Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-13
FREE OF TAXES.
This City's Cable Railways,
With Their New Charters,
PAY NO MORE REVENUES.
Their Predecessors, With Horses for
Motors, ALI Contributed.
WHAT CONTROLLER MORROW SAYS.
he is Locking Up the Law on the Subject,
Which is Doubtful.
PAY NO MORE REVENUES.
WHAT CONTROLLER MORROW SAYS.
A MATTER TO INTEREST ALL CITIZENS

1t appears that cable railways are Of no
especial advantage to the city treasury.
They may be blessing to mankind, they
are valuable in swelling the receipts Of
the railway companies, but it is suddenly
discovered that they will actually cause q
reduction in municipal revenue.
Without any knowledge of this fact, q re-
porter of The DISPATCH had gone to City
Controller Morrow yesterday afternoon to
ask him this question:
Twill the increased number of cars on
the cable roads yield an increase in the
special tax or license fees from the railway
companies?"
1t has.always been the financial policy of
the city government to assess street railway
companies on the number of cars they each
own-$2O per annum for each car. This
fact suggested the reportorial inquiry.
"No, replied the Controller. mot only
will we not receive larger taxes on account
of the larger number of cars used, but the
probabilities are that we will lose all the
revenue that has been heretofore derived
from the tax on horse cars"
INVESTIGATING THE MATTER.
Controller Morrow then stated that he was
investigating the matter. He has not vet
come to any definite conclusion, but if there
is found to exist the smallest chance of COM
pelling the companies to pay up, he will en-
force it.
The obstacle lies IN the reorganization of
the railway companies, and the passage Of
new ordinances by City Councils, giving
them right of way over the public streets
The Citizens Passenger Railway Company
paid into the city treasury from 81 200 to
81, 500 each year as tax on cars. These
were horse-cars, and the tax was imposed in
the original right of way ordinance passed
80 odd years ago. When it was decided to
change the road to a cable line new
charter was secured, the company reorgan-
i1ed as the Citizens Traction Company"
and under that title procured the passage
of new right of way ordinance.
This new ordinance does not impose q tax
per car. The old company ceased to exist
Therefore taxes assessed under the old ordi-
nance can hardly be collected from the new
company, especially when the new ordi-
nance says nothing about taxes.
The Controller has some hopes that ivesti-
cation will show that the tax originally i'm
posed was to be collected from either the
company, its lessees or assigns. If that is
the case then the present oversight is RENE
died
THE OTHER LOSSES.
The case of the Central Traction Com
pany is peculiar. As the Minersville Street
Railway Company, the line always did pay
some 5000 per year to the city, until about
five years ago, when an ordinance was
passed exempting it from further payments
for five years. 1t was done to encourage
what was then regarded as an unsuccessful
enterprise. The five years period will ex-
pire next month, but now the Minersville
company has become the Central Traction
Company, the work of constructing its
cable line is going on, and by its new ordi-
nance no tax can be collected.
The Pittsburg Traction Company will not
pay any tax to the city either. Its right-of-
way ordinance does not require it to. But
when it was simply the Pittsburg, Oakland
and East Liberty Railway, with horse cars
and a one-hour schedule between Market
street and East Liberty-it was exempt by a
special act OF the Legislature from all taxes
The city authorities in those early years
were caught mapping. Gauged by its busi-
have been paying 81 900 year had it not
been exempt.
The sums of money now received annually
by the city from the other street railway
companies are: Pittsburg and Birmingham,
81, 100 to 81 200; Pittsburg, Allegheny and
Manchester, $500; Pleasant Valley, 500;
West End 5000