The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-08-23
TROUBLE ON LINE
TO WESTHAMPTON
Shall All-Day Cars Go All
the Way to the
Park x
QUESTION OF THE COURT
What Did the Judge Mean BY
the End Of the
Line?

The action of the Board of Super
visors of Henrico county In authorize
ing commemorative Attorney Wen
denburg to proceed against the VIZ
GINA Passenger and Power Company
to compel than to show cause why
they should not run cars on the West
hampton line according to the terms
of the charter. as said charter is un-
in the Westampton Park section. prom
Uses to. be. something of an interesting
contest.
II has been the custom of the COM
pany for a long time past to run the
cars on the Westhampton line from
Robinson Street to the Three Chop
Road every half-hour during the morn
extend the run to Westhampton Park
The people. living beyond the Three
Chop Road, who have to walk about
claim that the company is not comply
Ing With tle terms of the charter in
stopping the morning cars at the Three
Chop Road. and they have made the
all cars. both morning and afternoon
to the end of the line at Westhampton
and back.
a Mere Court Order.
The only charter under. which the
Westhampton line, which is now n
part of the Virginia Passenger and
Power Company system, operates is
a court order issued by the Judge of
the county court of Henrco before the
old county courts We're abolished, This
court order gave the company the
running cars from Robinson Street
at the. then city limits to the Three
Chop Road and beyond.
Among other paragraphs In the or
der was one specifying that the COM
pany should ruin a car from Robinson
Street ito the end of the line" every
thirty minutes from Z A. NJ. to 10
II Does Nat Paw
AS before stated. the company has
been In the habit for some time past
| Of running its morning cars only to
| Is extended to the Westhampton Park.
The company's only reason for making
It's, schedule break In the middle in
this manner Is that it does not pay
to run the morning cars farther than
the Three Chop Road. the patronage
being very limited. but in the after
are vending their way to westhamp-
ton Park to get shifts of fresh air the
| travel is great enough TO pay the
cars TO make the longer trip. The
company also contends that strict
construction of the court order. which
| is their charter. making the end OF the
line at the Three Chop Road. There
fore in running cars to that point
every half-hour the court order is
being complied with.
The Other side.
On the other hand. the people who
are making the complaint contend that
by court order is at Northampton
Park, and in order to comply with
the strict terms of the court order or
| the charter the company must rum n
car az least every half-hour 10 the
park
| The language of tn. court order as
shown in The Times-Dispatch a week
! or more ago, is somewhat ambiguous.
and IL is no wonder that the lawyers
can find a way to put different con-
structions upon 1t, and discover hair
| split over which legal lumiffaries de-
Hight to bark and bite. Attorney
| Wendenberg seems determined to press
| the matter to conclusion and have
] a court to pass upon the question
| of construction which is the only poin.
| at issue. The question is what court
| will have the passing. The Virginia
| Passenger and Power Company. the
| present owners of the Westhampton
| line, is in the hands of receivers. who
are under the supervision of the United
States District Court for the Eastern
i District of Virginia, over which Judge
| Waddlll presides, and the PROBABILITIES
lis that in the end the matter will
| have to come before that court and
|Judge Waddill will have to decide upor
| the ambiguity of the wording of the
court order and saw where the half
Ilhour end of the Westhampton road
/ really is.