The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-25
PROPOSED STEAL EXPOSED
COMPETING LINE TO THE FER.
RIES BLOCKED.
Under the New Charter the Geary-
Street Cars Could Be Run to
the Foot of Market
Street.

The wholesale steal contemplated by the
Market-street Railway Company in the
matter of franchises will no doubt secure
the Endorsement of the Street Committee
of the Board of Supervisors at its meet
ing this afternoon. The members OF the
committee put themselves on record at the
meeting of the board on Monday anc
| there is no reason to suppose that they
will change their minds, even in the face
of the storm of indignation that has beer
| aroused in the community since the mag
nitude of the scheme became apparent
In an interview published in these col
umnS yesterday Mayor Phelan set forth
many of the reasons why the street rail-
way corporation is attempting, at this
time, to secure control of the various
franchises asked for, particularly the
franchise for the Geary-street road. In
connection with this last named line there
is still another reason why the acQuisi-
| ton of franchise al this time would be
OF incalculable value to the Market-Street
halfway Company, and consequent loss
to the city. Under the present law-the
provisions of which would control the
franchise were 1t granted-the owner or
owners OF one line of street railway are
permitted to run cars over the line OF
railway operated by an opposition COM
pany for distance of five blocks. Under
the provisions of the new charter this
privilege is extended so as to allow the
cars OF one company to be run over the
line owned and operated by another COM
pany for a distance of ten blocks. If the
franchise for the GeaIy-Street road were
disposed of under the terms of the new
charter, as 1t should be, the person Sc
curing the franchise would be permitted
TO run the cars of the Geary-street line
to the ferry depot over the lines of the
Market-street Railway Company on Mar
ket street. This privilege would enhance
the value of the franchise more than 50
per cent and would result in proportion
ate benefit to the city from the increased
price that could be obtained from the
sale of the franchise as well as the re-
sultant increase in the gross receipts of
the road, percentage of which would be
paid to the city each year as provided by
law.
1t is estimated that if the franchise is
granted at this time its value will be de-
creased for the above reason alone about
81, 500 600. If to this sum is added the mon
etary advantage that would be derived by
the Market-street Railway Company be-
cause of the conditions enumerated by
Mayor Phelan in his interview the amount
foots up TO the stupendous sum of over
100000 The corporation can afford to
pay we'll to secure such an advantage,
and the question of how much it proposes
to pay for the necessary number of votes
in the Board of Supervisors is a matter
of much speculation about the City Hall.
Yesterday City and County Attorney
Lane rendered an opinion as to the proper
action of the Board of Supervisors in the
matter of the application of the Market
street Railway Company for permission
to use electricity as a motive power on
the Post-street road and on the proposed
so-called corkscreW road. He finds that
the company's franc. lse for the Post
street road gives 1t the privilege of using
electricity as a motive power. He also
holds that the corporation has the right
to use electricity on the proposed cross
town line. Permission to use electricity
must, however, be first granted by the
Board of Supervisors. AS to the matter
of granting this permission the opinion
is indefinite. Mr.. Lane holds that if the
erection OF poles and the stringing OF
wires is held by the board to be a privi-
lege, then the right to erect poles and
string wires must be held open for conf
petitive bids, as provided by law. If the
board holds that the right is not privi-
lege then the Market-street Railway
Company may be allowed to go ahead
with the work of erecting poles and
stringing wires as soon as permission so
to do is granted by the board