The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-03-02
FARES GO TO FIVE CENTS.
JUDGE SPEER ORDERS THE RE
CEIVERs TO RESTORE THE
OLD RATES.

for an Injunction Against thc cts
and Suburban and savannah.
ThundcrboIt and Isle Of Hope 20
Prevent Their Damaging the Prop
erty in the Hands of the Court by
Low Rates Of Fare-The Hearing
VIII he Had Tuesday.
To-day the fare on all the lines Of the
Savannah Street railroad and the Electric
road. both of which are now the proper
ties Of the Electric Railway Company, viii
go back 10 the old figure Of 5 cents for
each ride
This viii. peculiarly enough be welcome
news 20 some OF the patrons Of the line.
while those who have been taking every
opportunity to avail themselves OF the
low fares, will not perhaps. receive the
news so gladly.
Judge speer however. ia the hands OF
whose court the property now is. has
signed an order directing the receivers 70
charge cents per ride. and that they will
do. About the same time however. air
II. A. Pevear of Lynn, Mass, who brought
the suit for receivership against the Flee
trio Railway Company filed an amendment
TO his original bin. by which he seeks to
make the city and Suburban railroad and
the savannah Thunderbolt and Isle of
Hope parties defendant to that bill. and to
have them show cause why they should
not deslst from a conspiracy into which
he states they have entered to wreck the
property of the roads now in the hands Of
the court The hearing on this petition
has been fixed for next Tuesday morning
a. 10 o'clock.
In the matter Of restoring the old rates
of fare Receivers Young and Collins made
a report to the court yesterday, TO the
effect that they had. on Feb p. pursuant
TO the order Of court, communicated with
Capt. James II. Johnston, president Of
the City and Suburban and Savannah.
Thunderbolt and Isle Of Hope railroads. L.
and made proposition looking to the re-
sboration Of rates. on Feb 2s. they state.
another communication was addressed to
President Johnston, and that afternoon
they received a reply from him. purporting
TO be an answer 10 the communication
from the receivers.
The receivers respectfully submitted that
the answer from Capt Johnston was
evasive and Irrelevant, and that it referred
10 matters with which they had nothing to
do. Under the circumstances, they saw
nothing to do but ask the court for fur
Their instructions.
Annexed 10 the report were the com
municauons referred to. The first letters
TO Capt. Johnston contained the following
proposition: They propose. by mutual
agreement, that the fares on all the city
lines be at once restored to cents and
that the fare to Thunderbolt be placed at
cents each way"
Capt. Johnston replied that he would
answer the communications in accordance
with the order Of Judge Speer. as soon as
he could call meeting Of his stockhold- !
ers and consult with them. The receivers
replied that the matter was an urgent one |
and demanded immediate attention. as
they were required to report to the court |
forthwith. President Johnston then sent |
the receivers lengthy reply, in which he |
went into the history of the rate cutting |
and warfare between the street railroads. /
He said:
While II Is not necessary for me TO re- |
mind you of past events. FOR the reason |
that you, being principal actor. must |
be entirely familiar with them to those |
who have not been made acquainted with
the facts, and to whom some of the facts |
have been incorrectly reported, it is neces-
sary and proper that they should be here
stated.
THE lines OF our companies were built
and in operation here in Savannah before
any of yours were projected or laid down.
We were going along operating our road !
and tending to our business when Won
came and commenced building parallel
lines.
First the Montgomery street belt was
built, about 500 feet from our West Broad |
line and parallel to it
Next, the Price street line was built /
about $50 feet from our Habersham street
line and parallel to il.
Next the Barnard street line was built
about 800 feet from our Whitaker street
line and parallel to il.
Then you leased the Savannah and Isle
of Hope road, paralleling by this lease
our line to Thunderbolt"
Capt. Johnson then goes on to say that
the population has never ben large enough
to support parallel lines In the city within
200 or 800 feet of each other. He charges
that the Electric Railway Company then
began a rate war by cutting the fares to
Thunderbolt. after which he takes up the
first reduction TO 8 cents made on the West
Broad street line Of the City and Suburban
and goes through with the history of the
successive cuts in fares.
He says that the Electric railway peo-
pie, at the time, publicly stated that they
losing it. This, he stated, was misleading
TO the court. and he says it is also mis-
leading for the receivers to state that
they have used every effort to get the
City and Suburban lines to restore the
fares to a living basis. He calls attention
TO the fact that, on Feb. q, the receivers
were notified through their counsel that
they would consent 10 reasonable ad-
vance in rates on mileage basis. He calls
attention to the similarity in language
in the communication sent by representa-
tives of his line to the receivers, and the
language used by Judge Speer in his or
der in regard 10 fixing just and reason
able rates, and says his lines have always
been willing to restore rates TO Just and
reasonable point. He says his lines were
forced to reduce the fares to the points
where they now stand, but that they are
now ready to make reasonable rates.
Capt. Johnson then suggests that the re-
cevers attend to their own business. say
ing they have no right to ask that his lines
shall be operated in their interest. 1t is
unreasonable, he says, for them to de-
mand that fares shall be fixed so as not
to draw business from the lines operated
by the receivers. 1t is their right, he SAYS.
by fair and legitimate cOmpetitinr 10 pct