Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-11-21
FOR THIRTY YEARS.
SUBCOMMITTEE FINES TERM OF
STREET HALFWAY FRANCHISE.
TAXiTIOH CLAUSE MUCH DEBATED,
RE Discussion Was very Breezy ~
Timcs-No Conclusions Henc"'"'
and the Ordinance Goes to Gcnerni
Committee win NO Tx Specified

and the Ordinance Goes to Gcner"'
Committee win 40 Tx Specified
Tho subcommittee on streets has con
Guided its work, and framed an ordinance
which Ct Is proposed 10 grant to the
Richmond Passenger and Power Com
pany # that corporation acquires the
property Of the Richmond Railway anu
+ Electric Company.
/ The subcommittee has worked patient
/ ~ and carefully, and the ordinance
when VIII so to the general committee
next Thursday night. is complete, but
FOR the taxation clause This proved
bone Of contention that was not over
! come Tho subcommittee was divided Oh
/ this question. and the counsel for the
I companies and Mr.. Carlton Mccarthy
/ the city Accountant argued the matter
at great length. The discussion was de-
cidedly breezy The session last night
/ lasted for nearly eight hours.
TIE THIRTY-YEAR CLAUSE.
when the section referring to taxation
l was reached. proposition was made thar
Mr Mccarthy who was present should
give the committee the data and views
Of the Finance Committee. which has the
matter under consideration. There was
objection 20 this, however, and the sec
! ton was passed by temporarily.
a long discussion was prociptated 10y
the fifth section. regarding the dispose
lion of the franchise on its expiration
thirty years hence. The section was
adopted as drafted. and f. believed by OBJ
committee 90 bring the franchise TO
natural and complete death thirty year
hence The railway attorneys agreed upon
an addition 90 the section, which pre-
eeriod three alternatives I'm disp0sng Ci
the franchise at its expiration-vIz., CIV
ing the Council the right TO purchase the
property: allowing II to be sold 10 any
outside bidder, and. I'm the event Of failur
/ Of either Of these alternatives. extendina
/ the franchise fifteen years. The commi.
tee. however rejected the amendment
members fearing that IL might involve
tho granting Of a franchise having for
/ ty-hve years TO run.
The remaining sections were approved.
and then the most interesting discussion
/ OF the evening ensued. over the question
| Of taxation. which had been passed by
/ earlier I'm the evening.
| CITY ACCOUNTANTS STATEMENT.
] llIN~AtCOuUkdu Aif'alDll HldNt Il viz
| orous statement on behalf Of the Finan-
| cial Department of the city government,
/ adducing few figures. but making q fear
/ less general denial Of the alleged plea OF
/ street-railway companies that the bur-
den Of taxation imposed on them IS all
/ most unbearable. There was lamentable
/ ignorance on tho subject of taxation of
street railways, he said, and the cOun-
/ cilmen knew but little more than the
| average citizen. on the other hand, the
/ lawyers representing the corporations
/ were experts, and were I'm possession Of
| q complete and detailed statement Of the
| subject.
Air. Mccarthy, in reply to a question,
said that the taxation at first, for
| short period. should be on the basis %
/ 10 per hundred and Per cent of the
/ gross earnings. The franchise should
provide for increasing this taxation from
| time 10 time. as conditions would re-
! ouirc Mr. Mccarthy was quite pointed
/ and almost personal in some of his state
ments. and counsel for the street rail-
way companies made spirited reioinder.
1lr. Ebel advocated a tax or $40 on
/ the property of the company and per
cent on the gross receipts. In thirty
years. he said, the companies would pay
/ 81 10000 20 the city, which he thought
compared very favorably with the
amount paid by companies in other
companies
REPLY OF COUNSEL
Counsel for both companies protested
against this tax, and made explanations
rafuting the statements made by AIr.
! Mccarthy. They characterized the speech
] " the city Accountant as "a "tirade
against corporations and lawyers" He
had produced no figures. they complain
ca. and ar. Meredith who has argued
tho question before the FINANCE Com
mittee for both companies, asked the
committee to defer action until all avail
able information could be submitted.
Colonel Cutshaw suggested that an eve
! rage OF the taxes charged by other cities
of the size OF Richmond might be struck.
! and Mr.. Meredith said That would bee
quite acceptable.
Mr. King moved that the amount Of the
tax should De left open. After some fur
Their discussion it was decided to adopt
this course. and the ordinance was then
recommended 20 the general committee
with the exception of section g.
The company was ordered 10 have the
ordinance printed and ready 10 be sub
mittel 90 the general committee I'm the
near future The committee adjourned
az 1850 a. w.
Contracts for Poor Department.
The Council Committee on Relief OF the
Poor held IT'S regular monthly meeting
/ at the city AlmshOuse last night az 6.O
| o'clock. Considerable routine business
was disposed OF. and contracts Tor SUI
plies for The institution for the quarter
| ending March J. 1901 were awarded.
| Proposals for furnishing the depart
ment with supplies for the quarter end
| ing March lst We're opened. ana cOntracI 3
/ for the articles were awarded 20 The fol-
! lowing bidders. Fresh beer, lamD ana
| COrued beef. 10 j. j. Grayins. fresh poik'
! 60 81. KiTsh. bacon breasts ana shoulders
90 s.. Hcchler. winter-Wheat uour, To
/ Harvey Blair d Co; spring-Wheat HOUR
I lard. soap. peas, canned tomatoes, 20 the
Thomas Potts Company; conee. 20 j..
Levy 81 Son; sugar and Whlt5 beans 10
Moulton and Talmadget butter 10 w. u.
/ SmOOt a. Co: molasses, houlnH, potatoes
and salt; 90 ID. O Sullivan. herrngs. 10 >.
Ullmans Son, hay. corn, oats. ana straw
/ 10 MAYO, DeuOOn g. Co., nose, brown COT
ton. cClOrc1 domestics, jeans ana blank
cts 90 Burnett Lewis; halt-hose' 70 julius
/ Meyers Sons. mems coats ana pants 20
d. i. Steinbrecher; drugs ana medicines,
10 the Bodeker Drug Company. The shoe
contract was divided between w. r.
| Phillips e. Co and j. Il. Goode a. SON.
The committee. approaching the Nalu-
able services rendered the department. by
Steward r. A. hughes. decided 10 recon-
mend % the Council that his salary Zoe Inc
creased 10 SIS per month.
An ATTEMPT TO BREAK JAIL.