The herald., 1898-02-12
Electric Road Franchises
Which Conflict
SPECIAL GRADING PERMIT
RIVAL BILLPoSTLNG COMPANIES
AIR THEIR GRIEVANCES
Routine Recommendations Adopted.
Pasadena Avenue Inspection
Today-City Hall Notes

The attention Of the board of public
works at the morning session yesterday
was taken up by the matter of the re-
quest of Clara r. Shatto and John s.
Mailman for a special privilege to con-
struct and operate an electric street rail-
way for grading purposes only, along
certain streets of the city for period
of twenty-three months. The route
mapped out for the road is over and
| along the following public streets: Be
ginning at the intersection of Hoover
and Seventh streets, thence north along
Hoover street to it's intersection with
Wiltshire boulevard, thence west along
Wiltshire boulevard to Commonwealth
avenue, thence north along Common
wealth avenue to the north line of West
End University Addition tract, thence
north across the land Of ]. S. Mailman
to First street, thence west along First
street to Virgil avenue. The ordinance
states that the privilege is granted for
the purpose of grading purposes, and
by law is revocable at the will of the
council.
The matter is in a rather peculiar
COllulliOn dl pISStAl, ONlHS " tHt TACT
Of there really being two applications
for franchises along the same route. The
original application was for a special
franchise for grading purposes only, and
was, when received by the council, re-
ferred to the board of public works.
After hearing the statements of petit
TONERS, the board decided to recommend
that the special franchise be granted,
and that the city attorney draw up the
necessary ordinance.
Last Monday, when the report was
received at the council meeting, it
was re-referred to the board, because of
the fact that an application had been
received, asking that 50-year franchise
for an electric street railway over the
same route as that asked for in the
special franchise be advertised for sale.
The last application was formally re-
ceived, and the city attorney was or
dered to prepare the franchise for ad-
vertisement.
1t consequently appears that there is
going to be a discrepancy somewhere
If the special franchise is granted then
| there can be but one bidder for the So
year franchise-that is, but one bidder
| with any reasonable show-for the rea
son that, unless the council should see
fit to annul the special franchise, i
granted, an outsider, should he secure
the 50-year franchise, would be debarret
from beginning the construction of his
road for twenty-three months, the life.
| time of the special franchise.
John S. Mailman made a vigorous
statement of the contention of the petit
| toners AS long ago as 1883 the property
| owners raised $4,000 as bonus to in
duce a railway to build along this very
route. This failed to induce a road tc
build. Later the property owners made
| an offer to build the road themselves, but
could not induce any connecting lines tc
make reasonable division of fares.
"Then," said Mr.. Mailman, 1--WE raised
$4,000 successfully for Sherman &
Clark and for the Los Angeles Consol
idated to induce them to build the road
but they repeatedly put us off and final.
ly declined to put in a road at ALL The
managers told me that road coult
never pay until the country was settled
up, and the work would not be under
taken by them until that time.
| Next we arranged and. contracted
| with Mr.. Hook of the Traction company
to build a road, and after the propert,
owners had done their share they wer,
again disappointed. Now we come t,
ask that we be given chance to put il
| the road ourselves. We have raised
$7250 to put in a single track road, ant
| there Is not single protest. The prop
erty owners unanimously favor the en-
terprise; but we have enemies. The,
are at work in the dark and we are ask
| ing the council for protection from them
I'VE know and you know that if tn,
| franchise is regularly advertised fol
sale the road will never be built. Th
| law of 1897 provides that the franchis,
shall be voted to the highest bidder
That law was passed by designing rail
way corporations to prevent any stree
railways from being built by homes
\ men when such roads are not wante,
by the railway companies"
Mr.. Mailman was followed by Messrs
| Henry Hazard, John w. Mitchell an,
Wells, all urging the passage of the or
dinance.
A general discussion of the subject fol
lowed and it was finally decided to rec