The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-04-07
The Street Committee Hears Argu-
ment Ad libtum.
CAPT. GUIGON AND COL, CUTSHAW
A Slight Disagreement Between the
Two, Which Ended Pleasantly,
However Some of the Reasons
Which Were Brought to
Bear by the Counsel
Last Night.

After four hours discussion the Com
mttee on Streets last night unanimously
decided to recommend to the Council at
its special meeting next Monday night
the two ordinances which require the
electric companies Of this city TO make
fve-minute schedules on their main lines
and reasonable ones on their branch lines.
Counsel for each company were heard
at length and advanced many reasons
why the change should not be made, but
the commtte had made up its mind and
could not be shaken.
The committee met shortly after
o'clock, the members present being
Messrs Allen (chairman). Bloomberg
Burton, Gibson. Pollock. Ebel, Peters
Bahen, Woody, King. Lawder and Whit
tet-a full attendance.
The usual prelminaries having been
disposed OF. a motion was made and
adopted that counsel for the two electric
companies be given the privileges OF the
floor to discuss the report concerning the
said lines submitted by the city Engi-
neer and the two ordinances growing out
Of the report. which provide that the
companies shall give n certain schedule
and keep their tracks I'm good order under
penalty of heavy fines for each failure 10
comply with the provisions Of the ordi-
nances both OF which have heretofore
been printed IN full.
AN EARNEST PROTEST.
Captain A. g. Gugon. representing the
Richmond Railway and Electric Com
pany. was first heard from. He began
by entering an earnest protest TO por-
tiOns Of the city Engineer report. which
he said inadvertently he was sure. did
his company an injustice.
Coutfuufpg Captnfu Cufpof1 cafI fbqt
he desired to say at the outset that he
did not admit the right of the committee
to pass such ordinances. Whether they
were constitutional and legal he declared
might never have 10 be determined. the
present. however, was not the time 10
raise the question. but. I'm order TO save
the point. he desired to respectfully de-
cline TO admit the constitutionality Of the
said ordinances
The speaker then took up the business
features of the situation. lie c0ntended
that 1t would not be proper to compel a
corporation 20 do a certain thing al a
great loss 20 itself simply because the
power was possessed 70 make It do that
thing.
All sides Of the question should be look
ed into. he said. and if il was found that
the traffic on certain lines did not war
rant the enforcement of certain regula-
lions he did not think they should be i'm
posed
He then :ook up the provisions OF the
ordinances and pointed out his objections
10 them at length. He spoke especially
Of the section requiring the police to
watch and spy upon," the street car
companies. This, he said placed the
police In a false position. and was a
needless reflection both upon the COM
panles and upon the police.
The City Engineer who had been at
tending another meeting. entered the
room at this point and the speaker again
began to discuss the report made by him.
ERRORS CLAIMED.
IIe went on to deny some of the ale-
cations contained in the report Of the
City Engineer. claiming that cars report
ed out OF order were, on the occasions
named not on the road. He took the cars
number by number and pointed out what
he claimed were errors in the report
Captain Guigon said that IL the state
ments contained in the report Of the city
Engineer had been made upon his own
precautionary or that of any of the Off
cials I'm his Office. he would feel much
more hesitation in attacking anything
contained I'm IT, but II was impossible that
such should have been the case: the City
Engineer was compelled TO rely upon some
one outside OF his office.
He then took up the question Of sched-
ules He claimed that their strict en-
forcement would mean an expenditure
Of $1,000 and an increased loss TO his
company.
on Main street at the present time he
said. his company was operating twelve
cars and giving substantially siX-min-
ute schedule. Two more cars would
shortbly be but on during the busy hours
and five-minute schedule given.
on CLAY street ten cars were IN opera
tion and n s,x-mirute schedule given; on
Broad street there was a SIX minute
schedule.
gave the schedules now being made upcn
them. There was now. he said, a twenty
minute schedule on the Lakeside line,
with four cars: six would be required 10
make a hfteen-minute schedule. The
schedule on Seventeenth street was fif-
teen minutes with TWO cars.
LAKESIDE LINE.
Regarding the Lakeside line Capt.
Guigon said that the twenty-minute
schedule now being given was saiisfac-
tory to almost the whole community.
ana he advised strenuously against dis
turning IL.
Cant. Guigon estimated the cost OF run
ming a ear on this line at from s. 10 $l2
a day. The four ears. he said, cost dur
ing March sl,iSS and the receipts were
sian.
In regard TO the Seventeenth street line
upon which two ears are now operated
and a fifteen minute schedule made Capt
Guigon said that to make ten-minute
schedule would require another car, in
volving monthly loss OF Si,199
After taking up the several lines in de-
tail the SPEAKER gave the following sum-
mary OF estimated losses per month in
yoiyei In a change of schedule as pre-
scribed by the ordinances:
Present Proposed