The San Francisco call., 1897-01-21
WOULD ABOLISH
RATHER TEST
The Affiliated Improve
ment Clubs Approve of
Red Rock.
Will Fight Bills for an Increase
of Fire Department
Wages.
Favor Two.and.a.Half Cent Car Fare
and Recomm nj Passage of
the Bill

The abolition of the rattler test for
City paving rock, the reduction of street
car fares to 211 cents and the strenuous
objection to the increase of wages in the
Fire Department were all strongly favored
last night by the Affiliated improvement
Clubs of the City, Assem- bled in regular
meeting at B'nai Birth Hall.
Eighty delegates were present and John
II. Grady acted as chairman
Judge Van Reynegom OF the committee
on laws reported concerning two bills in
particular now before the Leg sature.
They had received the Endorsement of a
majority of the laws committee and he
hoped that the assemblage would also
indorse them. One was to restore the veto
power to the Mayor and giving the Mayor
power to approve water rates. The other
is a bill regarding actions to quiet title to
real estate property, in other words to put
a stop to suits like those against the occu-
pants of the Noe grant in this City.
No action was taken upon them.
BY far the greater part of the long ses-
sion was, however, taken UP by lively
two-sided fight, with the defenders of the
rattler test on the one side and the frien ds
of hard rock of any kind on the other SIDE.
The result was practically a decisive VIC
tory for red rock as paving material
heretofore debarred by the test.
Secre tary Schwartz, as chairman of the
carnival committee reported that moth
ing serious seemed to impede the pro-
posed Carnival of the Golden Gate for
April next.
In regard to the talked-of reduction in
streetcar fares it was reported that Hunt
ington had said explicitly that if streetcar
fares were reduced 10 2X cents the rail-
road company would discontinue the is-
suahce of transfers.
He had also declared that no effort
would be made to oppose the measure In
the Legislature. Further, he had as
serted that the street railway system is
Iapaying now only 8 per cent on the invest
ment. The railroad would fight the re-
duction in the courts, for to-day he
claimed that San Francisco has a more
efficient railway system than any other
city in the country.
These sentiments were no sooner re-
ported that James w. Boland moved that
the Associated Improvement Clubs at
once put themselves on record as favoring
the proposed reduced rate, notify the Leg.
islature and ask to have the bill passed.
Ex-Supervisor Thomas f. Haggerty de-
clared himself as decidedly opposed to the
bill.
He said that 1t Was one OF those periodic
follies that crop up now and then and die
because of their folly. The speaker said no
one would accuse him of favoring the
railroad when four years ago he fought it
with Sutro face to face. The passage of
the bill would be beneficial to the CITY.
but 1t would not pass, as lawyers could
testify.
Dan O'Leary said that the bill would
not pass as legal measure.
NJ. ]. Burleigh. speaking as e represent
alive of the outskirts of the City, asserted
that he knows that years ago for as much
as year passengers were carried on the
Mission-street line for cents, and that
it paid, and at q time when the cost of
running a street railroad was twice what
it is at present. He thought the bill
should be indorsed as an expression OF
what the citizens consider right, whether
practicable at present or not.
II became little difficult to maintain
quiet, and the chairman had no gayel.
Some one brought in big club from the
anteroom and presented il to the chair
amid much laughter.
A resolution TO the Legislature was then
made and carried, advocating the passa e
of the bill for reduced car fares with a