The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-17

contsgned ana their periods vet 70 rum
stat4d In even years
"a Madison street cable railway, y years
0 &niSn Trunk line .... * Year, YEAR,
az Thifd avenue (university) -. ~ years
as 6e1ttis Traction Company ......lS years
90 First avenue cable raiiway....siS years
q. IN average Of a little more man
You WIN doubtless take exception to the
Item numbered and assert IT, claim 70
run forty -four years, as stated BY the So
called ssamended franchise" am among
those. however, who believe that tnat
uo-called Extension" attempted In DELI
ance OF the plain provisions OF the CITY
charter, wrested from an unwilling city
council as the price Of paving the street
railway portions Of Pike street and Sec
ond avenue, already commanded ~ the
old franchise, but refused by receiver
protected by the United States court,
win not stand when the people take
firm position IN defense of their rights:
As to the franchises OF the compames
numbered and 6--and these are the cniei
offenders in the matter Of poor service
either of these can be brought to sudden
end any time the city council sees Mt 10
apply the drastic remedy of forfeiture
Nearly half the Third avenue (univefsity)
route Il over streets where It has no fran
chtse whatever, and on most OF the re-
mander Or the line. viz. from the city
han out to Lake Union, 1t Is made dis
tinct condition. with agreed penalty o.
franchise forfeiture. that the service snail
be ssas often as once every twenty min.
utes between the hours OF O'clock 9. m.
ana o'clock p. m. in each day." With
only feeble attempts to maintain q SENT
occasional half-hourly service, what stand
ing has this franchise before the law AS
for the First avenue cable railway, an
examination Of the first eleven lines OF
the third paragraph OF their franchise, AZ
granted by ordinance No. 1,229, indicates
clearly that this corporation has already
committed official suicide, and only needs
the formal order OF the city council To-
have its remains removed from the public
thoroughfares. While these two are
Migrant cases in point It lis none the less
true that every franchise can be forfeited
upon PROOF that the service given Is IN
efficient and unsafe. Any assertion to
the contrary makes travesty of the en-
tire system Of public service by franchise
corporations. The statement that we
may count upon q slipshod and inefficient
service for at least sixteen years more
unless the people grant a new longtime
franchfse-is a threat which ridicules the
courage OF our people and their public
officials as well as insults their intel
ligence.
Next comes the financial question. You
say the city Will derive not one penny Of
revenue under the present plan. except
per cent. on the Traction Company's gross
earnings, and that only after ten years.
If you viii examine the Traction Com
pany's franchise you refer to, you will find
that 1t requires a payment of per cent.
+ on gross receipts, to commence within one
year, to increase to IL per cent. within
six years. and to 2 per cent. within eleven
years. But, leaving that aside. Is there
no opportunity for revenue under the ex-
listing franchises? You may examine any
of them and you will find clause like
this:
"sec Is Ordinance 1898, Third avenue
franchsse). That said grantee, its success
city Of Seattle such special license on each
car In use upon said street railway. not
exceeding twenty-five dollars (s25) per car
Of said city, which special license shall be
In addition to the ordinary tax imposed by
law.
Here is a revenue of nearly $1,000 year
to be had for the taking, expressly as
provided In the contract, which will in
crease Immediately under an enforcement
of adequate service, and continue to in
crease as the city grows.
But this is only small portion of the
I agreed revenues under present franchises.
Three OF the companies proposed to be
consolidated under the new franchise are
now under contract-unenforced, but, new
ertheless, in their existing franchises-to
furnish electric street lights at stated In
tervals along their routes. y These would
aggregate nearly 500 in total number. and
at the rates now paid for city lighting
would be equivalent TO more than 5000
per year: or. in other words, there Is now
available under the express terms of ex-
listing franchises practically $4,000 per
year of returns, and you only assert an
immediate revenue of $4,000 per year I'M
der the proposed new franchise.
But this is not all When our assessors
place value upon franchises for general
taxation purposes, such as the law re-
Quires. then will there be cash return
to the people alongside which other reve-
nues will seem small. We need an asses
sor who will enforce the definition of the
value Of franchise, laid down by Dr.
washington Dodge, recently reelected as
SCISSOR In San Francisco ON the same ticket
. with Mayor Phelan. 1t has been upheld
by the supreme court of California and
reads as follows:
ITO arrive at the value OF d franchise
TOT taxation. deduct from the market price
of the stock and bonds, the assessed value
OF the tangible property and the differ
ence will be the value of the franchise"
No, Mr.. Editor, the people of Seattle are
not to be led away by the thought that
there is more revenue in sight under the
proposed new franchise. With the ability
to secure equal revenue under existing
lihiftiliSSS ulltil cAplTdtiUI, dIu the GER
tainty that the entire monopoly with its
opportunities and its values, which are
even now capitalized at over $6,00 900, will
within fifteen years absolutely lapse into
their hands as a public resource, the peo-
pie would display poor financial Judgment
to sell their future for a song of six
pence"
Third--Aside from better service and
more revenue, which have demonstrated
are attainable under existing franchises.
there remains but one other offer to the
people In return for the desired thirty five
year monopoly. universal transfer sys-
tenn Is promised. This is tempting, but
when analysed proves trivial. over one
third of the mileage affected the transfer
system is in force under existing fran
chise. Moreover, 1t is a matter of proof
from the experience of other cities that
the transfer system increases total receipts
by inducing a class of travel otherwise
entirely lost. To Illustrate: For daily use
in connection with business or labor a
transfer system will not affect one person
n, fiftu as IN oiIr nrp evc