Indianapolis Times, Volume 37, Number 208, Indianapolis, Marion County, 31 December 1925 — Page 24
mwm line SYSTEM READY g FOR JIG YEAR Vw Interurbans Purchased W and Freight Service w Bettered. Under the direction of Arthur W. Brady, receiver and president of the Union Traction Company, the Union Traction System was developed steadily in 1925, with the result that it now faces the coming year in a position to give more complete passenger, freight and power ervice than ever before. Most notable of the steps taken by the system was the acquisition of ifteen, new, all-steel interurban cars the latest type. These cars, the ost of which was nearly a halfmillion dollars, were obtained hrough the acceptance of car-trust certificates by the Fletcher-Ameri- < an Company of Indianapolis, which placed these notes with its clients, demonstrating not only the faith of he financial Interests of the State in the future of the company, but arso the confidence of investors in utility obligations. In addition to the equipment of its fast trains with these new cars, buffet-parlor trailers were built in the Anderson shops and with them anew and improved service was established between Ft. Wayne and Indianapolis. This service is now proving popular with the travelers and serves to illustrate the line of development which interurban managers have concluded is essential to the recovery of a great deal of traffic which has been lost to the private vehicles and busses. Bus Lines Fought Entering the field of bus transportation in competition with a number of independent transportation companies, the Union Tractjon system also Installed bus lines from In- j dianapolis to Muncie, Anderson and i Kokomo and purchased the line to ! Noblesville. More recently it has i purchased, with the approval of the I public service commission and in con- j junction with the Indiana Service Corporation, the bus line between In- | dianapolis and Ft. Wayne, via Peru. Rehabilitation of facilities for handling passenger traffic has been accompanied by intensive effort in the enlargement of the freight handling facilities which are now the highest point of development. Traffic arrangements have been made between the Union Traction Company and the L. & N. Railroad by which freight originating on the lines of either can be shipped directly to and from points as far away as New Orleans. By this arrangement the Union Traction Company placed itself in a position to reach all the L. & N. stations south of Louisville, Ky. Similar traffic arrangements now make it possible for the company to handle freight directly for more than 600 places in Ohio and Michigan T i’ ( r, an j also being developed
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and outlets for the industrial district served by the Union Traction are becoming more numerous all the time. Fast Freight While carload lot shipments have been steadily increased by the freight department, stress has also been laid on what is known as the Merchants’' Dispatch, an expedited freight service which corresponds to express service in many respects. Merchants’ Dispatch shipments are handled on the express and local trains of the system and reduce the delivery time to hours, in some instances affording faster service than the mails. The development of freight business includes the transportation of live stock in which field the Union Traction Company has opeed up new teri'itory and done more toward offj setting the freight slump caused by : depression in Indiana live stock | growing than other companies. Cars load records of the Indianapolis stockyards show that while there has been a falling off in this business on all roads, the Union Trae- [ tion system has kept pace with the business of previous seasons. Freight houses all over the system have been enlarged and -remodeled. Extensive remodeling has become necessary at Marion to afford that community the freight facilities it is demanding. More Stations Another development has been the installation of forty-seven light and power stations which are serving communities and rural neighborhoods with electric light and power. These are a growing demand among rural residents for this service and in the populous and prosperous territory served by the Union Traction this demand is being answered as rapidly as it is possible to install equipment. In common with the other'electric railways of Indiana, the Union Traction system enters the new year with better facilities than ever before for passengers, freight and power business. More intensive efforts are being made to sell its products and a better use is being made of its facilities by the general public than in a long period of time.
EDISON GIVES UTILITY IDEAS Thomas A. Edison has written President H. B. Flowers of New Orleans Public Service, a personal letter in response to a request for a message to the people on his birth-' day. This message from the wizard of this electrical age was delivered by radio in New Orleans on “Edison Day." Here is the measure advocated by Edison for the utility that would live up to its name as a servant of the public: “A public utility should constantly use every endeavor to reduce the cost of production of its commodity and sell it to the public at the low est possible price consistent with the making of a reasonable profit on the investment.
Type of new steel motor cars now in Union Traction service.
Buffet-parlor cars operated on HOOSIERLAND trains
The new, nodem Union Traction Indianapolis Freight Terminal
BUS INSURANCE UP Notice Served on Bed Bali Lines by State Commission. Notice has been served on the Indiana Red Ball Bus Lines, now in receivership, by the public service commission that the company’s liability insurance expires Thursday afternoon. To continue operation the company will be obliged to renew its policies, it was said at the commission. AUTO'S COST IS $2 A DAY A city-wide survey of transportation made in Washington, D. C., by McClelland & Junkersfleld shows the average cost of running an auto is 11.49 cents a mile. This figure was calculated on a twelve-months’ basis and showed a total average cost per machine of $690.30 for that period. Gas was put down at 20 cents a gallon and fifteen miles a gallon (a generous allowance) made. In round numbers, th.s means a running cost of about $2 a day for each machine. In the face of such costs and the growing parking problem, it is little wonder that more and more motor car owners are using electric lines and busses. The average electric car fare in this country is about 7% cents. In other words, you could buy about twenty-six street car rides a day for the average cost of running a car.
