Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-11-17

Lewiston to Eath. he said, was $40
and the trains over the line were Few.
The Lewiston. Ha til x Brunswick cleo
tric road was built, and in addition to
the long distance business done by
that road, the regular street car SER
vice was carried on in the cities. Mr..
Carter would have had strong case
ut that time" Mr.. Heath said, ..if he
had predicted that the result would
have been to reduce the fares and cut
down the income of both roads, But
the real result Mr.. Heath continued,
''is that the Maine Central is running
more trains over this route, and the
receipts are greater even at the re-
duced fares and the public is better
served
is that testimony" asked Mr.. Car
ter.
Hon. Joseph Manley. one of the
directors. told me As hours ago that
those were thr facts of the case" re-
piled Mr. Heath.
THE auditors report does not show
those figures retorted Mr.. Carter
and I looked them over Il few days
ago"
Those are the facts as stated by
Mr.. Maniey," replied Mr.. Heath.
Mr.. Heath then continued by saying
that running along side by side with
the Maine Central is the Lewiston,
Bath & Brunswick Road, doing more
business, as he expressed it. than the
Maine Central ever dreamed of doing.
while at the same time the Maine
Central is doing more business and
giving better service than ever be-
fore. and the fare has been reduced
from 81 to So cents. He then cited a
similar instance in the case of the
Bangor. Orono & Old Town and
Maine Central Road. which are parallel
between Bangor and Old Town. and
other cases in the State.
He held that in the case of the pro-
posed road there would be repetition
of the cases cited and that as the re-
suit of the electric road, should 1t be
built, the Maine Central would do
better business than ever before. He
then passed on to the matter OF neces-
sity and convenience, and called at
tention To the fact that If the road if
built would serve $1,000 people. the
number living along the line. and at
the termini of the proposed road. who
constitutes nearly one-tenth of the
population of the whole State.
He then called attention TO the fact
that the people of the villages along
the line of the proposed road now nave
no facilities for getting about, and for
going to other places, and SAID that
many of the business men in that sec
ton are now obliged. through lack of
railroad facilities, to do business by
mai! or telephone that they would
much prefer doing face to face. In
speaking of the present accOmmoda-
tions he said that no one in the west
ern part Of the county who had busl-
ness in this city ever thought of COM
ing here by train, since 1t would take
two days to make the trip by rail.
Thus, one-half of the people III the
county are cut off from the county
seat and natural place of business. by
"a lack of railroad facilities.
He then spoke of the functions of the
electric and steam roads and said he
had no doubt that the Maine Central
is giving the best service that II can
and at as low rates as possible. but
he believed that there is a field Tor
both roads. He then cited the prob
ability of the earnings of the electric
road and spoke of the number OF peo-
pie who would go either to Lewiston
from the western part of the county or
of those who would come in this di-
rection into CobbOsseecontee fark,
which it is proposed to build.
Speaking of the probable fares, ne
said that judging from the fares Of the
other electric railroads. he thought the
cost of a trip from Lewiston to TINS
city would be about so cents, and that
from Winthrop TO Lewiston would De
about 40 cents. People who wished TO
60 q short distance, he held, would go
bv means of the electric road whlie
the business men would go by the
Maine Central. He believed that the
construction of the road would open up
| a new territory so that men "lshihs
| to go to Boston or other places would
! 90 over the lines OF the electric road
( to the nearest connecting point OF the
! Maine Central. and thus the electric
| road would be as q feeder and bene1it
to the Maine Central rather than as
Il rank opponent.
| Passing to the point raised by MI.
(Continued on page g.
I