Jasper County Democrat, Volume 18, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 April 1915 — Big Four and Monon Roads Clash Over Right of Way. [ARTICLE]

Big Four and Monon Roads Clash Over Right of W ay.

Chicago; one of the worst infected labor union cities in the world, is just- now •'enjoying" another big strike. This time it is the 16,000 carpenters who go otif, throwing about 1 20,000 other laboring men of allied trades, out of employment and tying up building improvements aggregating $20,66 0,0611, The .carpenters wanted an increase of pay of 5c per hour. They are now receiving 65c and wanted 70c. The empioying contractors offered them an increase of 2%c per hour, but no, it' haust. be the whole loaf or none, and I the employers are now determined j to fight them to- a finish. Labor unionism has certainly "gone to' seed" and public sentiment is no longer with these organizations. in spcaifng of the upvyurd tendency of business, the Benton Reviews says: w The New York .Stock Exchange had an exciting time last Saturday, speculation on industrial stocks being rife. The Bethlahem Steel Co., who opposed the Underwood tariff last year lead the way, going, to $1.62 from a standing start of 88c within a week or two liy a showing that it had made 30 per cent profit last year. General .Motors Co. uiaas 3 7.6 per cent on Preferred, and! has advanced by leaps and bounds. W iik ys-Overland Co. claim a profit of 2 3 per cent on Common and. 104 per cent on, Preferred. Studebaker claims 12 per cent on Common, and -36.4 on Preferred and .Maxwell 12 per cent on Preferred. As these are; the only automobile stocks ''sold on the New York Board of Trade the:y are only quofed as. an indication that other companies selling automobiles besides the Ford are

enthusiastic about ‘‘good times” in prosjiering. The Buick are very their house magazine and are no doubt making dividends like the rest of them, as they have 1,000 extra men at work.

The federal report of the investigation of taxation shows that the rise in Indiana in the last decade has been as great as in the preceding forty years. The report covers a period of fifty years, and shows that the average tax rate per SIOO of assessed valuation in Indiana was 00c in 1 SCO; $1.63 in 1870 ; $1.64 >i. 1880; $1.82 in 1800; $1.90 in 1002, and $2.40 in 1012, the last year covered by the report. In 1014, according to the state reports, the rate was practically $3.00. And yet there are some people who want to boost the rate still higher in certain localities and give the money to I rivafe corporations. ihe farmers of Gilboa held an- : i her meeting last Friday night to dismiss the schopl house question. The sentiment seemed to be opposed to the tearing down of the present building but a majority were laVorable to adding rooms to the present structure or erecting a separate building of two rooms. Some were against. a high school of any description and after discussing the matter thoroughly a committee was appointed to meet with the township officers and county superintend ent Saturday afternoon, with authorI ity to act as they saw fit. The meeti ing was held but nothing was accomplished and we understand that the township officials will go- ahead and erect a modern four-room building instead of an eight-room one as at first proposed. The building to cost about $15,000, —Benton Review.

I Lafayette, hid., April 18.—A ; i tenuous legal battle is promised i here, between the .Monon and the • Big Four Railroad Companies over J the control of the right of way of the old Wabash and Erie canal lowpath. For several days the Monon has been extending its tracks north and has reached a point where it is necessary to cross the Big Four tracks before further progress can be made. To prevent a crossing by the Monon, the Big Four has spotted strings of more than thirty cars along the track. Officials of the Big Four said that they expected an attempt to cross the right of way would be made in the near future and that they were prepared for it. Ten years ago the same roads were in a conflict over a similar question when the Monon made a Sunday morning attempt to lay a track down and were stopped when the men employed in the work, about 200 in number, were placed under arrest. • ] The Monon officials say that a survey has been made of the towpath line and that they were trying to run a switch to the packinghouse | and the strawboard plants and! other industrial plants on the river. Representative Will R. Wood has been engaged by the Monon to fight case against the Big Four Company.