The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-07-21
CITY COUNCIL
DELAYS TOWN
LAW REVISION
Board Unable to Act Be-
cause of Absence of
Four Members.

Baked Monday night by the alb
sence of four members, city council
will meet at 7:3O Wednesday night
In special session to act on several
traffic ordinance amendments and
other pending ordinances.
Unable to act on pending meas
ures because Councilmen Fred c..
Gardner, Maurice E. Tenant and
George A. Henry. Republicans, and
the Rev. G. A. Hildebrand, Demo-
crat, failed to attend, the council
clashed with opponents Of the traf-
nc ordinance who appeared to con-
denim it.
Hostilities began when Henry A.
Roberts, restaurant owner, and
leader of the faction of business
men fighting the early morning
downtown parking ban and the i'm
pounding section of the ordinance,
sought to wax Oratorical on injus-
tice OF the ordinance.
Interrupted by WEIGH
As he opened an attack on the
citizens traffic committee, which
drafted the new ordinance, he was
interrupted by Leo F. WEIGH, who
presided at the hearing, with a re-
quest to "Confine himself to discus
sion of the amendment under con-
sideration."
The council has heard all these
things many times in the past"
WEIGH said. we will be glad to hear
discussion of the amendment be-
fore this hearing, which provides
for reduction Of the area affected
by the early morning parking ban"
When Roberts ignored the request
and continued along the same lines,
Council President Ernest @. Ropkey
interrupted with a similar request,
which likewise was unheeded, after
which Ropkey commented:
I'VE will be glad to hear anything
on the odinance up for hearing.
However, if you are just talking to
the gallery, go ahead and discuss all
these things, but if you want to talk
to the council, please conf1ne your
self to the ordinance. We have
heard these other things over and
over again and they have nothing
to do with this amendment"
Motion of Councilman Charles G.
Morgan. Democrat. that Eve hear
what this man wants to say" was
lost for want of a second.
Hits Taxis and Buses
After this, Roberts presented fig
ures he had prepared, together with
suggestions for increasing parking
space.
He declared space of 10000 auto
mobiles to park during the day
could be provided by permitting
angle parking on Monument circle
and Washington street and turning
over to the public two miles Of
parking space reserved for taXis
and buses"
William A. Boyce Jr., attorney for
Frank A. Fishback, who filed the
injunction suit to halt enforcement
of the parking ban and impound-
ing Of cars, now pending in superior
court two, was the only other
speaker. AS Boyce, former city
clerk, arose to speak, WEIGH said:
Il guess you know the rules Of
the council, Mr.. Boyce"
Eyes, was city clerk long enough
to understand city council pro-
cedure," Boyce replied, but I never
saw taxpayer stopped from talk
ing, as a matter OF courtesy rather
than matter Of rules"
BOyce Submits Plan
Boyce submitted a suggestion that
instead of banning parking between
certain hours, the city impound
cars parked overtime, permitting
owners of the cars to post $25 bond
and recover their cars. going into
court later. This, he said, would not
discriminate against any one.
The ordinance up for hearing
Monday night provided for reducing
the section banned for parking to
the area bounded by Maryland,
Delaware and Ohio streets and
Capitol avenue.
A new traffic ordinance amend
ment introduced at the meeting
would provide optional court hear
ings for owners of impounded cars,
limit cars to five minute stops in
the banned area for unloading and
loading passengers and thirty min
utes for freight and merchandise.
permit parking on the west side Of
Delaware street 'from Twenty
fourth to Thirtieth streets and on
Washington boulevard from Twen-
ty-eighth to Thirtieth streets, and
authorize the safety board to permit
left turns at Massachusetts, avenue
and PENNSYLVANIA street.