The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1919-08-22

MAY Be LONG
PENDING
II Beaten for ReCeiVership CITY
Will Ask for Mandate
In September.

Petition for a receiver for the
Hammond, Whiting & East Chica-
so Street Railway Co., was filed
shortly before noon today in the
circuit court at Crown Point by At
torney w. W. Mcmahon, represent
ing the city of Hammond. Judge
Norton Immediately set the mat
ter for hearing next Tuesday.
The application for the writ of
mandamus charges the company
with neglect and failure to com
ply with the terms Of the franchise
granted in 1904. The appointment
of receiver is asked IN order that
the lines may be operated pending
the litigation.
As only injunction anu receivership
proceedings are considered emergency
cases Of sufficient Importance to be
beard during court vacation. the man
aamus suit viii not come UP until the
apening Of the September term which
vill be September 8.
This means that unless some other
agreement can be reached in the con-
troversy. Hammond, Whiting and East
Chicago viii continue without street
car service until next Tuesday and pos
sibly longer 1t is said that the decision
OF Attorney Mcmahon to file the suits
was reached following a meeting Of the
eleventh ward Improvement association
last night at which the matter was dis
cussed
It is possible that Hammond. Whiting
and East Chicago will be without street
car service until after September S.
The following letter was addressed
today by President Talmadge to the
mayor and common council of the city
Of Hammond:
ON the assumption that the action
taken BY the Council on the 18th instant
in denying the petition at the Hammond.
Whiting & East Chicago Railway Com
pany for an increase Of fare. is not
necessarily final and on the further as
sumption that You equally with our
selves are desirous Of avoiding dead
lock from which all interests must nee
essarily suffer / feel prompted to cali
- our attention to the facts and condi-
tIons whcih have brought about a sus-
pension of service by the Company and
TO submit certain matters for your
earnest consideration in an effort to put
an immediate end To the great incon-
venfence and loss that the public Is suf-
fering for lack Of transportation
The Company IS not responsible for
the conditions that brought about the
emergency. nor for The continuance Of
the Company's employees. acting with ill.,.
employees az the Chicago Surface Lines.
members or the same local demanded
increases Of ray and changed workines
conditions which. If granted would
have added s16e.00o.00 TO this Company
annual operating costs The demands
came at time when tile Conpanys
financial resources We're at the lowest
ebb because of the continued advan ,e
Il the cost OF all material and labor
and the fact that we we're required TO
haul the public for the sameniclel we
did thirty years ago and which Is now
worth two and one-half cents. The
Company could not meet the demands
The men voted to strike To avert this
and to save the public from the very
Inconvenience i IS now suffering the
Company made a compromise offer to
tle employees or 90 cents an noun, an
increase Of thirty-hve per cent over the
former scale, and agreed to other de-
niands on condition that the Company
was given a SUFFICIENT increase of fare
to enable it TO pay this increased scale.
The men rejected the offer and went on
strike and remained out for the last
four days Of July. Upon reconsidera-
tion. the men accepted the compromise
offer The utilities Commission of I'LL
uois promptly conducted a nearing ana
on the 6th Of august. granted the Sur
face Lines a seVen-cent fare. Since thar
date this fare has been effective IN the
city Of Chicago and up to the limits of
the City OF Hammond On tile same
date We submitted to the Board *
Public Works ii the City Of Hammond
and in each Of the other cities IN which we
operate cars. our petition for like in
crease in fare.
Our proposition was clear. The men
would net work without more pay. We
did not have the money to pay them.
You were the body to which we could
properly apply for relief. and which
could say whether or not the men sh -u,d
- = So