The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-09
new and NOTES
OF L.EGIS[ .IllIRE.
Mr.. GraveIy's Bill for Increased As
sessment3of Railways.
VIEWS OF. PATRON OF: M MEASURE.
Provisions of Proposed Law by Mr..
Bland to Secure Better Railway
Conncctions-Lady Lobbyists
Here Yesterday = Notes.

Here Yesterday - Notes.
The bill offered by Delegate Gravely
yesterday designed to secure more 1c-
curatc va,Uation of railway property. will.
it is ccntended by the patron of the
measure. yield an additional revenue of
.sl5OvO per year. Regarding his bill, MI.
Gravey said yesterday:
"a glance at the report Of the Rail
road Commissioner will suffice to show
that an enormous amount of railroad
property escapes taxation; that is to say,
the assessment is at least onc-half too
low For example, the Winston-Salem
division Of the Norfolk and Western is
a. sessed at $3.50 per mile. while 1t is
n or!gaged at over $1,000 per mile The
Atlantic and Danvile. which has now
passed under the control of The Southern.
thereby again cutting Off Danville from
competitive freight rates, is assessed at
only $1,000 per mile. No main roadway
and track of any standard gauge railroad
in this Stare belonging to a general sys-
tenn of roads should be assessed at less
than $4,000 per mile. and some of the
main lines should be assessed over $4,000
per mile.
The Board of Public Works is APP
parently hampered by the present law.
railroads in proportion to their real value
per mile. That value is to be ascer-1
tanned by taking the value of the CAPT.
tai stock plus the mortgaSed indebted
ness, deducting therefrcm the assessed
value OF the LEGAL properties outside OF
the main roadway and track and dlvld-s
ing the result by. the total mileage. IhlS5
gives the true value per mile of the main
roadway and track. Multiply the value
per mile by the main mileage in this
State, and you have the proper valua-
ton of the entire mali. mileage herein"
Mr. Gravely will follow up this bill by
introducing one in relation to telegraph
and other internal improvement COM
panies.
Delegate BANDS bill, requiring rail-
ways to- make connections with each
other, provides that wherever two or
moro railroads operating in or through
this State have a union passenger depot,
it shall be the duty of such railroad
companies to make such connections as
will enable passengers on trains ap
preaching said union depot to make con-
nection with the trains Of the same or
any other company or companies using
said union depot in a reasonable time.
In cities or towns where there is no
union depot. it is provided that such
schedules shall be established as Will
allow pas scngers a reasonable length of,
time, not less than twenty minutes for
each mile or portion thereof separating
the depots, in which to so from one train
to another.
When trains are delayed it is required.
of the conductor oil such late train TO
ascertain whether he has on board pas
sengers who will continue on some other
|. train or line after reaching the terminus
Of the late train, and to notify at the
earliest opportunity the agent at the
terminal station that he has such through
passengers, if any, and it shall be the
duty of the agent so notified to advise
the agent of the company over which
the passengers in question will continue
their journey, and the said other COM
pany shall hold its train for any length
of time not eXceedinging one hour in
order to enable through passengers on
the late train to continue on their way
with out further delay.
Failure to notify or to observe notie-
cation in cases OF delayed trains shall
subject the company at fault to suit for
damages, actual and special, which may
be occasioned any passenger by failure
to make connection.
1t is claimed by the opponents of the
bill to merge the position of Register
of Land Office with that. of Secretary of
the Commonwealth that the advocates
of the measure have practically given up
the fight. One of the leading opponents
of the measure said yesterday:
There are ample evidences of the fact
that the friends Of the measure realize now
that it cannot pass the house. They, are,
therefore. booming Mr.. ]. L White, of
Pittsylvania county, as a candidate to
succeed Col. Richardson
The cloak room for the use of the dele
gates has been completed. and the next
thing is the appointment of a page to
take charge of the duties of the position
in accordance with the recommendation
Of the Committee on House Expenses.
There are many applications for the
place A number of members have en-
dorsed q boy from Richmond while
majority of the committee which looked
after the construction of the room and
most of the members from the Fourth
district, have endorsed q youth from
Sussex county There are still other ap-
plicants, so that the Speaker has no lack
Of material from which to choose