St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-05-03
MINNEAPOLIS.
THE SUBWAY PROBLEM.

The joint special .dilatory, committee
OH underground wires held another
meeting Yesterday afternoon at the city
hail at four o'clock and adjourned at
a:O5 without doing anything. The COM
mittee has apparently struck a
large sized Snag which it doesn't
know how toIemOye or get around. 1t
is composed OF men whose knowledge of
the subject they are dealing with Is not
scientific and whose acquaintance with
the granting of franchises is not eXten
sive. But it promises to become extern
sive if the present rate of applications
for the privilege of ripping open the
streets put in cOnduitS continues. The
coy reluctance of the overhead WIRE
companies to take any stock in con-
for franchises, and it is this which is
bothering the committee. 1t has now
six applications for franchises before it.
Two have already been granted,
namely, the National Subway and
Northwestern Telephone companies.
Two have been recommended TO the
council, and the ordinances have had
their first reading. These are the
Thompson-Housto company and the
Edison company. The other applica-
tions are from the North American
telegraph company. the Brush Electric
company and the A. ID. L.
company. and a new applica-
ton from the Telegraph eX-
change which was formerly assigned
one eighth of the space. but
now claims that the amount is INSULT
cient.
tests all these claims for franchises and
a
make trial OF the subway before try
ing any other. That has not been done
yet, as the wires are not 10 come
down before July |. Out of
this muddle of applications for fran
chises in which the city aldermen are
hopelesSly tloundering, two facts are
certain. that the people will not stand
it to have the streets continually torn
up in order that private corporations
may experiment with patent conduitS.
Second, that no subway rights
of any kind should be granted
over which the city shall
not hold the right of purchase. To let
in six or eight different schemes of sub
ways would keep the streets in hope
less state OF confusion and grant
exclusive franchises unlimited by
the right of purchase would be
a greater calamity still. There is
one way out of the difficulty,
and that is pointed out by Chairman
Woodward, of the joint committee,
thus:
The city must buy the National
subway plant. If it is not rich enough
BOW it must make certain that the or
dinance provides for the purchase at
the end OF two years. My ideas would
be that Mir. Dorset, when he
finishes his work. should turn
the conduits over to the city
All of the companies will go into the
trench if the city Owls it. but they will
fight the Dorset company to the last
ditch. And l don't see why the con-
duits arc not as good al Investment for
the city as for e. S. CorSer, ID. Morrison,
Maj. W. ID. Hale and others. / think it
would he good financially, and
would solve the problem which
we are attempting to SurmOunt
now with very indifferent success.
l understand that the Dorset syndicate
is willing to accept such an amendment
ment 10 their ordinance.
Aid. c. 2. Lowell, who is one of the
subway directors. made the remark the
other day that they would turn over
their plant to the city when it is fin
ished for what it cost. MI. Dorset
makes the same statement that Aid.
Woodward does in regard to the ac-
ceptability Of an amendment 10 their
ordinance.