The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-01-25
STREET RAILWAYS.
Mir. Rushton Explains Fully tTe Position of the Owners of the Street
 Railways.


 Realizing that the public are. and of right ought to be. interested in the matter of connecting the tracks of the two Street Railways, so that the ser vice may be improved, I feel that 1t should now be informed of the reasons that influenced my clients to withdraw the application for permission to con meet the tracks. It Is necessarily bus mess proposition. pure and simple: but they have, since they first came to Montgomery, exercised such a liberal policy toward the public as exempfs them from any charge of penuriousness. short-slghtedness or littleness.
 The Montgomery Street Railway Is a valuable property, possessing very valuable franchises, tracks and facilities and all necessary track connections with the Montgomery Suburban Street Railway Coml A1y. The Montgomery Traction Company is comparatively speaking. small property, having no franchises of any peculiar value and, In point of mileage, It's proportion to the Street Railway is only about one to five and in point of value, ae- cording to the purchase price, is only about one to seven It will therefore, readily be seen that. while it would be a matter of considerable value to the stockholders of the Traction Company to become connected with the Mont goInery Street Railway, 1t is no very important matter to the present stock holders of the Montgomery Street Rail way to connect with the Traction Com pany. and while the stockholders of the Traction Company might be very willing to agree that the consolidated company should pay q big price for the privilege of connecting the track, it Is just as apparent that the stockholders of the Montgomery Street Railway can not afford to make any very great sac rifice in order to hay, it's track con- nected with the Traction Company. The present owners of the Montgomery Street Railway and the Montgomery Suburban Street Railway Company paid full value for the property, and it can be readily seen that they cannot afford. l merely for the sake of connecting their | tracks with the Traction Company's ] tracks, to load up their property with | conditions as burdensome and pay such | additional amount to the city as taxes | as that demanded by the ordinance re- ported to the Council by the joint com mittee For these reasons, however desirable the consolidation of the lines into one system might be to the officers and stockholders of the Traction Com pany. the owners of the Montgomery Street Railway and the Montgomery Suburban Street Railway Company eaa- not see their way clear to enter Into the consolidation, and for this reason [ was compelled to address the follow Ing communication to the City Council at it's meeting Tuesday night
 January 23. 1906. The Honorable City Council Of Mont
 gomery:
 Gentlemen Before final action Is aken upon the ordinance now pending before you, the title of which is. An Ordinance to Permit. in the Event of ! Consolidation of the Montgomery Traction Company. Montgomery Street Company the Montgomery Suburban Street Railway Company Certain Connections to be Made Be- ween the Tracks of Said Company" I iesire to state to you briefly as possi- ,le the position of MT. Apperson and lis associates in reference to the mat .er
 The Montgomery Street Railway and