Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-02-28
MAYOR SHANK
DOESN'TFAVOR
JITNEY FARLEY
Committee, Chosen to Probe
City Railway Finances,
Ready for Task.
OTHER COUNCIL NOTES

Suggestion that Mayor Samuel Lewis
Shank call the former jitney drivers and
their patrons into a meeting and ask
ever recurring controversy between bus
owners and the indianapolis Street Rail-
way Company was made by Mrs H. l..
Reiffel, president of the South Side
Women's Club (OriginaD, at the confer
ence yesterday afternoon Of the committee
appointed by the mayors general citi-
zens' committee to investigate the street
railway company.
Il would like for the mayor to ask
the public whether if they had to choose
one or the other and had several hun
dred dollars on them they would take
Jitney or a street car at IL O'Clock at
night" said Mrs. Reiffel 81 know Shat
they would take the street car, but I'd
like for you, Mr.. Shank, to ask them
that.
Then I'd like for the mayor to ask the
jitney men if they will haul children and
suitcases for nothing like the street cars
do. 1 had conference with some jitney
drivers recently on this question and
they did not think they should have to
haul children and suit cases free"
SUGGESTED CONFERENCE
NOT TIMELY.
The mayor protested that he did not
want to call such a conference, at least
not at this time. II don't want to get
mixed up in anything undl it is thor
oughly investigated" he said.
The rest Of the committee came to the
mayors rescue and decided that such a
conference might be in point after the
investigation Of the company's financial
condition, which the utility has invited,
L. Io4o
accepted the decision In good humor
The subcommittee, which was appoint
ed to find out just what the street rail
way company's condition is and report
back to the general committee a week
from next Saturday, divided itself into
smaller bodies, one Of which is to ex-
anime the books Of the company with
authority to ask for expert help If nee
essary and the other to conduct a ques-
tionnaire of street railway companies
and city administrations upon the trans
portation problem in all American cities
of the class of indianapolis or where the
situation is somewhat analagou to that
here
J. Stephen Fullen, who was elected
chairman Of the subcommittee, was made
chairman Of the committee to look into
the company's books with Mrs. Reiffel
and L. c. Schwartz, labor representative
as his associates from the committee and
William FL. Freeman, member Of the
board of public works and Theodore J..
Bernd, president Of the city council, as
other members.
TO INVESTIGATE CONDITIONS
IN OTHER CITIES.
e. o. Snethen was appointed head of
the committee to investigate conditions
In other cities with A. LIE Roy Portteus,
Thomas P. Harvey, o. T. owen and John
f. White as members. Mr.. White was
elected secretary of the whole subcom-
mittee.
Members Of the committee, particularly
Mr.. Owen, who Is a member of the XII
wants Club; Mr.. Schwartz of the Central
Labor Union, Mr.. Fullen and Mr.. White
expressed the conviction that If the COM
mittee is to do valuable work for the
citizens 1t must act entirely without bias
Mr.. Schwartz said that he was not con-
sidering himself as the representative Of
labor in his service on the committee,
but rather as a citizen with a duty to the
entire population.
II feel that the company is In a posi-
ton where it is dead willing to tell us
its true situation" he said
Mr.. White said that he feels that the
companies which have controlled tbs
"milked the public" but that lie, above
all things, did not want to become OBJ
sessed with this idea. He wanted, he
said, to put past history into the back
ground considering 1t only as back
ground, and treat the problem In its pres
ent and future aspects. However he said,
he wanted the committt. to be very
cautious in its recommendations of means
to aid the company in its rehabilitation
not to do anything which ever will make
possible Objectionable actions he felt the
company had been guilty Of in the past.
Asserting that he holds no brief for
the street railway company and that
he has started the probe into the COM
pany only after the company had re-
quested it, and only in the interests of
better service for citizens, Mayor Shank
declared
II don't know If the street car COM
pany gave any money to the Howe and
Ralston campaign funds, but l do know
that their head officers all were dead
against me in the election and that they
didn't give us a dime"
The Central Labor Union last evening
defeated a resolution offered by the ty-
geographical local, asking that the labor
delegates to the mayors general street
car committee be recalled