Arizona republican., 1920-01-03
UNION STATION
 NEED NOT DENIED BY RAILROADS
Hearing Brings Out Ample Reasons Why Better Fa- cilities Should Be Pro vided - Adjourned Until Jan. 16.

Adjourned for two weeks to give the railroad companies an opportunity to- present suggestions for plans, costs and locations of the proposed new depot or depots to replace the old passenger stations now used here by the Santa F'e. and Arizona Eastern railways, the state corporation commission yesterday rested it's hearing that was called for discussion of the city's need for bet ter depot facilities.
 Yesterdays hearing is considered to have brought out and settled two i'm portant points in the consideration of the depot queStion-first, that Phoenix has grown tremendously during the last ten years while the railroad facilities have remained as they were although other public service concerns can show proofs of their attempts to keep the pace. and second, that the railroad companies have only the mildest forms of protest against the corporation com missions expected order for the build ing of better facilities.
 Leon s. Jacobs, local attorney for the Arizona Eastern railway and ap- bearing also for G. P BuIlard, general solicitor of the United States railroad administration, briefly challenged the commissions Jurisdiction in the depot question and asked that action be post 1 poned until after March 1 when the |
  control of the railroads and when the railroads will be in more definite | position to administer their own af- fairs. His request was acceded to only in that yesterdays hearing was con | tinued until January Is.
 Numerous witnesses. representing | leading public and civic organizations, | testified yesterday for the crying need of better depot facilities. D. R. John | son, tariff expert for the commission. presented the longest line of outstand- | ing facts.
 Shows Growth of Phoenix
 He showed that the Maricopa & | Phoenix line was built in 1887 and that the Santa Fe line into Phoenix was built in 1895. during which time the | population of Phoenix increased about | 20 fold. He mentioned the populations i Of 1900 and 1919 as 5,544 and 10000, | and the populations of Maricopa county for 1910 and 1919 as 34,4SS and 75,00S. | The populations of other Arizona cities | affecting the Phoenix traffic also were mentioned for the years 1900 and 1919 as 7,531, 27 800 for Tucson: 3,559, 5000 for Prescott; and 6,437 in 1910 and 1S.- 900 in 1919 for Douglas. The passenger train service into Phoenix MT. John [ son said, increased from one train each way on the Santa Fe to three trains each way, and from one train each | way on the Arizona Eastern or Mari f copa & Phoenix line to seven trains each way.
 The seating capacities of the depots, he said. ranged from Fl on the Arizona Eastern to 24 on the Santa Fe, and as a sidelight -le stated that one Phoenix | hotel bus seats 40 passengers The Santa Fe Waiting room is 9 feet 3 inches long by 19 feet T inches wide, and the Arizona Eastern waiting room is the same length, but three inches wider. Police Officer Ernest D. Ellis testified that he had been detailed to the depot beat for years and that he had found the Santa Fe room to be | without heating facilities and the other | room to have very little heat while | the toilet facilities were almost hope less. Women, he said, had to apply | at the ticket window for the key to the lavatories-
 Population Gain
 Johnson testified that the passengers handled in and out in 1919 by the e Santa Fe totalled 99316, and by the Arizona Eastern 147.S93. To show the growth of population as indicated by the passenger lists, he said that the Arizona Eastern in 1919 brought in 10.657 passengers more than it took out and that the Santa F'e in the same year brought in 2.0S2 more passengers than it took away. The daily gain in population by train records, he showed. was more than 29 persons.
 To show that the railroad companies require more room for handling their trains. Johnson said that a city block at the present depot sites is 300 feet long while an ordinary mainline train of engine, tender, two baggage-cars and three sleepers is 650 feet long.
 Concerning some improvements since 1895 contributing to the increase in population here. Johnson mentioned the Roosevelt dam, costing s10.o00.000, the federal building, costing S210.000, [ and the governments recent approval of the proposed Verde dam system that is to cost s5500.000. He said that the 1918 crops from the waters of the Roosevelt dam amounted to s23.166, 6S2.22- The Water Users association here, he said. had spent over and above the cost of the dam the sum Of B., 900. 900 for canals and ditches and sSo. 900 for its administration buildng.t
 He mentioned further the proposed Apache hotel that is to cost S1.100, 900