The Monmouth inquirer., 1898-03-31
The Trolley Franchise.

ACTION POSTPONED UNTIL TO-DAY.
The Board of Chosen Freeholders
held a special meeting at the Court
House ut Freehold on Monday to
give all persons interested chance
to be heard relative to the application
Of the Monmouth Traction Companys S
application for a franchise to con-
struct trolley road over the county
road from Freehold to Matawan.
The COMMITTEES which had been
appointed when the traction com
pany made its first application re-
ported in favor of letting the COM
panv use the road subject to a lot of
conditions, the most important of
which were that the company should
pay the county $400 a year, keep the
bridges in repair aud build new
iron one over the Marlboro pond, lay
their tracks on the unused side of the
road excepting Matawan, Marlboro
and Freehold, keep the road ia re-
pair between the rails and for two
feet on each side, run cars not over
15 miles an hour in Freehold, Mata-
wan and Marlboro, keep bells and
lights on the cars, run cars hourly
between and A. NJ. and 6 and 80
p. NJ and half hourly between s A. NJ.
and P. NJ, pay all expenses of the
application and build but a single
track line except for the turnouts.
Mr. Fairy of Matawan, submitted a
minority report the chief points in
which were that the company should
pay ST, 900 a year for the privilege,
provide tenders on it's cars, enter in
to bond for faithful obligation and
inacadamize the road between the
rails and for two feet on each side in
Freehold and Matawan. Both re-
ports were laid on the table.
The consents of the majority of the
property owners along the line in
lineal feet for the construction of the
road We're presented by E. w. Ar
rowsmith counsel for the company,
together with the proofs of the publ
cation and posting of the notices Of
the meeting.
Aaron E. Johnston, as counsel for
Alfred Hardy, property owner
along the line, said that Mr.. Hardy
was not opposed to the building of
the trolley but that he had a right in
the side of the road where it was
proposed to construct the trolley road
as that part of the road had not been
used for many years and that he did
not feel like giving up that right for
nothing. Mr. Arrowsmith denied
that Mr. Hardy had acquired any
rights because of the non use OF the
side of the road
John L. Conover, who is counsel
for the Central railroad but who said
he only appeared in his own interest
as a property owner along the road,
said that the county had no title to
the road but merely an easement. He
claimed that when the road was wi
dened the property owners only gave
to the Monmouth Plank Road com
pany, from whom the Freeholders
bought the road, a right to use the
land for turnpike and that, when Il
was used for any other purpose the
land would revert back to the proper
ty owners and that the remaining
road would be too narrow for the use
of the public and of the trolley road
also. He also argued that the troll
ley would be q nuisance and would
be dangerous to the public.
Mr. Arrowsmith contradicted Mr.
Conover's s argument and charged hIil
with representing the railroad. 1t the
county only had an easement IN the
road. which Mr. Arrowsnith denied,
lie StlQ tue Jtuu MOulu AlOt - ' q I eu7
it would still be used as public road:
He denied that the trolley would
be dangerous or nuisance and said
that it would be a benefit and en-
nance the value of property.
Henry VanMater, Asher Holmes,
Gideon @. Mcdowell and Howard
Vankirk. residents along the road,
objected to the building of the road on
rho orct1pdC that II wac danUprOg14 f0
horses and children, that it would be
detrimental to the property, that it
was unnecessary and that the trolley
company should be compelled to buy
its right of way.
An ordinance granting the fran
chise on terms similar to the reports
of the committee was offered and con-
sidered in executive session, after
which action upon it was postponed
until Thursday morning Of this week