The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-09-21
LICENSES FOR STREET CARS
HEARING ON THE PROPOSED ORDI-
 NANCE HELD LAST NIGHT.

Hold That the Common Council Has No Jurisdiction In the Mattcr-No One
 Opposed the Adoption of the Ordi- nance.
 The committee on ordinances last night held a public hearing on several matters referred by the court of com mon council, among them the proposed ordinance introduced by Alderman Don ovan providing for license fee of $100 to be placed on each trolley car run ming within the city limits. The hear hall and at 8 o'clock, when the com mittee was called to order, the room was packed with citizeps, fully 150 be- ing present. Alderman Donovan was present and was the first to speak on the proposed ordinance. He said that he asked for the placing of license fee on each car to pay for the police protection needed because of the cars, for the wear on the streets, and for tho
 
 tracks in the winter time.
 He called attention to the fact that in New York the Boardway and Sev- enth avenue road is taxed per cent. on its gross earnings and is obliged to pay a license fee of $50 per year on each car run, giving the city $150,O0O per year for a mileage of tracks not more than two-thirds as great as that of the Fair Haven and Westville road here. He also read from a report of the Unit cd states labor bureau to show that in Baltimore street railroads were taxed 3 per cent. on gross earnings. He said that in Buffalo 36 per cent of the gross earnings was offered to the city for franchise for an electric road. He then read from a report the following state ment of the gross earnings for one year of the street railroads in New Haven: Fair Haven and Westville road, $247,- Sl2.57; New Haven Street railroad, $144,- 75S.57; Winchester avenue road, $164,- CSC. .49; total, $557 ,234.93. He showed that 36 per cent of this would be $2O0 06O4.57, that is 1 per cent. on $5,000,0O0, which he said was the value of the franchises which have been given to street rail- roads in New Haven.
 Attorney Willard D. Warren said that he understood that two million dollars would be needed to place the streets of the city in proper condition and if this was so he thought that it was no more than fair that the street railroads which use so many of the streets should con- tribute to the expense. He thought that the street railroads should be obliged to pay license fees for their cars and that such a license would be as fair as a license on hacks and express wagons.
 Ex-State Senator Timothy J, Fox spoke in favor of license for street cars. but thought that tlle common council should go careful and not inn pose license so high that it would be as tax by the courts and be declared illegal. He said that he was not anti-corporationist nor did he wish to advocate what would do cor an injustice He wanted to treat them fairly and expected them to treat citizens fairly. The question was if poor men pay licenses for hacks and carts, the street railroad should not pay licenses for their cars. Another question was whether or not a license fee of $10O for each car would be held by the courts to be tax and as such illegal He thought it right that the street rail- roads should do something for the pub lie treasury for what they have He said that they should pay something for what they have and their privileges l To .SoiI. coiI that man owned to the middle of the | highway Now the street railway conn oanies erect poles, dig up the streets, | -hrow stones and old ties on little green grass plots in front of a mans house 90 that it seems that they own not only he streets, but also private property. If you say anything about it, they say, what are you going to do about it; are Jou going to sue this rich corporation" He thought that street cars were pulp ic eonveyances and as such could be equired to pay a license fee under sec ion 137 of the city charter. Such a li- ense would not be for revenue, but for
 police regulation to give the public a fight to know the number of each car md place responsibility
 Asked by Chairman Cooley of the if he did not think that $100 ger car was too high for license fee, senator Fox replied that he thought it vas. He said: You ought to be care ul because the supreme court of our tate is very liberal with corporations,
 Alderman Donovan--"If police regu- ations for the elctric roads cost the ity $10000 per year, don't you think hat it is fair to lay license fees to mount to that?'
 Senator Fox-"You have got to draw he line so that the principle will not e questioned. I am afraid that the su- reme court would say that our electric ars don't need police regulate He hen told of lawyer who appeared be- ord and who stated in the course of IS remarks to that committee that 1t yas impossible to get judge on the uperior court bench who did not have he sanction of the big corporations. John K. Punderford, civil engineer for ne Fair Haven and Westville road, was ext heard. He said that he appeared , either for nor against the proposed :, rdinance He said that after consult lg counsel concerning the matters re- I lting to street railways before the the officials of the road be- eyed that the court of common coun- I had no jurisdiction in the matters resent evidence.
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