The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-11
NEW CAR BELTS RUNNING.
CHEAPER FARES WHAT sAvAN-
NAHIANS WANT NOW.

The C1ty's small return Tor Vain
able Franchises May Result in "a
Demand for Lower Fares-The
Maryland state Legislature Wrest-
ling With the street Railway
PrObIem-What other Cities Are
Doing.
A part of the new street railway sys-
tenn was put in operation yesterday. The
Abercorn, Whitaker and Barnard street
belts were started and the West Broad
street cars changed their route. The
Price street line has been abandoned.
On Barnard, Whitaker and Abercorn
streets cars run north on Barnard, south
on Whitaker and both ways on Abercorn
street.
On West Broad street cars run on West
Broad street to Broughton street, thence
to the market. and return to West Broad
through same route.
Liberty street cars run to and from C.
r. r. depot to and from Tybee depot
through Liberty street.
While the track through Broughton
street is being rebuilt Broughton ana
Habersham street cars run to the market
and return through St Julian street.
Cars on Duffy street for the present
run to Bolton street and passengers are
transferred to the Habersham and Brough-
ton street cars.
Passengers to and from the Collnsville
car are transferred at Habersham and
Gwinnett streets.
What sort of schedule will be run when
the new sytem is fully in operation re-
mains to be seen. All sorts of promises
were made by the company as to fast
schedules and frequent cars when it was
getting franchises from the city. The peo-
pie are wondering whether these prom
ises will be fulfilled.
considerable amount of work remains
to be done on the Abercorn, Whitaker
and Barnard belts, if they are to be con-
siructed in accordance with the contract
with the city, which Alderman Davis com
mittee was charged with enforcing. A
double track is yet to be laid on Aber-
corn street from Bay to Liberty Nothing
has been done on that part of the belt
yet. A part of this route includes
the blocks between Oglethorpe avenue
and Liberty street, from which the COM
pany removed one of its tracks when the
street was paved, in order to avoid the cost
of paving between double tracks. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether it will replace
the track with the same willingness with
which it removed it.
Now, that the system is nearing compile
ton, after six months of waiting, the ques-
ton of reduced fares is likely to come up
A majority of the people would like to see
some legislation requiring the company to
sell six tickets for a quarter, if it is not
willing to do it without legislative require.
ment. There is probably no city in the
country where the street railways gel
more for little or nothing than in Savan-
nah, and probably none where the
people pay more for street railway
travel and where the accommodations of.
fered are less. The Maryland Legislature
has taken hold of the matter
in that state. and bill is
now before it with a probability Of
passage requiring street railway companies
in Baltimore to sell six tickets for % cents
Baltimore has a similar situation to thai
in Savannah on its hands. The Sun com
menting on it, says
! For some years there has been a pub
| lie demand that the street beds of the city
be not given bodily to the car companies
together with permission to erect insight
ly poles and string deadly wires, unless
the city be more nearly recompensed thar
| 1t has been in the past. Efforts have beer
made to have the franchises, which are
seldom given to one company without
! clamor from some other company for The
/ same privileges. sold to the highest bidder
| but all such attempts have not been sue
! cesSful. Franchises continue to be deal!
out by the City Council for the mere ask
| ing"
| In citihc WI cfr
companies are granted franchise through
any street they must take full charge Of
! the pavement from the time of the occu
| pancy of the street by the tracks. If In
| the judgment of the department of public
! works, the existing pavement is antiauat
| ed it must be taken up and an improved
| pavement laid, which must always be KEEP
| in satisfactory repair. In Savannah the
| street railways do not even keep the cross
ings or the pavement between the tracks
in repair suggestion that the companies
be required to replace the rough stone
paving between its tracks on asphalt
| paved streets, with asphalt has not nerv.
| ed the City Council even to ask such q
! thing.
Six tickets for quarter were sold by
| the companies in Savannah several year:
ago and books of 100 and 200 tickets were
| sold at even a greater reduction The
oilS lSuuCtiOHS now maze IN fdreS below
! five cents are 10 a few excepted classes
among them various city officials an6
others to whom books of tickets are is.
sued. The provisions in brief of the pro.
| posed law in Baltimore are:
! l. That the companies must issue slz
| tickets for % cents.
?. That these tickets can be used or
any street passenger railway in the CITY.
| ). That the ticket can be used to con.
Vey the passenger between any points or
the lines operated by the company tc
which the ticket is rendered.
T. That the company issuing the ticket.
must redeem them from the companies re.
ceiving them in payment of fares.
| In Washington the uniform rate of six
fares for 70 cents and a system of trans.
ters which enables a passenger TO or
| from almost any section of the CITY ia any
| other, has been in operation a long time