The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-13
SWITCH WILL HAVE TO STAY.
THE CITY HAS NO POWER TO Or
DER IT REMOVED.

Railway Company Had 1t in the Con-
tract All the Tfme-May Consent to
Put Down "A Few Yards of Asphalt
Between the switch Tracks-COm-
pnny Refuses to Pay Taxes on Its
Power House on Technical
GrOunds-ExecutiOns Issued But
Never Collected.
No conclusion was reached yesterday in
the difference between the city and the Sa-
vannah, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope
Railway Company on account of the
Broughton street switch, and, consequent
ly, no work was done on Broughton street
by the railway company.
1t is thought that an amicable conclusion
will be reached and that the company will
agree to pave the space occupied by the
switch with asphalt as demanded by the
street and lane committee
1t will be some time yet before the COM
pletion of the. improvements now under
way by the street railway company In
answer to complaints of the delay repre-
sentatives of the street railway company
point to the amount OF work that is being
done and the money expended. Altogether
it is claimed the expenditures on account
of the changed and improved system viii
be in the neighborhood of 100000
The railway company can well afford TO
make a concession to the city in the mat
ter of asphalt paving at the Broughton
street switch, especially as Alderman Da-
Wis says that the railway company has
had the advantage of all the "deviations'
which have been made from the contract
so far. Some of these "deviations'' have
been in the way of curves not put down
in the plan adopted by council
While the city has been donating streets
TO the Railway Company and granting
"deviations" in it's contract for the new
system of tracks the railway people have
tiatly refused to pay the city's tax on their
power house The company, or rather Mr.
George Parsons in whose name the power
house stands, claims that at is not in the
taxable limits of the city, being in that part
of the city which was annexed under the
act of 1854, which act required that the
plan of the city should be extended over
the property before 1t should become sub
ject to taxation. The ordinance adopted by
Council July 9, 1880, by which the street
railways then operating in the city were
permitted to equip their lines with cleo
tricity, required that the power houses Of
the companies named should be within the
city limits. This, of course, was intended
to mean the taxable limits and seems to
have been so understood by both parties
at the time.
The property was returned and the tax
paid by Capt. ]. H. Johnston until 1895.
Two-quarters of the tax OF 1896 were paid
when Capt. Johnston discovered that other
property in Schley ward in which the pow
err house is located, was not paying tax,
and this being the case he declined to
pay any further tax on the power house.
In March, 1897, an execution for the
amount of tax remaining due for the pre-
vious year was issued by the city treas
urer and placed in the hands of the city
marshal for collection. The marshal has
never been able to make the collection
as Capt. Johnston holds that the property
is not subject to taxation, the plan of the
city having never been extended over that
section. The matter was referred to the
city attorney, but no further effort to col
lect the money has been made, so far as
known. No taxes were paid during 1897 and
an execution will be issued on that ac-
count shortly. The taxes amount to about
$535 a year.
No return for the railway track and
equipment is made to the city, these prop
erties Delng assessed by the controller gen.
eral under the state law. The controller
generals assessments last year We're as
follows: City and Suburban, $50, 4S0; Sa-
bvannah, Thunder bolt and Isle of Hope
Railway, $4,000; Savannah Traction Com
| pany, $685. The street railway COM
panies also pay 800 specific tax ana
| take out badges for cars
the price of badges this year being $50
each. The Parsons lines have taken out
twenty-eight badges so far. Economy is
practiced in badges, however, by transfer
| ring them from winter to summer cars
when the warm season arrives and back
again when winter returns. AS it is said
that the same motors are operated during
the entire year. merely the bodies of the
cars being shifted back and forth, the
company holds that it cannot be COM
PEELED TO take out two badges for one
| motor