Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-08-24
COUNCIL AT
ADVANTAGE IN
REGULATION
Continued From Page one.)

company, she administration has offered
to undertake tho regulation OF jitneys.
And right there is the rub. The com
pany has successfully gotten out from
under the franchise tax and the paving
expense. II Is loaths 10 give IN the adj
vantsges Il obtained by surrendering it's
franchise. The city council must he de-
pended on to regulate jitneys and It is
well-known that the part of the admin
lstration, with which the street car com
pany is dealing is not the council and
does not possess control over the council
COUNCIL MAY
STAND IN WAY.
There is a grave question ms to whether
the administrative branch Of the city
government can bring the council into
line TO the extent of making Il regulate
jitneys in accordance with any contact
which 1t might frame with ths street car
company. The council never has indi-
Gated dosire TO have the mayor and
the corporation council negotiate a con
tract with tho street car company for il
10 enact into an ordinance and it prob
ably never will
Wherefore, the street car company Is
confronted with the problem of how far
1t should go in its bait for regulation
Of Jitneys. 1t foresees the possibility
that, with contract framed in negotia.
tons between the mayor and the cor
porauon and itself, it might b9 com
PEELED to make more concessions to Oh
tain the ratification Of the council with
out which the whole scheme fails.
When Il is backed up against the wall
the street car company will do this:
l. Agree TO turn over Fairview park
TO the city In lieu of the $50 900 annual
franchise tax.
2. Agree to install necessary special
work TO provide for rerouting of cars
downtown.
r Agree to install crosstown service in
South street, Thirty Fourth street aud
possibly in Washington street.
4. Agree TO operate mora cars on the
lines that are now being operated at
loss, owing to the jitney business
CoMPANY's LIST
OF REFUSALs.
The company also will make It plain
that 1t intends:
L To refuse to pave between tracks.
z. To refuse, at this time, to extend any
car Inca
3. To refuse to pay the franchise tax Of
$4,000 4 year.
4. To resist every regulatory ordinance
expenses by appealing such ordinances to
the public service commission.
& To abandon all traffic on lines where
jitney buses have made them unprofit-
able
The most important Of these intentions
OF the street car company Is the threat
II abandon street car service on West
Washington street and on the south side
Abandonment now would make little DIFF
ference to the people who generally ride
the Jltneys. But with tho approach Of
bad eather, the irresponsible jitneys will
fade away and the public will have no
means Of transportation in this territory
The council could, Of course, order the
company to restore this service, where
upon the company would appeal to the
public service commission. show that the
service only can DO conducted at a loss
and gain the approval Of the public serv-
:-s commission for its abandonment.
WHAT COUNCIL
GAN ACCOMPLISH.
Consequently, It is a fact that the city
council can take hold of this street car
situation itself and accomplish this much :;
1. Obtain for Indianapolis Fairview
park in lieu of the $4,000 franchise tax.
2. Obtain a tryOut Of the much de-
HAuueQ NEOss-lVWu seiFitb III LNo uuu
possibly three east and west streets.
3. Obtain for West Indianapolis and
the south side, a first class street car serv-
Ice.
4. Obtain for the benefit of the whole
city rerouting that will believe downtown
congestion and shorten the time required
to travel from the business part of the
city to the residence parts.
And it also is a fact that no power on
earth can obtain, without legislative en-
actments:
/. The resumption Of street paving by
the street car company.
q The resumption Of payment of the
franchise tax.
There is tremendous pressure being
brought on the members Of the city
council to save the situation by regul1t-
ing the jitneys. This pressure will even
tually be successful. The present ques-
ton is whether the street car company
will last until it is done and whether