The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-10-18
FOR
IMAGINATION
At ROTARY CLUB

mond Rotary Club the following ar
guments in favor OF amalgamation
of Hammond and East Chicago:
The geographical location of these
two cities makes 1t imperative that
they be combined. There IS a lake
from which all must draw their
water supply; there is a river that
must supply the drainage; there IS a
canal that touches both cities and
should be developed Jointly to aid
commerce There are lands that
lend themselves to commercial de-
velopment and lands that lend them
selves to home" development. The
first are largely in East Chicago, the
latter largely in Hammond.
The laying out of highways re-
quires concerted action and this
can be done better If all interests
are pooled In one government For
example: The main North ard South
Street in East Chicago is Forsythe
were laid out in Hammond. this
street was diverted, Hammond hav-
ing no interest in maintaining its
Importance. Today, a million and d
half dollar terminal would be ruin
ed in order to straighten out For
sythe avenue.
The matter Of Indianapolis Boule-
paving Of the street was UP. East
Chicago and Whiting perhaps felt
more interested in the matter than
Hammond but there was a wide diff
ference of opinion as to what ought
to be done. A wholly inanequate
street resulted. East Chicago and
Whiting were not satisfied with the
provision mane for their Chicago
traffic. this being the only outlet
these cities have to Chicago.
- rn-s7eetscn Nth urban trans
portation. there must be worked o.
-. -ll@-o Oo44ln4uu.l.es a definite and
adequate street car service. In work
ing it out Hammond must not be
treated as one city and East Chicago
as another. We must work it out
50 that people can get from the
and business sections by the short
est and most expeditions routes. The
development of the whole district IS
being retarded by the fact that we
have not the necessary transporta-
ton service to the points where
manufacturing plants could most
readily locate If urban transporta-
ton were available.
This problem includes very i'm
Gaping the outstanding fact that the
development. when it is made. should
follow the lines that Will best serve
the district as a whole. For example.
a large part OF East Chicago's s labor
lives in Hammond on the street
cars one fare prevails between the
two cities, which is proper The
these two cities and the service
should be along lines that will full
ly consider the interests of both
communities Not long since there
was a. strike on the street car lines
and both cities dealt separately with
the street Car Company. Hammond
made a settlement that forced the
Street Car Company to give up an
ideal double track arrangement A
street already too narrow for even
q single track line was made to cor
~ double track line. Nearly all
cities have laid out their streets so
that they have become too marrow
for important business highways and
throughout the country the effort is
being made TO overcome the bad ef-
fects Of this error. in part at least.
by instituting one way traffic. Ham
mond moved in exactly the opposite
direction unmindful Of the interests
of street car patrons located in the
two cities. If the two communities
had been combined in one. the rep
resentatives of East Chicago and
Indiana Harbor would never have
permitted surh an arrangement to
go through.
There is no escaping the fact that
If this district is to fully grasp the
wonderful opportunity that lies be-
fore it. it must be treated as one
community. The men of public
spirit in the whole district must
get together and work as one body
and toward one end. They must take
q large view of the problem that
eonfronts them and this we can new
er hope for so long as we are divided
up into two municipalities. each
seeking to promote its own interests
without regard to the whole interest.
II these two cities were amalga-
mated, it would enable the men who
run the plants to live IN the city in
which their plant is located. Their
influence is needed in that city. and
their help is needed in working out
the problems. Today, a plant man
ager located in East Chicago NAV
find 1t impossible to obtain in East
Chicago the home conditions that
his family consider necessary. He
may as well live in Chicago as in
Hammond because his Hammond
residence gives him no more in
iluence in East Chicago affairs than
If he lived In Chicago. IF the wv,
towns were together. he could live
IN Hammond with his family and
exert his influence and give his help
in civic problems that are very i'm
portant to his plant and to the !
as a whole.