The San Francisco call., 1896-03-18

Merchants Association the letter of Man
ager Vining dated March 8, embodying his
reply to the first communication sent by
the merchants to the Market-stree Rail
way Com pany, was considered and reply
fully covering the points at issue was sent
to Mr. Vining.
The original communication of the
merchants suggested certain additions to
be made to the present transfer system,
the principal result of which would be to
benefit the merchants on Kearny street by
according to them an equal footing with
merchants of other streets of the City
more favorably situated in the matter of
transfers.
The Merchants Association further
stated that il these additions were made
they would petition the Board of Super
visors to make traffic in transfers illegal.
Mr.. Vining replied that from the COM
pany's standpoint such a proposition
would involve the placing OF the company
under perpetual obligation, because the
existence OF certain condition of affairs
leads the pubic to regard it as the proper
condition and any unexpected change
from this condition is considered by the
public an Justice, although the company
might be suffering great loss.
He further stated that the company
would be willing to give transfers from
eastbound Mission-street cars to north
bound Kearny- street cars and vice versa,
if it could be safely done without financial
loss.
Finally the only solution of the trans
portation of passengers from Mission dis
trict to Kearny street in the mind of the
company, after carefully considering all
points in connection with it, was the in
IL Nf
point on Mission street, either Twenty
second or Twenty-ninth streets, via Mis-
sion street, turning northerly at Third
street ami running thence north on
Kearny street at least as far as Jackson
street, and possibly to run as far north on
Kearny as Broadway. thence east on
Broadway to East street, and thence via
East street to the ferries, thus absorbing
the present Broadway line.
Mr.. Vining also stated that cars were
already ordered and being built for this
line. They are to be of different color
from the Kearny-street cars, and that
probably two months would be necessary
10 complete them.
In reply to Mr. Vining the merchants
by their special committee, consisting OF
A. B. Baldwin, w. Il. Doane, NJ. S. Kohl
berg, H. D. Keil, Frank A. Swain. c. S.
Benedict, S. w. Dixon, F. F. Du Rose,
John Farnham. A. S. Hallidie, Frank
Markey, H. fl. Taylor. George D. Toy, D.
w. Dorhmann, ]. Richard Freud, M. Hart,
Charles Keilus, formulated the following:
E. P Vining Esq, General Manager Market
street Raituay Company, City-DEAR SIR: Your
chants Association, relative to transfers to
and from the Kearny-street line, has been re-
ferred to as the committee appointed by
that association upon the subject of transfers.
We suggested that the transfers existing on
Kearny street were within your general trans
fer system and principle governing the same.
and have therefore become, as It were, part OF
the value OF the property and business
Keerny street and should not have been en-
tirely abandoned when the trolley system was
inaugurated on that street. We fully realize
that not all transfers can become permanent
and changes of transfers must be made when
circumstances governing the same make diff
ferent arrangements necessary.
We note that your company dlsclaimS any
promises alleged to have been made to the
merchants along Kearny street relating to the
transfer system of that thoroughfare; aud,
while we are creditably informed that certain
promises were made by Mr.. Reid, solicitor in
the employ of your company, who was dele
gated TO obtain the signatures OF the Kearny-
street merchants and property owners to a
petition for an electric road on that thorough
fare, we are willing to assume that such prom
ises were not authorized bv your company,
and are desirous of eliminating from the prop
ositiOn of transfers the question of moral obli-
CATION, and will, therefore, discuss it from a
business standpoint.
AS far we can see 1t is one that involves
only two questions: First, whether the reve-
niue of your company. will be increased, or, at
least will not be diminished, and second
whether the transfers asked for will be a con.
venience to your patrons and will not be
abused by them.
The transfer system which the property
owners and large number of people engaged
in business not only on Kearny street but in
an area tributary thereto. as we'll as number
of people residing at the Mission and in the
Western Addition north OF California street.
ask to have adopted by your company is as
follows:
First-From southbound Kearny and Third
street cars to Market and Mission eastbound,
and Clay and Mission street cars eastbound
Second-From northbound Third and Kearny
street cars to Mission and Market street cars
eastbound and westbound, and Clay-street cars
westbound.
Third-From Sacramento and Jackson street
cars eastbound to Kearny-street cars south
bound only.
Fourth-From eastbound and westbound Mis-
sion-street cars to Third-street cars northbound
and south bound.
Fifth-From Market-street cars eastbound
to Third-street cars southbound, but not to
Kearny-street cars northbound.
Sixth-From ferry via Market and Kearny