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~ ~ay ?, 1914.
<br />
<br />At a Joint Session of the two branches of City Council May 7th there were present:
<br />
<br />Nessre~-W. E~.Flournoy,-M. B. Langhorne, E. L; Barlow,.B.W. Ballentine, L. P~mvett, B. T. Montague, C. N. Markham, W. Jones Willia~ms,
<br /> O. P. Murr~, Henry Pile,
<br /> Jno. Hows~rd Hall, T. F. White, Geo. R. Pamrish, Geo. D. Dewsen,
<br /> C. H. Herber~ ?~os. B. Moore, J. Ed. Johnson, M. Goodm~a~,
<br /> C. L. Tyler, ~. B. Hawks, Charles Beisel, Thcs. P. Cook~, ~.
<br />
<br />The P~esident of the Board of Aldermen presiding.
<br />
<br />The following-directions for the ~oint Session were read:
<br />
<br />Portsmouth, Va., May 4, 1914.
<br />
<br /> Mr. L. P. Slater,
<br /> City Clerk, City.
<br /> Dear Sir:-- ' -
<br /> Tou will please call a Joint ~ession of the two branches of City Council for
<br />Thursday, Nay ?th, 8 o'clock P. ~., to consider:
<br /> First. A report of the Council Committee on ~. A. L. Railway Offices, &c.
<br /> ~econd. A bid to be presented~by the Public Property Committee for alteration and repairs
<br />to the ~eaboard Narket.
<br /> Immediately following the Joint Session, the Board of Aldermen will meet in special ses-
<br />sion to consider such matters as may have been adopted in such Joint Session.
<br />
<br />Jno. Howard Hall,
<br /> Vice-President
<br />
<br />First. A report of the Council
<br />
<br />The Honorable City Council.
<br />
<br />Very truly,
<br />
<br />C.
<br />
<br />Committee on $. A.
<br />
<br />Jones Williams,
<br /> President B. of A.
<br />
<br />L. Railway 0~fices, &c.
<br />
<br /> Portsmouth, Va., N~rch ~1, 1914.
<br />
<br /> Gentlemen:--
<br /> Your committee on $. A. L. offices, etc., have h~d several conferences
<br />with the President of the Railroad Mr. Harahan~ and havefully gone into the qmestion of remov-
<br />ml of offices from this City. Mr. H~rah~n is of the opinion~ and is so strongly entrenched
<br />~herein that no s~vgument of your committee to-the contrary has ~e ~ny imp~ession.~ that Nor-
<br />folk 0ity is the logicml place for the offices of the executive dep~tments.
<br /> He e~ys he ~s .~emched this conclusion ~fter the ~t~est considermtion mnd mfte~ t~ing
<br />~cco~t ofeve~y p~se of the sit~tion, and with such convictions, steadfastly declines to
<br />~turn these offices to Portsmouth.
<br /> The total n~ber to be cmrried f~om ~o=tsmouth is two h~d~ed ~d thirty-five (~B), lemv-
<br /> i~ in Portsmouth in clerical force mppreximmtely three h~dred ~d fifty
<br /> The mttitude of P~esident Ha=~mn is stated by him about ms follows:
<br /> 0n t~ing charge he ~dertook to =e-o=g~ize his force with ~ view of sec~ing the highest
<br />efficiency, mhd of using th~ generml leo~ conditions ~o the best ~vmnt~ge. In p~s~noe of
<br />these plus ~ n~ber ef the offices were moved from Portsmouth, but before'the removes were
<br />completed he received ~he protes~ from Portsmouth City, ~d mt once stopped the work ~e hear
<br />wh~t clmims or rights the said City migh~ hmve.
