The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-03-23
owosso. SAGINAW AND DURAND
ROADS.
A Bit Of History Reasons for the Delay
of Venice in Granting Franchise.

Oh venice IN tranlpga rrhncnise.
On Saturday one of the most interesting
as well as most misunderstood OF street rail-
way franchise deals which has ever engaged
the attention of Shiawassee people reached
point where the residents of Venice, and
in fact Vernon, Caledonia and Owosso as
well, are to be congratulated upon the pros
poets before them.
BY the terms of the agreements which
have been reached, two companies, the Sag
inaw Southern and the Owosso & Corunna,
have franchises in the township of Venice
which do not conflict with each Other in the
slightest degree, and third road will prob
ably be granted a fran ehise next Tuesday,
and the best of 1t Is that there are plenty If
Indications that at least two of the roads
will be built. That the matter has reached
such satisfactory settlement is due to
such large extent to the work OF Supervls-
or Charles Shipman of Venice that brief
| sketch of his course and of events leading
up to the action of the board on Saturday
will be of considerable interest now, espe
cially since some people wilfully misrepre-
sented the matter and it, was misunderstood
by some others as we'll who became i'm
patient with Mr.. ShpmaD thinking that he
would hold up the matter until the town
would get none of the roads proposed. The
facts Ia the matter were quite the reverse
as no one was more interested in getting
nd thaY
who even went to considerable. personal ex-
pense to make sure of the project. A re-
view of the events leading up to the action
of Saturday lis as follows:
About the first of the year franchises
were asked of Venice township by Attorney
McCurdys by the Saginaw Southern Com
pany, and ny ID. NJ Estey. Attic at the
time the board did not believe that any of
the roads would really be built, for various
reasons the board decided about the 10Th of
February to give Mr.. McCurdy the fran
chise which he asked for, to connect with
the 0. q Q. at Corunna, run to Venice Cen
ter and from there connect with both Du-
rand and Flushing. Among the reasons for
giving this franchise first was the fact that
the 0. &C. Company was near at hand and,
they thot, more likely to put the deal thro,
while they felt confident that if the Saginaw,
company meant business, an agreement
could be reached to use the highway over
which franchise had already been given to
Mr.. McCurdy and transferred by him to the
o. &C. Company An additional reason
for giving this party the preferences may
be limited at. 1t was we'll known that Yer
non township would not give the same par
ty franchise to enter Durand, as certain
residents of that village did not wish rail-
way connection with Owosso. Hence by
giving the franchise as they did they
played into the hands of the Owosso people,
as wen as tor their own interests, by giving
them the key to the situation and putting
them in position where they could compel
the Saginaw company to give them service
over the line it had already secured through
Vernon township in return for a concession
of the franchise through Venice.
AS soon as one frs nchise was granted,
Mr.. Shipman took firm stand against Civ
ing the Saginaw Southern a franchise over
the same road on which a franchise had
already been given to Mr.. McCurdy. Soon
after this he found out that the main object
of the o. 81 G. people was an entrance into
Durand.. As soon as he learned this he
went to Saginaw to secure the consent of
the Saginaw company to allow the o. g. G.
to use its road from Venice Centre to
Durand, telling the Saginaw people that
the o. q G. would release Its franchise on
the north and south road In return for this
concession. This proposition was accepted
by the Saginaw company with a minor
change which the local company in turn
said was satisfactory to it. Nc. Ship
man was now urged to give the asked for
franchise to the Saginaw company, but
having already given one to McCurdy. as
above stated, he refused to give another
over the same route on verbal agreement
for several reasons. The possibility OF any
legal CONTROVERSY over the matter, should
the Saginaw company attempt to build over
the route already given to another, did not
seem to Mr.. Shlpmsn to be one to be over
looked Realizing, too, that the least ex-
pense there was in the building of the roads
the more likely they we're to be built, he
wished to gee the agreement verbally made
carried into effect. His purpose to give no
second and conflicting franchise received
additional strength when after the Saginaw
company had offered to give bond to the
town indemnitying 1t In case any trouble
should arise from clash In the two fran
chises II deliberately receded from the posi-
tiop, still asking, however. for the franchise
This Mr.. Shipman refused to sanction until
a week ago today In the afternoon when
the o. & Y. people submitted to him re-
lease of the franchise on the north and south
center road and stating that satisfactory
arrangement along the lines talked Of fol
transfer of freight and passenger business
at Venice Centre had been made. The
next day the Saginaw company was given
the franchise over the road which was thu
only part of the route still needed by The