The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-12-05

ordinances granting franchises for
fifty miles of Scranton's streets to
three electric railway companies, of
which Congressman william Connell Is
the head. will be introduced tonight In
common council. The Scranton Rail
way company operates thirty-siN miles
OF road within the city.
The companies that will ask the fran
chises are the North End Street Rail
way company, which will serve the
central city, Providence, Green Ridge,
Dunmore and Petersburg, with its
trunk on Wyoming avenue; the West
End Street Railway company, which
will serve the West Side by way of the
Mulberry street bridge, and the South
Side Railway company. which will use
the Linden street bridge and in IL
measure supersede the Conncll Park
| and Speedway company.
The Central Rapid Transit company
promoted by the Messrs. Brooks, Lewis
and others will be absorbed by the
new companies.
The members of these companies. be-
sides Congressman Connell, are Theo-
dore ID. Connell. Or. y. j. Connell. SEN
ator Benjamin X. Focht, of LeWisburg,
and George A. Lee. of Philadelphia
The roads will be operated in har-
| mony with the Lackawanna and Wyo-
ming Valley Rapid Transit company.
the big trolley enterprise that is to
build 204 miles of railway in Lacka-
wanna and Luzerne countiezs.
Nominal Capitalization.
The nominal capitalization of the new
companies is 100000. 1t will cost be-
tween four and six million dollars to
build the three roads
These companies are chartered under
the provisions of the Focht and Emery
bills passed at the close OF the last
legislature. Under these laws Il COM
pany can, with the consent of the
municipality. seize any street not oc-
cupied by another company. IN this
city. the old company has franchises
for many streets on which IL has never
built tracks within tho prescribed two
years. The new companies may enter
upon these.
But the new companies will not stop
at taking unOccupied streets, il is he
lieved A defect, so it is said, has been
discovered in the title of the old COM
pany to nearly every street on which
it operates. This defect results from
the merger which combined all the old
companies into the Scranton Railway
company Under the law Il company
subjects itself to the revocation of it's
grants if it violates the provisions OF
it's charter. One of the provisions of
every street railway charter is that it
shall build and operate q continuous
line. The Scranton Railway company,
as is we'll known. operates a patch
work system. It's nucleus is the Peo-
pies Street Railway company. When
the merger came, some seven years
ago, it absorbed the Scranton Passen-
ger Railway company, the Nay Aug
Crosstown Hallway company and the
Valley Passenger Railway company.
The various lines We're connected no
and it's present system completed by
building Il piece Of road here and an
other piece there under the omnibus
franchise of the Valley Passenger COM
pany.
Sought to Buy.
The promoters of the new companies,
it is said, sought to buy out the Scran-
ton Railway company with view OF
consigning it to IL scrap heap and sup
planting it with & modern street rail-
way system, but this was made inn
possible by the Scranton Railway COM
pany. The new companies thcreupon
decided TO proceed with their enterprise
without regard for the old company.
Eventually. il can be said with some
degree of certainty, the new allied
companies will entirely supplant the
Scranton Railway company
The new companies will offer no
bonus to the city other than the usual
grants OF Il franchise ordinance. The
five per cent tax on the gross receipts,
it is felt, is sufficient to pay for the
privilege OF giving the city u $4,000 900
ct r..at rrilwny syStnn,