The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-17
CONNECTICUT LINES MAY NOT BE IN THE DEAL
 
TRANSFER BY THE CONSOLE DATED ROAD OF ITS TRoL-
 LEY LINES.

Opposition in Massachusetts Leads the
 Company to Dispose of It's Interests
 to an Association Known as the New
 England Security Investment Com
 pany--GovernOr Guild of the Bay
 State Took Lead in Fighting the Ab-
 s0rptiOn of the Trolley Roads.
 Boston, Aug. 16.-Details of the trans fer by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company of street car systems valued at many millions of dollars, leaked out in this city to-day, and although official confirmation in railroad circles is lacking, it was learn ed that the railroad company had talk en steps to divest itself of practically all of its street car property in South ern New England The transfer which follows closely on the announced inten- tion of the Massachusetts authorities is to retain in this state control of Mas sachusetts street railway corporations, has been made to an association known as the New England Security Invest ment company.
 According to information obtained here, the transfer Is said to involve the street car lines owned by the New Ha- ven road in both Massachusetts and Connecticut, with connecting lines to Rhode Island and New York. A report from New Haven, however, Indicated the probability that the Connecticut lines might not figure in the transfer, due, 1t was said, to the fact that under the charter of the Consolidated Railway company, the holding company of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company, such a transfer would be unnecessary. There was no leading official of the railroad in this city to-day who could state the exact scope of the deal. It was announced unofficially, however, that the railroad company had disposed of it's entire group of trolley lines, and later this news was confirmed by an undoubted authority with the comment that its publication was premature.
 For over three years the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company has been acquiring street rail ways in the state of Massachusetts, and recently the holdings of the company reached such proportions that the mat ter was made the subject of special message by Governor Guild to the legis- lature, on the eve of it's adjournment last June. Attorney General Dana Ma None also interested himself in the mat ter and, acting in accord with the views of the governor, he drafted and submit ted to the legislature bill intended to prevent a continuance in this state of the control of the trolley car companies by steam railroad systems. A brief con- sideration of the matter by the legisla- tive committee on street railways brought about the suggestion that a test case be made and the attorney general set about preparing a case which would eventually receive ruling from the Massachusetts supreme court. While this case was being prepared, the attorney general, desiring certain infor- tination in connection with the car lines owned by the railroad, asked President tMellen, through Chairman Jackson of the state railroad commission, to furn- fish 1t to him.
 ' The information asked for by MT. Malone was transmitted to him to-day and almost simultaneously the fact that the railroad company had transferred its holdings becne known.
 Attorney General Malone was at his home in Greenfield to-day. When ask ed about the matter he said:
 'The facts are, that under the statute I asked the railroad commissioners to get certain information from the New York. New Haven and Hartford rail- road as preliminary to beginning pro- ceedings against that company The railroad company subsequently, sent a communication to the railroad commits sion stating that the company had never held any stock in street railway companies and that the Consolidated had disposed of the street railway stock which 1t had.
 '"The commission to-day notified me of this reply"
 The action of the railway cor lpany at this time created a mild sg lsation but it was impossible to get a' express sion of opinion as to what effect it would have on the proposed court pro- ceedings.