The San Francisco call., 1905-04-07
MODERN SERVICE
IS DEMANDED
Sutter Street Improvement
Club viii Not Brook De-
fiance From the Railway
COMMITTEE is AT WORK
Conference Between Prop
eity Owners and Manager
Reaches an Abrupt End

Action is soon to be taken by the
property owners along Sutter street to
compel the United Railroads to furnish
travelling on the Sutter-street line and
its branches on Larkin street and Pa
ciflc avenue This decision Is the result
of a conference held yesterday at the
offices of the railroad company, when
the indifference displayed by the man
agement of the company to the needs
of the public provoked the property
owners to a degree where they told
President Holland that the Suffer-
street Improvement Club would take
steps to force the company to put It's
property in better shape. Last week,
while Bankefs Brown and Delano of
New York, the principal Eastern own
ers of the United Railroads, were in
this city the Sutter-street Improve
ment Club was asked to appoint COM
mfttee TO confer with the officials Of the
company. and an appointment was
made for yesterday afternoon.
COMMITTEE ANGERED.
The principal subject discussed was
8
duit electric system for the Suffer-
street line. and the committee from the
Improvement club had gone to the
meeting prepared to quote figures
showing that it is possible to install
such system, despite the contrary
claims of the railroad company. The
officials of the latter. however, would
not listen to the suggestion and boldly
informed the committee that they were
determined to install an overhead cleo
trio trolley system along the entire Sut-
ter-street line. Angered at this def
ance, the committee said it would never
permit the company to carry out this
plan. and suddenly realizing that their
interviewers were in earnest, the rail-
road officials offered to make one con-
cession. They said they would not
build an overhead system on Pacific
avenue, but would turn the Jackson
street cable line into that thoroughfare.
To this proposition the Improvement
club committee demurred on the
ground that 1t was an attempt to
throw sop" to the Pacific-avenue resi-
dents at the expense of those on Jack
son street. and. If carried out, the di-
version of traffic would mean q great
loss to the merchants along Larkin,
Polk and Sutter streets.
WILL INVOKE LAW.
Manager Chapman of the railroad
company, when confronted with the
statemspt that an underground con-
duit system was feasible along Sutter
street, said he did not care II all the
engineers in the country were of that
opinion, he would not believe them.
The treatment accorded the COM
mittee by the railroad officials made
them so indignant that they finally
rose and left.
1t is now purposed to invoke the
law to compel the company to ac-
cord the public proper accommoda-
tions. such as are found in other large
cities. Already agents Of the property
owners have obtained signatures of
land owners along Sutter street repre-
senting $1,000 out of the total $1,000
feet of street frontage, and they have
also induced half of those who signed
the petitions of the United Railroads to
withdraw their signatures. This work
will proceed until every property
owner along Sutter. Larkin, Polk and
Ninth streets and Pacific avenue has
had q chance TO express his accord
In the views of the Sutter street I'm
road system should be installed on
those thoroughfares.