Notice of TIME CHANGE In Buffet-Parlor Car Service EFFECTIVE Sunday, Jan. 3, 1926, Buffet-Parlor Car Service will be furnished on the HOOSIERLAND train leaving Ft Wayn for Indianapolis at 10:30 A. M., instead of on the one leaving Ft. Wayne at 6:30 A. M., as heretofore. Time at Stations Ft. Wayne 10:30 A. M. Itluffton 11:10-A. M. Montpelier 11:31 A. M. Hartford City 11:47 A. M. Muncie 12:30 P. M. Anderson 1:0S P.M. Ar. Indianapolis 2:20 I*. M. Speed—LUNCHF ONS—Con fir
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TELEPHONE IS FOUND IN ALL POLICE OFFICES Important Factor in Protection of Life and Property. It would be hard to find a police headquarters in the whole country not equipped with telephone service. It may be only a single telephone instrument of the desk or wall type, or it may be that a private branch exchange switchboard with several operators is required to take care of routine and emergency calls. Not only does each police department of any size have its own police signal system, but its, head-
/ Superior \ / Commercial Jr. Hauling Since 1887 \ Every job of commercial hauling presents its own inJW . dividual problem that must be solved by competent and W experienced men. We have the equipment and experience Jr that will enable us to handle anv job successful 1 - '’immercial W hauling, transferring and distributing our specialty. "C Our Warehouse ) is ideal for storage purposes. Large, commodious, modern and conveniently located. Our charges are always reasonable. We 4 assure in 1926 as in the past the best attention posvsible. dr * Main 0284—-" Main 0285 dr V Central Transfer J V& Storage Cos. / 118 S. Alabama St. Jr Indianapolis, df Indiana W V Jr
Did You Ever Ride in a $28,000 Car?
Twenty-eight thousand dollars worth of comfort, speed and safety is yours when you board one of the new steel cars on the UNION TRACTION lines. Twentyfour fast steel cars —fifteen of them just bought at a cost of $420,000 —are now in daily service. This is part of a program of improvement in UNION TRACTION service which has cost over
a half million dollars in 1925. And experienced travelers have been quick to avail themselves of the still better service now offered by this pioneer electric railway system between Indianapolis, Ft. Wayne, South Bend. Kokomo, Muncie, Anderson, Marion and scores Os other points north and east from Indianapolis. Make your trips by UNION TRACTION. You may read, doze and be quite at ease in the wide, comfortable seats and arrive at your destination rested and refreshed.
Fast Freight Service OVERNIGHT freight deliveries between points as much as 200 miles apart —second morning deliveries to and from such points as Detroit, Michigan, and Cleveland, Dayton and Springfield, Ohio—third morning deliveries to and from such points as Columbus and Akron, Ohio, or Lansing, Jackson and Kalamazoo, Michigan—those are reasons why so mapy shippers now specify “Ship via UNION TRACTION” on their orders and bills of lading. Through tariffs are effective between more than 600 points in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Kentucky and points on the L. & N. Railroad south of Louisville, Ky. In our Merchants Dispatch Service, express shipments are carried on passenger cars—deliveries accomplished in one to four hours. Just the thing for the hurry-up shipper! Specify UNION TRACTION when you ship.
quarters switchboard is connected with the public telephone system, making it an important factor in the protection of life and property, the capture of criminals and the prevention of crime. In handling emergency calls, the police headquarters operators become very skillful and their prompt and intelligent action often results in saving life. They usually can differentiate between frantic appeals of over-excited individuals and cases of real ned, but once in a while they get fooled. In a large city, something in the wee-sma hours of the morning, one of the headquarters operators received a call from a central office operator who told )iim that someone was being murdered. She cut-in the police operator on the wire, and sure enough, there was a bedlam of shrieks and cries that fully justified the assumption that a brutal crime was being committed and that prompt action was necessary. Two detectives hustled to the scene of the excitement, which was the of-
TRAVEL IN COMFORT THIS WINTER
fice of a junk dealer, and there they found, not a homicidal assault, but a fight of neighborhood cats, who had invaded the office and staged a battle royal during which the desk telephone had been upset, knocking the receiver from the hook and attracting the attention of the central office operator. TRACTIONS IMPROVED Sleeping and Parlor Cars Added to Lines. . Indianapolis has the largest interurban traction terminal station in the world. Each twenty-four hours sees 600 cars enter or leave, carrying each day from 15,000 to 20,000 passengers. The interurban companies in 1926 adapted themselves to changing times by putting on sleeping cars, diners and parlor cars and adding bus lines to cooperate with the traction lines, using the same terminal.
Three fast limited HOOSIERLAND trains with ne\y, steel motor cars operate daily each way between Indianapolis and Ft. Wayne via Anderson and Muncie. And these trains on morning and evening trips carry buffet-parlor cars on which breakfast, luncheon ox refreshments are served. If your travel is to or from Kokomo, Peru or Ft. Wayne, three fast, comfortable WABASH VALLEY FLYERS are
daily at your command in either direction. Then, too, there is the MARION FLYER, giving excellent service between Marion, Anderson and Indianapolis; the MUNCIE METEOR between Muncie and Indianapolis via Newcastle; and the KOKOMO TRAVELER between Logansport, Kokomo and Indianapolis. Also, fast EXPRESS train service, or convenient LOCAL service at almost any hour during the day or evening. CaU MA in 4500 for information, or address Traffic Department, Anderson, Indiana. Ride in anew $28,000 steel car.
Map Showing UNION TRACTION Syatem.
Investment anal Commercial Bankiqi DURING the course ■ of thirty-five ■ years this institution M has developed investment and banking fa- K cilities based on the actual needs of its customers. S Through constant ap- ■ plication it is our purpose to perfect these facilities, to meet promptly and satisfac- <* j torily every customer’s \ requirements. The J. F. WILD & CO. STATE BANK 123 EAST MARKET STREET, INDIANAPOLIS Oldest Bond House in Indiana
THURSDAY, PECI