The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-08
TnAT ARLINGTON TURNPIKE
Plan Suggested for Ending the
Present Difficulty.
WHAT 1T is PROPOSED TO DO
II City Can Secure Seven.Eighths Of o
Mile Of the Road Which Lies
Within the City the Prob
lem Is Solved.

To solve the question of giving to
the North End an outlet that will ac-
comOdate the immense traffic which Is
carried on with the country districts
whence our market supplies are de-
rived is a riddle which many a munich
pal legislator has fallen before in the
last decade. The present councils have
taken the subject in hand with a deter
minatiOn to see II to a successful con-
sumation and to set the ball In motion
the select bra nch has given the matter
into the hands of a special committee
with instructions to frame report en-
b0dying any recommendations that
they choose to suggest
After SIX months of painstaking work
in the collection CT data and the dis
cussion of possible solutions the COM
mittee arranged to meet last night to
take some action. Much to the disgust
OF Mr.. Roche who is chairman OF the
the affair there was no quorum present
and nothing definite could be done.
However Mr.. Lansing and Mr.. Manley,
the two other members present, listened
attentively to Mr.. ROche's informal re-
port Of what he had accomplished and
the plan he had to suggest.
Practical Plan suggested.
This plan seems to be practical and
satisfactory one and will no doubt meet
Will Tie dPpIONa vi COuuCllS. ~ Blo-
vides for the acq quisittOn of q part OF the
street by the city and the permanent
Improvement OF all Of it. The turnpike
is altogether little less than four
miles in length. Two miles of it, or
to be exact l1,537 feet. are within the
city limits, comprised In what Is West
Market street. The Turnpike company
has always objected to deciding any
part of the road to the city, because n
shortening of their turnpike would de-
crease the earning power of their road,
inasmuch as the Turnpike and Plank
road act under which the company is
incorporated provides that it shall
charge only q certain amount of toll
per mile or fraction of a mile.
Through conferences with City En-
Sineer Phillips and S. Il. Price, the
citys special attorney in the case, MIR.
Roche has discovered that the company
can shorten its road seven-eighthS of q
mile without being compelled to de-
crease its toll. To be more eXplicit.
The road is four miles long and on that
basis the present toll rates are charged.
The same rate however can be charged
for 3,s miles.
As this -eishths OF mile 10
therefore OF no use to the Turnpike
company, Mr.. Roche feels that the conf
pany would be willing to part with 1T in
consideration of the city agreeing to
improve 1t. He also has cause to be-
lieve, so he says, that the Turnpike
company will be willing to improve the
greater part of the remaining portion
of the road at their own expense.
Street May Then lie Graded.
Should the Turnpike company agree
to this plan the property holders can
without much coercion be induced TO
grade. pave and sewer the street and
the Turnpike company doing likewise
on their portion of the street the ques-
ton will be satisfactory solved and
best of all without much expense to the
city.
A meeting will be called next week.
at some time when 1t Is convenient
for the representatives Of the Turnpike
company to be present. and then the
whole matter will be formally present.
ed and discussed.