The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-09-27

Action of the People ON the Electric
Light Question.
The directors Of the MankatO Street
Railway Co. ZELDA meeting Tuesday.
called for the purpose of consid-
ering abandonment OF the service and
the surrender of the franchise. Every
member was present and it was unani-
mOusly voted, after the matter had
been fully canvassed, to suspend the
running of the cars and to take up the
track Oct. lst, unless it can be dis
posed of before that time.
The tracks were put down eight
years ago, but the investment for
some years has not been a paying one,
but the opposite. The citizens of
Mankato have not appreciated the
service, and the stockholders have
from time to time been obliged to go
into their pockets to meet the loss.
They have finally tired of this, and
the only thing left is to abandon the
plant. The horses, rails, cars, ETC.,
will be sold as rapidly as possible.
The company is capitalized at $50, ZOO,
and the loss to the stockholders will
be nearly if not quite total, when the
expense account has been balanced
TniS will fall rather heavily On some
of the stockholders, but nothing else
offered, as efforts at various times to
dispose of the road to persons who
would change the system to an cleo
trio one have been futile.
In speaking of the matter with the
FREE PRESS this morning, Jno. 9
Noe stated: '"There has been no hope
for the company since the action of
the people in voting to have their own
electric lighting plant. Our company
has struggled along for the good of the
city, and has been out of pocket right
along. We will now sell all the pro-
perty that we have, and will pay any
obligations which anybody has against
us. We have talked about this step
numerous times, but have always
gone a little longer, until now we
have finally decided to bring the
thing TO an end"
The company has certainly shown
it's interest in the community by keep
ing the cars running as long as it has.
That it should take the step it has is
not surprising to most of our citizens,
who have observed how poorly patron
lied the line has been The company
is deserving of the greatest praise for
doing so much as it has, without the
aid or support of the citizens as a
whole.
What chance there was of securing
an electric line seems to have entire
ly disappeared for the present, at
least, in the determination of ma
jority of the voters to divide the
electric plant of the city. 1t was re-
peatedly pointed out in these columns
at the time of the bond election what
would follow in regard to electric
street car service, and the first fruit
of that election seems to be the entire
abandonment of the present system.
That the later effects will be better
all will hope.
1t is true that for long time past
the street car service has not been
satisfactory but this was no fault of
the company, but rather of the pub
lie, which patronized the line so spar
ingly that it was necessary to econo-
mize as much as possible and continue
to hold the franchise, which would
not have expire for some years to
come.
AS far as Front street is concerned,
it cannot be doubted that it will be
in better condition for use by teams
without the street Car tracks. New
tracks would have been necessary
with an electric system.
The: main regret at the action is
the losses sustained by the individual
members, and the indication which
it is that our people have not
stood by this company as they ought,
and so have made an electric system
possible long before the recent action
of the voters. We fear that street
car enterprise has been discouraged
in Mankato for some time to come.