100 years ago in Spokane: The jitney tariff fight continued when the defense questioned Mrs. Corbin in the arson trial

The city of Spokane again offered to cancel their proposed jitney transit system (actually a private bus system) if the city’s two tram companies would accept a 7 cents compromise.

The city’s commuters have been in an uproar since the tram companies raised their fares from 6 cents to 8 cents.

So far, the tram companies have been reluctant to accept a 7-cent compromise because it would not cover their costs. The city’s new offer also included universal transfers that are good for passengers on both tram systems. The city gave tram companies less than 24 hours to accept the compromise or it would enforce the allocation of Jitney routes to private operators.

The head of Washington Water Power Co., one of the two tram companies, said it would not accept any further concessions, including universal transfers. The likelihood that both companies would accept the compromise seemed slim.

From the arson: Louis Lilge’s defense team tried to show that Anna Corbin had been speculating in oil stocks long before she met Lilge.

She had previously testified that Lilge pressured her to buy oil stocks and pocketed the commissions.

This was not directly related to the first degree arson charges against Lilge, the caretaker of the Corbin house. But it was meant to refute the notion that Corbin was somehow under the complete psychological control of Lilge.

That day

(From Associated Press)

1940: France signed an armistice with Italy during World War II.