The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-03-02
ON PROPOSED LEGISLATION
HEARING BEFORE THE COMMIT
 TEE ON LEGISLATTON.

Al
 TEE ON LEGIsLATYON.
 Action on the Contagious Diseases Hos.
 pital BilI-JeweII Street Site Recom-
 nded-Favorable Recomm endatiOn II
 on the Proposed Amendment of tho
 General Railway Law Concerntne 2
 Taxes of Street Railway Companies.
 The common council committee on
 legislation held hearings on several
 matters last night in which the city is interested now pending before the legis-
 lature in Hartford. The first matter
 taken up was the resolution now before
 the legislature to provide for an amend
 ment to the city charter so that the
 board of health shall be authorized to
 establish a hospital for the care of con-
 tagious diseases. Health Officer Wright
 appeared before the committee and
 spoke in favor of the proposed amend
 ment. He said that for ten years the
 matter of establishing a contagious dis
 ease hospital had hung fire, simply be-
 cause the common council could not agree on site, and it was in order that some site might be agreed upon that the legislature had been asked to confer
 the authority to establish such hos pital. He showed to the committee plans of the contagious disease ward in the Boston City hospital, and explained the administrative workings of such an Institution. He said that if such hos pital was established here only those cases of contagious diseases would be removed to the hospital in which there Mere not in the patients homes facili- ties for quarantining, proper care of the patients and isolation.
 Dr. Wright said that the board of health had practically decided that the site on Jewell street in Westvlle, be- tween Blake street and Whalley avenue, was the best one yet proposed and that If the board of health was given control of the matter that site would undoubt- edly be chosen.
 Alderman Miller, of the committee, asked if in the event of the committee reporting in favor of the Jewell street site, and the common council adopting such a recommendation, the board of health would still think it advisable to go to Hartford to get an amendment of the charter.
 In reply to this pr. FleiscEner, presi- dent of the board of health, said that he thought that the board would rather have an act passed by the legislature. He said: We can't trust the common council. It has gone back on us once before."
 Anthony Carroll spoke against the es- tablishment of a contagious disease hos pital Aldermen J. J. Walsh and w. s. Walsh asked the committee to recom- mend that the corporation counsel be instructed to oppose the passage of the bill They said that the present charter provision amply provides for the estab- lishment of such hospital and that the common council was amply qualified to take care of the matter.
 Ex-Alderman Henry Donovan appear ed and spoke for favorable action in re- gard to the bill, now pending, providing that street railway companies shall l sprinkle from curb to curb the streets through which their tracks are laid. | MT. Donovan said that If the street rail- | way companies in New Haven were to sprinkle the streets through which their tracks are laid the city would be saved $10,000 per year. ; John K. Punderford, representing the Fair Haven and Westville Railroad company, spoke against the proposed bill, saying that the street railway com panies in New Haven were already ob- liged to pay for the sprinkling of large part of the streets in which their tracks are laid.
 Other matters up for hearings were the following: Proposed legislation pro- viding for the striking out of the gen eral railroad law that part which says the tax paid the state by the railroad companies be in lieu of all other taxes: compelling the equipment of all closed street cars with vestibules and of all open cars with folding running boards and guard rails providing an annual license fee of $100 for each street pas senger car and of $50 for each street freight car; and compelling the street railway companies to furnish electricity For the lighting of all streets through which their tracks extend. These matters were all proposed by Henry Donovan. In re- yard to licensing cars Councilman Paul y, of the committee, asked Mir. Dono- van if he did not think that in case license fee of $100 for each car was i'm posed the number of cars run would ,e reduced, thereby inconveniencing the public. "No sir," said MT. Donovan. ''They Ire in the business for the money that hey can make out of it.. If they didn't , un cars enough they couldn't pay in- crest on the bonds and stock It might s ,e that if they were compelled to pay icense fees for cars they would not be lble to pay big dividends on watered tock." In the course of his remarks MT. Don- { van said that each car took in on an | verage $40 per day in fares He said s hat he based this statement on what s onductors had told them.
 MT. Punderford objected to any state f nents being made to the committee Y which could not be substantiated. He s aid that the statement that each car | 1ok in $40 day on an average was un- ;