The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-17
CAR LINE ROUTES
CITY COUNCIL WILL TURN TO THE
PETITIONS.
SHOULD BE IN GOOD FAITH.
MAYOR TALKS ABOUT EFFORTS TO
GET STREET RIGHTS.

Mayor Myers and the City Engineer
Have Made an Inspection of the
Streets-The Mayor VIII Have His
own Observations, as Well as the
Engineers Report, to Guide Him.
Franchise should Not BE Given by
Council Unless the Individual or
Company Receiving IL Intends to
build, the Mayor Says-NO Grent
Interest shown by the Petitioners,
He Considers.
The street railway franchise question
is looming up among city affairs. 1t will
receive consideration almost constant
ly now until it has been settled. The
City Council will determine just what
rights will be granted and to what pc
titioners they will go.
Mayor Myers is looking carefully into
the matter. He and the city engineer
have looked over some of the streets
wherein the latter reported that, in his
opinion, there were impediments
in the way of their use for
street railway purposes. BY his per-
sonal investigation. the Mayor became
better posted upon the situation. He
will be guided not only by the report
of the engineer, but by his own OBJ
servations.
'There are certainly some streets,
said the Mayor yesterday, that can
be devoted to street railway purposes,
while there are others wherein the in
terests of the city at large and of prop
erty owners and residents are such as
to make it inadvisable to permit the
laying of tracks and the operation of
cars.
1.-The authorities should lend every
care to see that the best interests of
all are not jeopardized by any action
that may be taken. There is no reason
why such interests should be sacri-
feed merely through haste. No neces-
sity for a rush in these matters ex-
lists, for there is a fairly good and
complete system of street railway in
operation. The situation would demand
haste If there were no facilities for
rapid transit. If haste were made,
some irremediable injury to the city's
interests might result, and certainly
that should be avoided. lat
Zone thing upon which Council
should insist is the good faith of petit
tioners. If a franchise is to be granted,
it should be to some individual or com
pany that purposes constructing and
operating a street railway system. Ger
tain it is that it should not be given
to further some specializing scheme.
No very great interest in their own
petition, to my mind, has been shown
by any of those who have applied for
franchises. Not one of those interested
has called upon the Mayor to discuss
the matter. 1t is not clearly shown
that the petitioners are really DESTROYS
of street rights in order that they may
proceed with the construction of a sys-
tenn.
Some time ago the City Council, af-
ter great labor of Investigation, grant
ed a franchise to Mr.. d. b. Lester. one
of the present petitioners. This he did
not accept. He said the reason was be-
cause the franchise would not afford
a belt the connection on the Bay be-
ing lacking. There was a clear course
that Mr.. Lester might have followed
He might have gone before the Legis-
lature next fall and secured condemna-
ton of the tracks of the present COM
pany on the Bay, in order that he or
his company might enjoy their joint use
Had he manifested any such desire, the
city would certainly have extended the
time of his acceptance of the franchise
offered, so that he might not take 1t
If he found that Ii was impossible to
get what he sought from the Legisla-
ture.
Instead of doing that, Mr.. Lester be-
gan to talk about some of those in
Council having interests in the Savan-
nah. Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope Rail-
way. / have no such interests-abso-
lutely none. My firm held stock in the
company, but disposed of it when 1 be-
came Mayor"
The petitioners for franchises are Mr..
Lester, the Savannah Transit Company
(prospective), Mr.. E. A. Richards, Mr..
j. s. Collins and the Savannah, Thun-
derbolt and Isle of Hope Railway. 1t
is probable that Council will consider
the report of the City Engineer. If II
is submitted by the Mayor, at the
meeting of next Wednesday, though 1t
is improbable that any definite action
will then be taken.