Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-02-14
MUST IMPROVE
UTYCAR LINES,
COMPANY TOLD
Flat Demand for Better Serv-
ice Made by Board of
Public Works.

more money II the city Is TO De given
good street car service, DR.. Henry Jane
son, chairman of the board Of directors
of the company, replied.
So serious is the situation becoming
that many workmen are daily late to
work at factories because of lack Of
adequate car service, members of the
board declared.
The city is expanding industrially,
and must have greatly extended service
to meet necessary requirements, Dr..
jameson was told.
ADMITS SERVICE
IN CITY Is POOR.
Dr.. Jameson admitted that the street
car service is poor.
Our plant, our business venture is
run down, our shop facilities are made
quate, our power plant is obsolete, our
margin of profit is too small to improve
We've got to get our heads together
We've got to get ourd heads together
in this matter Of street car service i'm
provement,' said DR.. Jameson, 'for it is
a matter involving sympathy and mu-
tuahty and unity of purpose in order to
solve the problem"
Or. Jameson added one ray OF hope
he said he thought the service would
be improved temporarily within a
month.
Speaking Of the need of importing
an expert to solve the local situation,
George Lemaux, president of the board
of works said the board must neces-
sarily view the situation from a lay
5 mans viewpoint, not being expert in the
matter. He asked the street car com
pany to pay for an expert whom the
city should hire.
BOARD SENDS
LETTER TO TODD.
The letter which the board sent to
Robert I. Todd, president Of the Indi-
annapolis Street Railway Company,
follows:
"rFhe board Of works insists upon your
company giving better street car service
than you are now giving. We have been
promised more cars for the last sixty
days and about ali we hear is that these
cars will be here by the 18th OF the next
month. Oven If you get these cars,
which is, as we understand ii, only thir-
ty-hve more new cars, you will still be
short at least fifty cars, which are needed
very badly to take care of the industries
in our city ct the present time.
1--WE do not wish to argue with you
about your troubles and funds, but we
must insist that you make some kind of
an arrangement to secure more cars. 1t
is very vital in the interests Of our city,
and especially our industries, that these
laboring men are able to get to work on
time. We have complaints coming in to
our office almost daily that working men
are not able to get to work and therefore
are marked up short almost every day in
the week when they draw their pay.
1--WE are tired of promises and we
must, from now on, insist upon 1mme-
diate action. We firmly believe that you
have capable officers who are able to work
out some kind of a system whereby more
cars in the~earlY morning service can be
run to these industrial plants from the
downtown junction points so as to enable
these laborlng men to get to work.
Are you willing to agree to pay the
expenses of an expert whom we will en-
ploy to make a survey of the condition
of the street car situation of our city p
Immediately after the decision was
made to dispatch the letter DR.. Jane
son appeared before the board and
sought to arrange a conference between
the executive committee of the street
car company and the board Of works at
which a program for the next years i'm
provement Of traffic conditions would be
agreed upon. =
GIVES PLAN
HIS APPROVAL.
an expert street car man to survey To-
cal conditions DR.. Jameson expressed his
approval, and insisted that some time
ago he had taken up the suggestion with
the board members, in fact be said he
had advanced the idea as practical and
advisable.
DR.. Jameson said that the deplorable
conditions confronting the company had
grown out Of conditions of former man
agement, wartime conditions, and pres
ent-day difficulties.
1--WE need more cars, men," DR.. Jane
son said, "and l believe that within a
month service will be improved tenn
porarily."
Yes, we are not getting service we
must get" said Mr.. Lemaux.
Cars, we must have, moro Of them"
put in Mark Miller, board of works
member.
I'VE need at least fifty more cars"
continued DR.. Jameson, land we have
promise of five new cars between the
25th Of this month and the first of
March. We have ordered thirty-ive new
cars but 1t will be some time before
we can secure complete shipment. And
besides the flu has taken 200 men from
service. And we can't get help"
You've got to pay them more money"
member. And then we are beginning
to get complaints from factories that
their men are being daily locked be-
cause they can not get to work on time
With a new plant at Mars Hill, the
Lafayette Motors, indicating that they
viii begin to employ two or three thou
sand men within a month or two, we
feel that something must be done to
improve car service at once"
Upon examination by Mr.. Miller, Dr.
Jameson admitted that the company
owned about 800 street cars now, only
2S4 of which are in service at present
DR.. Jameson told Mr.. Miller that in
order to give satisfactory service that
at least 10 to 10 per cent of the total
number of cars available should be kept
on an extra list in order to press them
into service when a breakdown takes
place on the lines.
DR.. Jameson predicted, however, that
an advance in present street car fares in
indianapolis would not mean a perma-
nent fare
I'VE have no fear of high rate Of fares
existing for all time In the city, but right
now the company must have more
revenue in order to go ahead and make
service improvements" DR.. Jameson de-
clared.
John o. Bremen, auditor Of the In
dianapolis schools, represented to the
board his reroutdng plans for the street
cars of the city. Mr.. Bremen insisted
that if the present car lines were com
bined, making round trips Of two diff
ferent lines, instead o. doubling back
directly on the same car line, that con-
gestion in the downtown districts would
be eliminated
MAKES SOME