South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-03-13
COMMISSION NOT
To NEEDLE WITH
CAR ORDINANCE
Question of Service Beyond
Its Observation-Disclosures
Plea For Increase.

commission IDS lAO duNllOilNg " pass
on the ordinance enacted by the city
council in February regarding Is
minute car service on lines Of the
Northern Indiana Railway Co. was
the manner in which Commissioners
Paul Haynes summed the evidence
up in the informal hearing between
representatives OF the railway COM
pany and city officials Wednesday
afternoon and evening in the coun-
eli chambers of the city hall.
The increase of one-quarter cent
! per mile on interurban lines owned
and operated by the Northern In
diana was discussed and further ac-
ton will be taken by the commits
sion.
The matter of building the via
| duct at the crossing near New Car
Isle of the New York Central, the
| Northern Indiana and South Shore
was heard by the commission at
an informal hearing and the propo-
I sition will be settled by the COM
mission working with the engineers
of the state and the railroad com
panies.
Attorneys Drummond and Weir,
| representing the Northern Indiana,
endeavored TO show that the 10
minute proposition as outlined in
the ordinance passed by the city
council was unreasonable and should
| be found void. in that great loss
would fall 10 the company if it be
allowed to stand.
Attys. Slick and Gilmer. for the
city, contended that The original
franchise OF the Northern Indiana
stipulates that the city council OF
South Bend has the power to COM
pei the railway company 10 operate
its cars on a 15-minute service. Due
| to this fact they claimed that the
matter was not for the commission
t" decide. but purely a matter for
| the city.
Commissioner Haynes stated that
since the original franchise has
never been surrendered TO the city.
the city has the power TO enforce it.
Plan improvement.
Manager smith stated that the St.
Mary's line could not be operated
| on a 15-minute service without a big
| loss to the city since a record of it's
revenues shows a loss of $4,000 last
year when it was run on a 30-min-
ute schedule. He stated that the
company is anticipating a number
Of new improvements TO the lines
| i'm the way of better and more mod
ern equipment which will better
conditions.
m cfn ri
gument on the ordinance passed by
the city council Feb. II, compelling
the Northern Indiana lines to oper-
ate 15-minute service over all lines
of the company.
Charles Drummond, counsel for
the petitioners, stated that it was an
impossibility to conform to the
parts of the ordinance as made by
the council and asked the commits
sion 10 find it void on the grounds
of urreasonableness.
He endeavOred to show that it
would be impossible for the COM
pany to operate car service both
ways every Is minutes over all lines
as this would include the terminal
at Michigan and Washington SITS,
which could not operate both ways
without great inefficiency. He also
stated that the ordinance did not
state whether the company must
run passenger or freight cars over
these lines.
Additional Fare Question.
The proposition OF an additional
fare of one-quarter cent per mile
over the interurban lines of the
Northern Indiana was also discussed
before the commission. The North
ern Indiana attempted 10 show that
it is impossible for them to continue
to operate their lines unless some
relief is granted them by the COM
mission, in that they show a deficit
on their books which continues TO
grow larger.
City Atty. Slick. in his argument.
asked how the company knew that
they were losing financially on the
interurban lines and not on the city
lines.
The company stated that they do
not keep separate accounts of in
terurban and city matter and are
unable TO show which of the two
services are a detriment 10 the COM
pany.
General Manager Smith, OF the
Northern Indiana, was questioned
concerning the operations of the
company. in which he declared that
he did not know which part was
losing money, but thought it the
proper thing to raise the rates on
the interurban lines. He also stated
that the jitney service in the city is
a great detriment TO the street car
service on a number of the most i'm
portant lines.
Submits Figures.
Manager Smith also offered fig
ures in which he showed what the
one-ouarter cent raise per mile
would do for the company in the
coming year. as compared with fig
ures taken from the past year. He
stated that the company would re-
ceive at least $2S.5510o increase If
the commission allowed the in
crease.
The commission felt that figures
should be compiled showing the
separate cost of maintenance OF both
the street cars and the interurbans