The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-12-31
TRACTION LINE
WINS OUT WITH
SERVICE FIGHT
Revenue Dropped Way Down and
Company Gains Permission to
Run Oae-Man Cars.

efforts to gain permission to oper-
ate one-man cars on all its lines,
and company officials assert that
1922 is to see great strides made in
restoring best relations between
the company and the street car
patrons.
1t was not until after court trials
and public utility hearings that the
company gained it's point in favor
of the one-man cars.
After. Injunction and counter in
junction had been served and an
swered in the Iowa situation the
company was granted right to be-
gin operation of one-man cars June
/ in that city.
On the Illinois side of the river
the granting Of permission was
mueh more belated. However, aft
er three separate hearings before
the Illinois commerce commission
notification came Dec. % that oper-
alton of one-man cars was permits
sible on all lines in Rock Island
Moline. East Moline and Silvis. =
Inauguration of such segyice took
place Dec. &c On the Thi#f avenue
and Stephen park lines, with all
other lines to follow within two
months.
Rate Hearing Pending.
No notification was received by
the company on it's petition for a
basic fare of 10 cents with month
Iy Communication tickets selling at
so cents. This petition was Offer
ed in conjunction with the conf
panys request for permission to
operate cars by one man, and while
no notice was taken of the fare pc
tition the company officials be-
lieve that the proposition as put
forth by the company would not
have been approved. 1t is deemed
highly probable that a rate hearing
will be called by the commerce
commission some time in January,
and that the fare proposition will
be settled.
Until this time the company will
continue to collect Scent fare on
all Illinois cars.
/ There was practically no recon-
struction nor extension work done
by the company during the last
year, all efforts having been con-
centrated toward upkeep of prop
erty, but outside of this the year
was marked by exceptional activl-
ties.
Never before in its history has
the company been called upon to
defend its actions in the courts or
to seek relief so many times from
the courts. In Davenport the COM
pany has been in court almost con-
I tinually all year. Injunctions and
counter injunctions were sought,
obtained and set aside by the COM
pany, the city of Davenport and
business interests.
When the company won its fight
for one-man cars in Davenport. it
cut the fare voluntarily from nine
to eight cents.
The general fight in Davenport
followed statement by the COM
pany that on April 1, its employees
wages would be cut to 40 cents an
hour in Davenport, as a retrenclI-
ment measure.
A general strike threatened for
weeks, and the company later
agreed to sign separate agreements
with the unions, but finally signed
joint agreement, the men accept
ing a cut from 20 to so cents an
hour. One-man car operators were
allowed 55 cents an hour.
In Rock Island the Elm street
car line was shortened. Instead OF
running to the west end of the city
the cars were turned back at Fiji
teenth street, making the return
trip over Third avenue The change
allowed one car to be taken off the
run. 1t was shortly after this
that the company announced in
tention to run cars in Rock Island
operated by one man. The case
was taken before the Illinois com
merce commission, and after three
hearings, two of which were held
locally, the company won out.
Jitney bus operation died out as
quickly as it had sprung up, which
was soon after Jan. II, when the
company's Scent fare went into
effect.
Several robberies of car crews
were staged during the year. Most
of these have been of recent date
and operators of cars in Davenport. |
However, Stephens park car in
Moline was boarded by five ban
dts Jan. 5, and the crew and pas
sengers robbed. Four of the gang
were convicted and sentenced TO |
the penitentiary The fifth was
placed on probation.
Companies Offices Separated.
Probably one of the most import |
ant internal changes in the man
agement of the Tri-City Railway |
company of Iowa and the Tri-City |
Railway company of SIllinois, was /
removal of the latter's office from ,
Davenport to the car barns, Fifth |
avenue and Tnirty-fifth street. |
Rock Island. Ii was necessary. in |
order to accommodate the office !
force, to build an office for the
company on the second floor. This |
work was completed Sept. l, and |
the change was made. Since that
time the headquarters for the I'LL
nois company las been in Rock L.
land
Late in July John G. Huntooa.
vice president and general mana
ger of the companies, made pub
lie his plan to retire. He announ-
ced that his successor on Aug. I
would be Thomas c. Roderick. then
assistant manager of the company
Mr. Huntoon retaining his title as
vice president.
LESS BUSINESS