
Determine Future in Locality of
New Carrier.

I Taking of testimony on the petition
Of the Tri-City Railway company for
an injunction against the jituey bus
+ operators or Rock Island. Moline. East
Moline, WATERFOWL. sTvs and Milan.
/ will begin in the circuit court room at
Q o'clock tomorrow morning before T.
+ F. Mullen. Springfield. an attorney rep
] reseDtIng the Illinois public utilities
! commission. with whom the complain
ants suit has been dIed. Mr. Mullen
comes here simply 10 hear the test(-
mony of both sides 80 the contest He
! is accompanied by a stenographer who
viii write up the evidence for review
+ by the state commission. the latter to
render the decision on the question
whether there is demand for the 5jtnev
Gus as a common carrier in the cities
mentioned in competition with the
service offered by the railway COM
pany.
IT had been expected that the TAX
ing Of evidence would start at .
O'Clock this afternoon. but at that
time the attorneys in the case and MIR.
Mullen held d conference, after which
it was announced that witnesses
would not be called upon till morning.
1t will be recalled that when The
hearing was originally set before JUDGE
Thompson. 9 member of the commits
sion. q few weeks ago. at Springfield
S. r. kenworthy counsel for the de-
PENDANTS. questioned the Jurisdiction of
the state board in the local case. The
point resulted in an adjournment to a
date q week later in Chicago for argu-
ment Of the legal point raised. This
argument was heard by Judge Thomp-
son. and he ruled that the Utney bus.
AID an institution, was recognized as
common carrier by the commission and
that therefore the state board had jur-
isdicti0n under the statute by which IT.
was created.
The Jacksonville case was cited as a /
precedent AT Jacksonville the com
mission, upon petition of the railway .
company. issued an Injunction against
the Jltney bus operators, the facts .
showing that there was no demand for /
competitive service in that city the
street car company proving that it was
taking good care of traffic. and that the
business being attracted by the jitnev
bus was making destructive tnroads On
the receipts TO which the street rail-
way corporation Iegitimately was en-
titled. The j}tney busses at Jackson Il
vile were operating over established /.
routes and following published sched- II
ules. When the commission issued the II
restraining order the jitney bus opera
tors simply abandoned their schedules
and routes. removed their signs. and /
continued in business al individuals.
placing Tor hire signs on their cars.
This is what the jitney bus operators II
propose doing here, it has been init
mated by Mr.. Kenworthy. in the event
that the commission renders n decision |
sustaining the petition Of the complain II
ants.
Here to Learn Needs. II
We are here merely to find from
your people whether the iitDey bus is
needed TO take care Of the traffic, Mr.. |
Mullen said. The commission has
ruled that the jitney bus. as an insti-
tuition, Is a common carrier, and there
.ore properly comes within the turisdic-
-ion OF the state board. This phase OF
me question already having been dis
posed Of. It only remains for the com
mission 70 ascertain the traffic require
nents in the localities in which the
railway company is furnishing a reeu-
lar service Upon the testimony to he
heard from witnesses called by the
railway company and the iitney bus
operators the commission will deter
nine whether the 1itney is public
here.
The TRICKY Railway company ia