The San Francisco call., 1905-03-01
Sutter-Street improvement
Club Receives Support in
It's Battle for the Public
Right to Good Service
UNITED RAILROADS
OFFERS NO EXCUSES
Handsome Profits Made by
Corporation From Opera
tion of Antiquated Line
Do Not Lead to Liberality

Do Not Lead to Liberality
The movement in favor of a better
street car service for San Francisco
has assumed large proportions. The
sentiment of the people and the press
seems to be unanimous on the SUBJ
ject and the Board of Supervisors is
inclined to give every assistance in its
power to help the cause. The Sutter
Street Improvement Club is holding
out bravely for conduit system on
Sutter street and branch roads, but
the United Railroads is disinclined 10
listen to its arguments. The corpora
ton is making immense profits on the
Sutter street system, but does not ap-
pear to be willing to give a modern
underground wire service in exchange
for the dollars that the travelling pub
lie is pouring into its Golfers.
The United Railroads is preserving
discreet silence in regard to it's plans
to make of the Sutter street system Of
cable roads an overhead electric nui-
sance, or to maintain the hook and
eye line that bumps its weary way over
the Western Addition hills. The re-
port was extant yesterday that the
company had arrived at the conclusion
that it would take the bit in its teeth,
fguratively speaking, and proceed re-
gardless Of public opinion.
The corporation has determined that
it will make no effort to improve the
hook and eye line unless it makes the
Street Committee of the Board of Su-
perviSors come TO its milk. The Street
Committee does not propose to recon-
mend the permit for stringing over
head wires, and the plan of citizens in
terested in the betterment of public
utilities in San Francisco is to look up
a law that will prevent the operation
of ancient cars and dummies under
conditions that are detrimental to pub
lie good and public safety.
BRAUNHARTS ESTIMATES.
Supervisor Samuel Braunhart of the
Street Committee says that the value
of the Sutter street franchise is some
thing over two millions of dollars.
There is no section of the United Rail-
roads system that has paid better than
the lines of the Polk, Larkin, Sutter
and Pacific avenue branches. While it
is not possible to get at the exact fig
ures it is estimated that on actual
property values the Sutter street road
and its branches pays about IS per
cent per year. OF course. the hook and
eye line has been watered with the
rest of the United Railroads stock
But its cars are all in need of repair
and its dummies likewise ought to go
out of commission. The entire Sutter
street outfit is not worth in scrap iron
more than 100000.
The Board Of Supervisors has on file
an application for a permit to oper-
ate conduit road on Geary street and
Supervisor Braunhart is certain that If
the United Railroads feels that it cam
not afford to make modern line Of the
Sutter street system, if it will place a
price on the line-even though it be
far in advance of what was paid for it
there will be scores of bidders for the
chance to operate the system in a man
ner in keeping with the methods Of
modern street car corporations.
The Sutter Street Improvement Club
has only commenced the fight for a
better car service. The club expects
to get the support of all sections of
the city that are neglected because of
the greed of the United Railroads for
nickels. The property owners in the
part of the city travelled by the Nc
Allister cable system are said to be
grumbling at the poor service rem
dered. The cars are run far apart and
therefore are dangerously overerowded
and uncomfortable by the time they
reach the downtown centers. The Va
lencia and Castro street systems are
equally bad and yet the corporation
stubbornly refuses to convert the Mar
ket street line and its feeders into a
conduit road. They have demanded
the overhead wire. as in the case of
the Sutter street lines.
EASTERNERS DISGUSTED.
The comment of Eastern people WIS.,
iting San Francisco is that the local
street car service, considering the inn
.mense revenues it returns ON the
money invested is a disgrace to the
city Los Angeles. Seattle, Portland
and even Oakland have far better car
service than San Francisco
/ Frank j. Sullivan, president of the
Sutter Street Improvement Club, is
urging the members of the .organiza-
tion to keep up the fight for a better
car service in the intersecting section
of the city traversed by the read The
/ Association for the Adornment and I'M
/. .provement of San Francisco is endeav-
oring to bring about general clean
ing UP of the streets and a rearrange-
Of M