The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-04-19
TROLLEY LINE TO DERBY


posed Extension of the Trolley Service
to Derby, by Various of New Haven's
Leading Mercantile Firms.
The projected trolley line from this
city to Derby is arousing great interest
in New Haven as we'll as in Derby and
Ansonia and our merchants are strongly
advocating the proposed improvement,
while public sentiment in New Haven
and Derby and Ansonia is said to be
strongly in favor of the extension. The
views of some of our leading merchants
on the subject are given below.
The big dry goods firm Of the Edward
Malley company are strongly pro-
nounced in favor of the project as an
enterprise and an improvement that
will prove greatly advantageous to New
Haven as well as to the public of Derby
and Ansonia. Here are two cities only
ten miles from New Haven with thou
sands of people in each place eager for
the extension while the Fair Haven and
Westville railroad company stands
ready to build 1t as soon as possible
and furnish the ride from Derby to this
city for only fifteen cents with trans
fers besides to any part of the city and
to Savin Rock. Malley g. Co. are out
spoken in approval of the extension.
Elbridge l.. Howe, of Howe & Stetson,
said in an interview on the subject yes
terday afternoon: 1--WE are assured
that If the project goes through all
right the Fair Haven and Westville
Railroad company will go right ahead
and build the trolley line from this city
to Derby Such a line is greatly need
ed and would be Of great advantage to
the public. We have had 60 many
complaints from customers from Der
by and Ahsonia who come to New Ha-
ven to- trade of the inconvenience Of
getting here on the trains that we be-
lieve the proposed trolley extension will
be a decided advantage to New Haven
as it will afford facilities for the people
from Derby and Ansonia to reach the
shopping centers here that they do not
now have and will also afford thou
sands there a chance in the summer
time to spend the day at the seashore
here at small expense for transporta-
ton. I went Up with large body of
representative merchants to Hartford
Tuesday to the hearing on the troll
ley extension subject, but owing to the
short space of time given to it not more
than half Of us could be heard We do
not see how the committee can consci-
entiously refuse the request of so many
Derby and New Haven people on the
subject, In view of the fact that the
trolley facilities will be such
a decided convenience to not only the
trading public of Derby and Ansonia
but also to the pleasure seeking throngs.
All large cities are connected with their
cities by adequate trolley
lines as well as steam roads or third
rail systems, and we do not think Of
but very few instances where these sur
cities have suffered under i'm
proved facilities for reaching the larger
city. Take for instance Pawtucket, r.
l., a city Of about 5000 inhabitants and
but few miles from Providence, a city
i've or six times as large. Pawtucket Is
by an excellent trolley sys-
tenn and the New York, New Haven
and Hartford railroad supplies first
class service as well, running trains as
)ften as fifteen minutes during the busy
part of the day. Yet the Pawtucket
stores are large and thrifty, one store
n particular being nearly as large as
my store in New Haven and with trade
growing notwithstanding the
Seenest of competition in Providence.
Fake another city-Newark, N. j.,
which is connected with New York by
rery frequent local trains and at a very
ow rate of fare, it being but twenty
I've cents for the round trip Of about
wenty miles. With all this the Newark
tores, particularly in the dry goods
inc are very large and enterprising and
ompare very favorab1y with the New
FORK city stores. 1t does not seem to
ne that the merchants Of Derby, An
onia and vicinity should make an eff
ort to prevent those who wish to trade
n New Haven from having adequate
ABILITIES for reaching here We New
laven merchants are in closest ccmpe-
ltion with New York but we do not
hink one Of us would attempt for
minute to obstruct those who wish to
rade in New York from doing so. We
re holding our patronage here mainly
" improving our stores and that is the
My method, it seems to me, that can
e adopted without criticism We
lerchants Of New Haven sincerely hope
hat the railroad committee will give
his question the careful consideration
hat it deserves. At the hearing in
Hartford Tuesday afternoon the
ulk of the testimony was undoubtedly
n favor of the proposed trolley road
nd added to this was a petition with
pwards Of thousand names from
Derby, Ansonia and vicinity in favor of
ne trolley extension. What appeals to
S merchants very strongly is the |
Eatement of President Parmelee, of the /
air Haven and Westville railroad that
the proposed extension or right of |
xtension is granted that the work will !
Immediately and that it |
'ould be but short time before the
pad would be In running order.
mink the rest Of the New Haven mer-
hants will concur with me when + say
nat they are not opposed to the New !
ork road but feel that the service
hitch they are now giving both from
,hedule and price standpoint is not |
hat our out of town patrons should |
ave and we do not feel that the pro-
osed trolley road will seriously inter
ere with their receipts If their service
correspondingly good.
Charles Walker, of the Charles Mon
IN company, speaking in behalf of his
rm said that they were unanimously