<br /> After receiving such info~ation ~d ~ving the opport~ity te t~k the ~tSe~ ove~, he
<br />stated to yo~ co~ittee thmt~while he c~ot consent to return the offices w~ch ~ve oeen re-
<br />moved, he ~oe~ n~t-d~si=e to~ ~pp~r to disregard the w~shes of the People of POrtsmouth, but on
<br />the contrary is ea~estly ~nde~ed to preserve the friendliest rel4~ions, and f~ly realizes
<br />the importance of cordial co-operation.
<br /> Mr. Hmrmhmn ~herefore m~es the following proposition~ (see letters attache). If the
<br />Cit~ will accept the mrra~ement ~f offices ~d thereby mssure the S. A. L, ~.~me~t of a
<br />posmtion to le~ t~ try out the Dl~, he will keep in Portsmouth ~1 the r~lnmng xorce.
<br />will mdd two ~torm~s to present o~fice ~ldi~, ~hero~hly renovate ~nd refmt the same~ build
<br />m passenger shed oV~ tracks at e~tion, reduce the noise of ~r~ins on Crmwford street to ~ ~-
<br />solute' minim~, mbat~.the smok~h~isanoe on Crmwfo=d Street by ode o~ tw0methods, stated in hms
<br />lett~, by smoke de~i~r-~e~-~oke for fuel, will mdvertise 0n stationery, ms far as lawful'
<br />that t~e ~ener~l offices a~i~ Po~mouth, ~d will f~ish t~portmtion to ~d from Norfolk~J
<br />to ~l Portsmouth employees working in Norfolk. Mr. H~ pro~ises to observe these conditions
<br />~s long as he is President of the E. A. L. ~ilromd, ~d smys no f~r~er ~r~tee c~ be given.
<br /> This in subst~ce is the position occupied by the S. A. L. ~il~emd and We might add that
<br />Mr. Har~han appears to be.fr~l~ tryi~ to re,ch ~ ~ic~ble adjustment o~ present d~fferences,
<br />~nd ~s fa= ~s possible m~e ~ends for t~ing mwmy ~he offices whic~ have oeen removea..
<br /> We ~ve no mss~ce nor cmn we s~mise whm~ wxt! be done in the event t~t the
<br />~d Oity emmet reach mn ~greement, but this is tmue, if we c~mot pers~de no~ remco ~he retu~
<br />of the offices which~,hmv~ been t~en mwmy, we cm~not hurt in ~y w~y our condition by mn mgree-
<br />men~ ~o retmin mll thAt~ms left. ~min~ ne ~e~me~t made to retain whmt we ~ve oo~d or wo~d
<br />dete~ uef=em m~ active and persistent effort to ~ecove= whmt w~ ~ave los~. - Your OoEittee~is
<br />not ~oed that there is.~y g=e~t ben, fit mccruing to ~he E~ A. ~. by ~ving mny of its
<br />ficesto Norfolk, but the smt~t~on mppe~s t? demand the exercise Of moderation ~d ~aref~
<br />thought, keeping in view the mmin object, of getti~es~ts.
<br /> There is a wi~ difference ef optniom tizens of what sho~d be ~ne be-
<br /> lieving that ~e~limtory memsmres wo~d f~ satisf~ctory
<br /> there sho~dbe~ tho~o~h understanding of the situmt~on an~ mll diffe=enc usted
<br /> with a view o2 m~ing the S. A. L. R~ilroad ms use2ul ~o the Oity ms possib
<br /> feels imoll~d t. sub~ the whole mmtter $o you fo= mdjustmen% but believe we ~e ~der
<br /> g~tion to make some~ reco~endmti~n mft~ing the ~tter ~dez oonsidezmtion for so lo~ ~
<br /> time, we therefore ~ubmit this report wmth f~l correspondence and d~t~, and ~eeommend the m-
<br /> doption of the following ~esolution:
<br /> ~E~AE, the S. A. L. Rmilromd in the discretion of its President Mr. ~. J. H~r~mn, ~s
<br /> deemed it wise ~o remove fr~m this City the executive offices thereof, consisting of the Presi-
<br />
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