The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-13
MAY BE NO BIDDER
NONE MAY WANT TO PAY THE
PRICE FOR STREET FRANCHISE.
SOME ALDERMEN so THINK.
IF NOT, THEY SAY THE CITY CAN
WAIT TILL IT'S WANTED.

Views That Are Held by Some of the
Members of the Board Upon the
Matter of PetitiOns-Mayor Myers
said Yesterday That He Does Not
Believe "A street Railway Fran
chise should be Granted by the
City for "A Longer Term Than
Thirty Years-He Favors the Inn
position of n Tax Upon the Gross
Receipts of a street Railway Com
pany-Present system Got Its
Rights for Nothing, and should
Pay.
Some of the members Of the board
of aldermen, who have expressed them
selves. would not be greatly surprised
if none of the petitioners for street
railway franchises should appear as a
bidder when the right to certain streets
ais put upon the block, to be knocked
down to whatsoever may make the best
offer An opinion is prevalent that the
present petitioners either expected to
get valuable franchise for nothing or
to pay but very little for it-nothing
like an amount that the Streets and
Lanes Committee regards as common
surate with its value.
The petitioners are the Savannah,
Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope Railway,
which,. however, asked for but one
street, Montgomery; d. B. Lester, who
wants a complete system; ]. S. Collins;
E. A. Richards and the Savannah
IT, he 10 t cd
represented by Capt Williams, who
figured prominently as a promoter and
then left the city. He did not push his
enterprise at all, once the petition had
found its way to Council. Savannah
gentlemen whose names were secured
by Capt Williams to appear as inter
ested in the company were Capt. H. {.
Cunningham, Mr.. l.. w. Haskell and
Mai H. p. Smart. An alderman told
it among his colleagues, however. that
at least one of these gentlemen had
told him that he hadn't dollar in the
enterprise.
1t is believed that the chief desire
of the Savannah, Thunderbolt and
Isle of Hope Railway is to secure the
franchise to keep out competition. The
line over the entire route that the
Streets and Lanes Committee has der
termined to recommend to Council as
available for railways, but that would
be required if it should obtain the
franchise. Nor could the company take
Montgomery street alone as the fran
chise for no street is to be sold separ-
ately.
Mr.. Lester and Mr.. Collins have long
been before Council as claimants for
franchises. Mr.. Lester has been par
ticularly active, but his activity has
not been of a concilatory character.
More than one member of the board
have been somewhat nettled by publi4
cations by Mr.. Lester from time to-
time. That gentleman, however, will
stand as good a chance as any one
else if he cares to bid for franchise
that is to have so comfortable a min
irnum price set upon it as the Streets
and Lanes Committee regards as adj
visable.
Mayor Myers said yesterday that he
believes no street railway franchise
should be granted by Council in per-
petuity. Mistakes, he said, have been
made by boards in the past in that re-
spect, and they should not be duph-
Gated. The Mayor said that he con-
siders that no franchise should be
granted for more than thirty years, as
conditions change so that no board
should bind its successors to an agree
ment extending over a greater period
or controlling perpetually.
The city received nothing from the
Savannah Thunderbolt and Isle of
Hope Railway for the valuable fran
chises it owns, but the Mayor said that
it should have been paid for them.
Taxes upon the assessed valuation of
the railway of the company and a spe-
cific tax upon each car of $25. the May
or said, are now received by the city,
but it is his opinion that the company
should have an additional tax i'm
posed. His idea is that the company
should pay a tax to the city upon It's
gross receipts. He was asked if there
would not have to be some change
made in the city's charter, before 1t
could collect taxes in that way, to
which he replied that hes would not
be able to state conclusively until he
has seen the city attorney. 1t is not
improbable, from the Mayor s
expression that action may
be taken, looking toward the imposi-
ton of such a tax upon street rail-
ways.
The Mayor heartily commends the
establishment of minimum price for
the franchise, which would insure the
city getting an equivalent of its value.
He said that. If none of the present
petitioners cares to bid so high for
the franchise, it will be but a matter
of time before some company will ap-
pear that will want it at the price
There is room left for but one compa-
ny, the Mayor said, and that room
should not be parted with by the city
for a song