Perth Amboy evening news., 1906-08-10
MAY VACATE
FRANCHISE.
Staten Island Is Sick and Tired
of Poor Lighting and Troll
ley Service.

- ~ piCd6 VI
mond, is preparing to begin suit to
yacate the lighting contract of the
Richmond Railroad and Lighting
Company for failure to light the Stat
en- island streets as per contract, and
unless better service on the trolley
INES Is given without further delay
action will be begun to vacate the
franchise OF h same company. This
means that Staten Island will have
better service or new companies will
take hold of the business.
The city is prepared to erect light
ing plants on its own hook, but moth
ing IN that line could be done for six
months to a year at least, and in the
meantime the only hold on the com
panies now responsible for lighting
and trolley service is through the
courts.
me companies have shown a total
disregard for the obligation of their
contracts and have o attempted for
the last month or more to give de-
cent return for the money they are
receiving from the city, to say moth
ing of their failure in running cars
as required by the railroad commits
sion.
1t was asserted by the companies
that the trouble was only temporary.
and that repairs would be made soon
and everything would be running
smoothly. The tie-up happened Sun
day evening five weeks ago. Every
trolley line on the island was tied up
for six hours which u new amusement
concern in which the Richmond
Lighting and Railroad Company is
said to be vitality interested, was in
augurated.
1t was explained that the tie-up
was only temporary, due to the neces-
sity of lighting the amusement place
and the inefficiency of the dynamOs
in the West New Brighton power
house, all of which would be M
died at once.
Two thousand investors were on
the island that day looking for real
estate investments, expecting to make
their homes there. All these were
forced to wait hours for cars or walk
miles to the ferry.
That killed the real estate boom
which had started and was fairly
under way. Charges were made that
the stoppage was a plot to kill the
boom, and several similar occurren-
ces were pointed to which happened
at the times before when a boom
seemed imminent. 1t was also charg-
ed that the railroad and lighting COM
pany, which, by the way, Is owned by
iii I anna CrrnIn nc tho rfoa1 vnalc 49,
belongs to the Baltimore and Ohio
system, as well as to the Rogers
and Standard Oil, wants to throttle
every attempt to develop Staten Is
land until such time as the entire
borough can be exploited for its own
benefit.
A pile of evidence was submitted
to Borough President Cromwell sus-
tanning these charges, and he looked
1t all over and went away on his vaca-
ton.
He left the matter in the hands of
the commissioner of public works,
who, in his absence, is acting borough
president, with instructions to pro-
coed at once to remedy conditions.
Commissioner Tribus called on the
companies for explanations. The
Concord Lighting and Power Com
pany said that nothing could be done
with their power house until permis-
sion is given by the courts to make
needed repairs. This settled the
question of lighting 70 r Concord,
Dongan Hills, Grant City, New Dorp,
Great Kills, Giffords and all interme-
date points as well as Richmond
itself, and the main thoroughfares
between these points, leaving them
in the dark. But it did not settle
The question of the neglect of the
Richmond Railroad and Lighting
company, whicl is the principal cul-
prit. This company has a contract
for lighting the streets in practically
all of the rest of the northern part
of the borough, and its lights failed
at the same time as the others. The
lights all went out at once and have
not yet been restored.
William Writ Mills, of West New
Brighton, representing a number of
property owners, has made complaint
to the state railroad commission.
What effect. will this action of the
borough authorities have on your
company" was asked at the office
of the general manager of the rail
road and lighting company.
The general manager was out, but
his secretary was there. and seemed
to speak with authority. eve are do
ing all that can be DONE" he said.
and we must ask the public to have
a little patience until We can make
the necessary repairs and additions
to our plants. Then we will promise
the best of service and nc reason for
complaints"