Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-02-01
THE BRIDGE RELIEF BILL,

Text Of the Measure which 10 to Remove
UDjust Oppression.
The ARGUS is in receipt of q copy
of the bill introduced in the house at
Washington for the repeal of the
chapter of the statutes OF the United
States. which was passed by the
Fifty-third congress which requires
that the lower portion OF the Rock
Island bridge shall not be occupied
by the Tri-City Railway company
without paying rent therefor. Il is
gratifying to note in the same con-
nection that the matter has been
placed in ssuch a convincing light
before Gen. D. w. Flagler, chief of
ordnance, that he has made q recon-
mendation to the secretary OF war
regarding q favorable report on the
elimination of the clause and the
reaching Of an agreement with the
street a company, whereby In lieu
OF power for the operation of the
draw, the company is not to be taxed
for crossing the bridge. Gen. Flag
Ter says:
The subject OF charging the Tri-
City Street Railway company q rea-
sonable rental for the use Of the
Rock Island bridge has received much
consideration within the last two
years. and many arguments on the
subject have been presented to this
department., several OF which have
been communicated to the secretary
of war, especially while he was con-
sidering the subject of the amount
of rental that should be charged.
After a careful consideration of the
whole matter. I deem it my duty to
make the following recommendation:
The commanding officer of the Rock
Island arsenal, in reports on this
subject, states: The electric power
to operate the daw can be furnished
by the street railway company from
its line now on the bridge, and this
company will enter into either
a yearly or a perpetual con-
tract, as may be deemed ad-
visable. with the commanding
officer of this arsenal to furnish the
power in payment as rental for cross
ing the bridge in accordance with
the act of congress- The draw of
the new bridge has an electric dyna-
mo, and its construction requires
electric power for its operation As
the street railway company has in its
lines crossing the bridge the neces.
sary power for operating the draw,
the expense to that company of al
lowing the United States to draw
from the company's lines enough
power to operate the draw occas-
ionalIy would be very little-I am in.
formed about 5000 per annum. Tn
cost to the United States of erecting
q special plant Of such capacity as to
furnish the amount of power required
occasionally, and Of maintaining and
operating this separate plant, it is
estimated. would be six times as
much. 1t will be understood
that the cost of adding the small
amount TO SO large a power.
which would permit drawing off
from the same occasionally, involves
little expense; whereas q special
plant would have to be large enough
to furnish the maximum amount of
power occasionally. 1t appears.
therefore, to be q very reasonable
thing to permit or require the COM
pany to furnish this power, which is
a small matter in comparison with
the value Of the franchise the COM
pany enjoys. I therefore recon-
mend that the railway company be
relieved from a payment OF rental,
and that, instead of the enactment
OF the bill returned herewith as pro-
posed, the bill bs 50 amended or
changed as to relieve the company
from the payment OF rental, but to
require the company to furnish the
necessary power as described"
A dispatch from General Man
ager Lardner received at The
ARGUS Office this afternoon, states
that the bill for the ad iustment of
the bridge toll as it affects the Tri-
City Railway company passed the
house today.