The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-11-16
SAYS 1T MADEA GOOD BARGAIN
MIR. PARSONS CONCENTRATES THE
CITY on ITS CAR LINE DEAL.

BE in Operation by January L.
Mr.. Parsons Promises a First-CIass
service-The Drawing in of the
big Belt, He Says, Is n Good
Thing For the Southern Section of
the City.
Savannah's new street railway system,
according to the company's plans. will be
in opera ton by Jan. !.
Mr.. George Parsons, who is in the city,
in connection with the arrangement of
the lines. said yesterday that he consid-
ers the city did a good thing for itself in
the recent deal.
As Mr.. Parsons is the largest owner Of
the railway properties concerned his views
are of interest.
The railroad company" he
said. pays for and contributes a large
amount Of land that the city wants in
opening streets, which seems an exaction,
but the company had to submit to the
terms imposed by the city or nothing
would have been done.
What are the plans OF the company as
to the operation of the lines?" Mr. Par
sons was asked
!
service in all respects, with the best
equipments and the most substantial track
that the situation calls for" he replied.
IF l understand the views of those who
are interested in the street railways in
! Savannah. they all agree that what is to
the interest of the people of Savannah is
to the interest of the street railway. We,
| Of course looking at 1t from the railway
standpoint, want to carry as many peo-
pie as possible. We want to make it con-
venient for the people to ride
! We cannot make any money
| If our cars are not comfortable
and our schedules not satisfactory, and
our lines are badly located. 1t is to our
interest to accommodate the public. 1t is
to our interest to run our lines wherever
there are people who want to ride on street
cars, and 1t Is to our interest to fur
! nish them with convenient schedules and
comfortable cars and accommodation of
| all sorts and ii is the intention of the
company to do this. 1 cannot conceive
| OF condition of things in which the in
| terests of the great body of people are
not identical with the interests of the
! street railway
| What about the changes in the lines?'
| Il approve them, and I think that the
| council has done good thing for the city,
| When the lines are located as they will be
| under this contract, there Is no portion
of the City which will not be better serv-
ed than it was before, on account of
| quicker schedules"
| Besides, as a financial experiment f"
! said Mr.. Parsons, 1.-THE street railroads in
savannah so far have been failure
| There never has been a dollar of dividends
| earned, or paid, by street railway COM
| pany In Savannah since the first rail was
lad. They have been operated at a loss
| ana many thousands of dollars have been
| invested in these enterprises. which are a
| total loss TO the investors. Surely no rea-
sonable man will want an enterprise to
| be conducted at a loss. The reason these
| losses have been sustained was due to
| the fact that useless and unnecessary
| INES We're operated at heavy expense
| Ihey did not furnish additional accommo-
! cations ID the people, but they cost money
to operate them. If this system as now
iaid out by the city council is tried it will
| pe round to certainty, in my opinion
that the city will be benefited, and the
| people will receive a far better service
| than they have ever received"
In reference to the details of the plans
Mr.. Parsons said: II have just reached
| savannah, and while am familiar with
the railroad situation, from the fact that
L nave been for a long time connected
| with street railways in Savannah I am
of course, not thoroughly posted as to the
details of the negotiations between the
city and the railway For all such mat
tiers l Will have to refer you to our attor-
| neys and the city attorney. So far as
the location of lines by the contract is
| concerned though, / can speak with some
confidence, and / must say that / think
the committee of council which had the
matter in charge, has shown a thorough
i06 ~ fhkA str vail
and has made an arrangement of lines
which is great benefit to the public gen
orally. That committee must have studied
the situation thoroughly; they left out
nothing, that l can see. to insure a good
street railway service to the people of Sa-
vanhah. One thing L do know, 1t has
secured from the railroad companies con-
cessions OF land and other valuable con-
siderations far in excess of what was con-
templated by the company at the outset"
\ In answer to a question to the effect
upon the residents and property owners
in the southern section of the city Mr..
Parsons said:
Il think they are great deal better off
than they were before. The extension of
the Whitaker and Abercorn belt to Tenth
street will be a great advantage to the
people in the central southern section,
and can hardly fail TO increase the value
of property there. The extension of the
Habersham street line will be an ad-
vantage to the people on that side. In
stead of the big belt with cars only every
fifteen minutes. and nearly an hours ride
to reach the bust illness section of the city,
they will soon be able to reach any part
of the city by direct lines and with more
frequent schedules. The Montgomery
street and Battery park lines will take
the people in those sections direct to
Anderson street, from where they viii
be promptly taken to any part of the sys-
tenn. The whole system is much better
than anything the people of Savannah
have heretofore enjoyed in the way of
street railway facilities, and l am salts
fed that the people will be so convinced
after a short trial of the new system"
Mr.. Parsons said that the work of
changing the system will proceed as rap
idly as possible, the intention being to
complete it by Jan. 1. Ten miles of fiat
rail are to be taken up and replaced with
new fifty-pound T rail, besides a consid-
cradle amount of new rail will be laid in
double tracking the system. The roadbed
oapara llV n he ipnnroyaA tlo 80.