The Jersey City news., 1906-02-05
OVERHEAD WIRES.

OVERHEAD WIRES.
IR expressing our belief that the vast.
net work of overhead wires which exist
in this city Is worse than a nuisance, we
believe that we voice the sentiment of
the majority of our observant citizens.
Though for some years past We have en-
deavored to devise means whereby the
4 nuisance could be abated or at least
ameiiorated, we must confess that al this
writing conditions are at least no better.
The reasons are manifold Past legisla-
tion, both state and local, is largely re-
! ponsible-legsation whereby presum-
ably perpetual franchises permitted the
erection of poles and the stringing of
wires caused much of the nuisance, these
natural conditions being much aggravated
when certain companies or corporations
assumed the right to permit OF the plac-
ing on their poles without our permission
the wires of concerns that had no mnnic-
ipal concessions
We have found no way to satisfac-
torily identify the wires which have legal
existence to the exclusion of those which
we. claim are placed Illegally. and for
which it is reasonable to conclude that
rental or other substantial equivalent
is exacted by the company holding the
franchise.
The Fire and Police Boards likewise
assume the right to extend their tele-
phone and telegraph lines and from time
to time pass resolutions directing such
extensions along certain designated
routes, but the poles are mainly fur
nished aAd placed by private companies
without cost to the city, which thus be-
comes responsible for the extension of
the lines of private companies, for the
one needed police or fire wire is soon fol-
lowed by others neither owned nor de-
sired by the municipality.
As remedy for the evil we would
suggest that serious thought be given to
the securing of such legislation as would
permit the city to itself build and own
and control absolutely a series of sub
ways, with such sufficieney of ducts that
present demands could be at once met
and future requirements provided for.
We believe that such remedial legisla-
ton could be secured as would require
the owners of existing franchises to place
their wires in ducts thus provided and to
return to the city an annual rental for
the use thereof The possible claim of
even partial abrogation Of any material
right heretofore legally accorded by ordi-
nance or otherwise could not, we believe,
be successfully made Though apprecia-
ting that the first cost of such work
would be great, we incline to the idea
that it will not be found prohibitive, for
the annual rentals to be derived there
from should not only pay the interest on
the cost of installation as well as the
cost of maintenance, but should provide
a handsome surplus, sufficient to event
ualIy cancel the original cost debt. and
leave us with a municipal plant, the net
annual return from which should yield
very substantial profit to the city treas
ury.
Overhead wires, with their attendant
damag glng eiectrolysls to pubic ana an! PR,
vate properties. would then be disposed
of. while the promiscuous and never end
ing disturbance of our streets would be
largely done away with
We have but barely outlined a plan,
the feasibility Of which remains to be
determined. If the concensus of opinion
l. is favorable, the detail should be care
fully prepared by the Law Department,
who should also aid and advise in the
consideration of its application to the
various trolley lines.
We would forewarn the public to first
analysize the prospective financial return
before condemning the project on account
of its cost to install. A neighboring city
has practically disposed of it's overhead
wires by somewhat similar system. in
stalled through private enterprise and by
private funds, which system is claimed
to already return to the investors an an
nual dividend of between fifty and one
hundred per cent.
IN RE EsRAILROAD DEVELOPMENT
That so many great railroads have
| their terminals in and about Jersey City
keeps forever alive the question as TO
what municipal treatment shall be ac-
corded them when growing business, en-
phasizing congestion and demanding ex-
pansion of facilities for its care, compels
the various companies to petition this
| Board for relief, nd while there may ex
| iSt much divergence of opinion as to
whether these great carriers are harmful
or helpful to city interests, the law of the
State outlines the procedure for petition
and like law vests this body not only
with the power but with the duty to act
| either aflrmatively or negatively on
| them The right of petition is natural
heritage upon which the very foundation
of this country is based, and its inescap-
able sequence is that it shall be given
| fair and just consideration with the OBJ
| ject of the proper conservation of the
! rights of all affected interests. In this
| era of divergent views, we would much
! like to impress on the minds of our peo-
! pie the duty of discriminating and differ
| entiating between what constitutes fair
and just consideration, and that growing
and oftentimes hysterical demand for the
| exaction of onerous conditions whenever
corporation is the petitioner. While
| it is undoubtedly true that the records of
| the past will indicate almost irreparable
! injury caused municipal interests through
| the needless granting of corporate con-
| cessions by the Legislature and by State
and local official bodies, we must look
| to the future for adjustment and remedy
! through proper legal process and in the
! interval endeavor to SO educate our peo-
| pie to proper understanding of the facts
/ that an intelligent and persistent demand
| can be made for relief We take it that
our cause can be done more injury by the
| exaction of questionable reprisals than by
! temporarily putting aside the thought OF
past wrongs and treating present re-
quests ON their merits and as if there had
| been no past. Then when the period
| of remedy arrives, as arrive it will, our
own hands will be clean and our case at
least morally stronger by reason of such
| cleanliness.
| Conformably with and supplemental to
! an agreement heretofore entered into by
| the city with the Erie Railroad Company
| and number Of subsidiary companies,
! which agreement was brought into being
| in the year 1897, the said company, ct
1 AL early in the year petitioned the Board
for the making of certain partial vaca-
| tions, re-locations and changes of street
! lines contiguous TO the roadbed of the
company whereby adequate ingress and
egress might be had to the new terminal
which it was purposed to construct and
! whereby sufficient and adequate provis-
| ion might be made to care for the busi-
ness which was already tongested and to
provide for the increasing business which
| was making itself manifest