The Savannah morning news., 1902-02-07
MAY NOT Be USED
A QUESTION As TO CAR TRACKS ON
ROBERTS STREET.
CONDITION AS TO PAVING.
PRESIDENT BALDWIN UNDECIDED
AS TO HIS COURSE.

WAS Notified Yesterday of the Ac-
tiOn of Council Upon the COmpa-
ny's Petition-Has Not Yet COnsid-
cred the RepOrt-Said He Did Not
Know That Any Portion of Rob-
erts Street Would BE Used by the
COmpany-Mayor Myers Adheres to
His Position That Franchises Are
VaIuabIe-Report That savannah
Electric Company Had Valued Its
Savannah Franchises at $2,OOO,OO0
Denied by Mr. Baldwin.
President George J. Baldwin of the
Savannah Electric Company was noti-
fled yesterday of the action taken by
the City Council upon the petition of
the company for additional rights and
privileges for laying tracks on certain
streets. He will probably make his
reply to the Mayor within a few days.
Mr.. Baldwin was seen by a repre-
sentative of the Morning News, and
was asked what distance on Roberts
street would be used by the company
for a track. He replied that he did
not know. He does not know as yet,
under the terms imposed, that of pay
ing the cost of paving, will be used
by the company. The matter has not
yet received his consideration.
The petition was for Roberts street
from West Broad TO Cemetery. 1t was
reported about the City Exchange yes
terday that only 200 feet of the street,
from West Broad westward, would be
used for track by the company. That
distance would admit of the company
placing cars on Roberts street, to be
held in waiting for the arrival of trains
at the Union Station, and would give
the advantage of but slight cost for
paving.
Some criticism of the report of the
Committee of the Whole upon the COM
pany's petition was heard It was said
that 1t would have been wise to de-
mand that the company pay for paw
ing Roberts street from West Broad to
cemetery street, the portion asked for
IN the petition, even though but part
OF the street be used for a track.
me Mayor and members of the
BOARD of Aldermen who were seen were
satlsfled that the city had imposed a
paving condition upon the rights al
lowed the company During NV SER
vice as Mayor" said Mayor Myers, 1--WE
nave never given away a franchise
There has been some compensation
each time. / hold that franchises for
the use of streets by railway companies
are valuable. and there is no reason
why they should be given away. For
ulerly they were granted without COM
penSation, but municipal bodies had
not then begun to think of the value
OF that they were presenting
Of late years there has been but one
free franchise granted. That was by
the Meldrim administration. Mr. d.
B. Lester insists upon denouncing me
and the administration for not giving
him a franchise to build railway
through the streets of the city, but the
case Is simply that the city does not
want to gratuitously present him with
something that is of no mean value.
His idea, l believe, is to build to White
Bluff, and l should like to see such a
line, but l do not think that the city
should contribute toward carrying cut
his enterprise by making him a dona-
ton of the franchise he asks
1t has been reported that a statement
was filed with the controller general
OF Georgia, showing the assets of the
savannah Electric Company, and that
one item was the valuation of the COM
pany's franchises in Savannah at 81
900, 600. This statement, it was said,
was form necessary to secure author
ity for the issue of securities by the
company.
In view of the discussion about fran
chises of street railway companies and
their value, this report was of interest.
Mr.. Baldwin was asked about it, His
denial was decided and absolutely with
out reservation.
ut is absolutely false that any such
statement of the value of the COM
pany's franchises has been made" he
said. The company has filed no state
ment that shows a valuation of its
franchises"
Manifestly, it would seem, there
would be little wisdom in street rail-
way company making an official state
ment of the value of it's franchises. In
view of the efforts that have been
made in the Legislature to tax fran
chises, railway corporations would be
naturally expected to keep such val
uations as much in the background as
possible. One of the chief objections
that have been urged to a franchise
tax in Georgia is the difficulty that
would be found in arriving at a true,
or even approximately correct, esti-
mate of their value.