The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-04-26
ACTION WAS DEFERRED
SPECIAL MEETING OF ROAD COM
 PENSIONERS LAST NIGHT.


 to Relaying of Tracks on Chapel and
 State Streets and Grand Avenue Referred
 to Corporation Counsel.
 special meeting of the board of
 public works was held last evening
 for the purpose of considering the peti-
 tion of the Fair Haven and Westville
 Railroad company for permission to York to State street, on State street to Grand avenue, and on Grand avenue, from State street to Mill river. The permission was granted at the last meeting of the board provided the radl- road company would sign an agreement not to oppose the laying of any new pavement along the streets in question, should it be ordered by the city. The provision was not agreeable to the railroad company and they declined to sign the agreement demanded by the city. At the meeting last night the railroad company was represented by President Parmelee and Attorney George D. Watrous. Both claimed that the railroad company is not to be compelled to agree never to oppose any new pavements in the streets in question as the city did not lose any of it's rights in reference to the matter by granting the desired petition, and that ali that the railroad company de- sired to do was to relay it's tracks, 4 which would be a decided advantage to the travelling public of the city. Commissioner Johnson-Well, what E want to know is what action will the company take if the city orders a new pavement laid on the several streets? Will the company agree to pay for it's share of the pavement or will 1t do as ' it did when York street was paved with vitrifled brick? At that time the com pany was requested to pave with wit rified brick the eighteen inches on both sides of the track but it declined to do so. The city thereupon did the work and sent the bill amounting to $68997, . to the railroad company, but it has not yet been paid, and is now in the hands of the corporation counsel I don't want another case of this kind to come up."
 Finally, after some further discus sion at the request of Commissioner States Attorney Watrous drew up the following agreement:
 It Is hereby agreed between the city of New Haven and the Fair Haven and Westville Railroad company that no rights which said city has against l said company in relation to pavement requirements shall be deemed to be in any way affected or impaired by reason | Of the permission this day given to l said company to relay it's tracks on I Chapel street, State street and Grand X This was apparently satisfactory to several members of the board and it was laid on the table temporarily Messrs. Parmelee and Watrous then withdrew. Commissioner Bishop stated , that he did not care to vote on the sub- ject until after the corporation counsel . had given an opinion on the matter, and at the request of the board he went to the room where the committee on claims was meeting and asked Cor poration Counsel Ely to come to the meeting of the board of public works. 1 After a few minutes Commissioner | Bishop returned alone and said that the | corporation counsel would not come, 1 Z as he did not care to give an opinion | ! on so important a subject in five min | utes After making this statement |
  Nter be referred to the corporation coun- | sel for an opinion.
 Commissioner McGann--Why not dis pose of the matter now It Is all right in my opinion. Why do you want to prevent this road from doing what it wants to- and yet the other roads are allowed to do practically as they please?
 1trciO iOYNa1 11 to stand in the way of this company and am willing to do anything for them that can, but I don't intend to do anything until am sure the city's interests won't suffer-
 Commissioner Hoyt-I don't believe in giving the company another right until they pay the bill they owe us for the York street pavement.
 Commissioner Johnson--If we should order a better pavement next year or any other time we have no guarantee that the railroad company would com < ply with our orders
 Commissioner States-There is no law Mo compel the company to obey and I think the agreement offered is a good Dne, much better dn fact than I ex- bected.
 Commissioner Johnson-Well, gentle men, the cry in almost every town in the state is that too many street privi- eges have already been given free to Plectric railroad companies and here we bre discussing whether we shall let he Fair Haven and Westville com bany do as it pleases in this matter {
 wish MT. Watrous would return.
 City Engineer Kelly then went in $ earch of MT. Watrous and soon re- I turned with him. He said that the ( ompany would respect the rights of both the city and the company, but at , #he present time he could not say that / he company would be willing to bind $ self in reference to some future pave hent.
 Commissioner States-I move that we E escind our vote of the last session so to exclude the objectionable clause | hd insert in lieu thereof the agreement fered tonight. a T The motion was promptly seconded
 Commissioner McGann and carried
 a vote of to 2, Commissioners bhnson and Hoyt alone voting in the ~