Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-06-22
RAILROAD GETS FRANCHISE
A. W. & B. ELECTRIC LINE MAY
ENTER CITY.
Midnight Session Of City cOnnch-cI0se
Of Long Traffic Fighf-Ofdinsgce
Passes to ?.
THIRTY DAYS ALLOWED FOR
ACCEPTANCE.

Al ffs meeting last night the city
4 Council passed an ordinance fixing the
terms and conditions under which
tlIe city may be used by electric rail
way companies. which there IL every
reason % believe will be accepted ~
one or more 81 the companies which
have applied for such privileges. The
| rights under the ordinance were grant
ed specifically to the Washington, Bal
/ timore and Annapolis Railway Elec-
trio Company, but monopoly ie pro-
Tided against by securing 10 any other
company the right 10 use tbs tracks
" wbieh the W., y. a A. may lay By
paying a proper compensation 10 the
/ city and also to the original company
| for the use Of their tracks, this latter
amount b be fixed by arbitration IN
case there is no agreement between the
two companies.
II is believed that either the Wash
ington. Baltimore and Annapolis EIec-
trie Railway Company or the Mary
land Electric Railways Company viii
accept the ordinance as passed last
night. All the sections Of the OTdi-
nance except that which prov ides
companies were agreed as they were
passed by the representatives 0f the
former company last night, and upon
the latter. those representatives ask
ed to be allowed thirty days under
which 10 come to conclusion.
Messrs. Sbellman -. Brown and Dan
iel X. Randall. Of the Maryland
Electric Railways Company lAnBap-
oils aud Baltimore Short Line, pub
licly announced last night that they
would accept the ordinance as passed
v ifb the name Of their company sub
tsituted for the other. Under these
circumstance, the probability that
the city will reacn an agreement with
one or both Of the com mpanies by which
a trolley line will actually be run
ming into and through Annapolis APP
pears % be good.
Under the terms of the ordinance
passed last night. the consideration
Is placed Al figure which means a
most substantial return 10 the city
for the privileges which IL gives,
about as much. In fact as was pro-
vided in the former ordinance passed
BY the Council. This compensation
was agreed to by the representa-
~ both companies, 80 that this i.si-
portant question may be regarded rs
settled both ON the part Of the city
and the applicant companies.
When the guetion 0f compensation
Was reached George y. Bishop. presi-
dent of the Washington, Baltimore
and Annapolis Electric Railway Com
pany. surprised the Council and the
audience by making an offer to the
city which amounts to practically the
anne a. that which was fixed by the
ordinance passed by the Council. lie
said that the company would pay 10
the city nine per cent Of the annual
amount received for traffic within the
city limits. This includes as fare Of
i've cents for adults and three cents
for children on every passenger
brought into the city, out Of the city
or carried around the city. IL applies
70 each passenger no matter bow much
or how little they travel in the city,
or wbether they get off At the sta
fiou Of the company on West street,
or at some other point. IL is estimate q
that the city will receive from 81
500 TO -. 600 per year from this plan
Of compensation. which represents
from six 10 eight cents on the 500
uuon the f9x rate. In addition the
company agreed that the sum of 800
should represent the minimum which
the city could receive in any year,
and that IL would present 10 the city
the lot used by the Rescue Hose Com
pauy on West street.
There were a few changes made in
the ordinance a. originally introduced,
the most notable one being the limit
ing II the rights under il 10 twenty
Eve years instead Of fifty years. as
proposed. in certain instances add
tional bonds were repaired for the
protection of the city's interests In
certain ways.
The..washington,. Baltimore and An
uapOlis Electric Railway. Company
= as represented before the Council last
night by an imposing array of its
chief officials and employees, including
George II. Bishop, president; John
q. Masterton, secretary and treasurer ;
&. r. GIadfeIter, assistant 10 presi-
dent :. George a. Craig, superintendent
Of construction Frank CHM. general
counsel: Frank GosnelI, George
Weeus Williams, counsel; Robert
Moss. local counsel: w. A. Mum,
chief engineer. william r. Slaughter.
general superintendent of the Annap-
oils, Washington and Baltimore Rail
road. Messrs. SbeIlman Il. Brown,
vice president Of the Maryland Elec-
tric Railways Company and general
manager Of the Annapolis and Baifi
more short Line Railroad, and Daniel
X. Randall. its counsel, were also
present and a number Of citizens.
The proceedings Of the Counsel
were opened by the report Of the com
mittee on bylaws and ordinances,
which offered as its report the original
| ordinance with certain amendments
1 attached BY the committee Counsel
Tor Riley moved that those wishing 10
| address the Council upon the subject
Of the ordinance be invited to do So
| and that upon the conclusion Of the
| hearing the ordinance lie referred TO q
| committee Of the whole 10 meet Mon
/ dAv afternoon. He urged that II
4 would be a mistake TO pass the ordf-
nance in a hurry that there were ssy-
eral features which required the mosi
careful consideration and stated thai
he was willing TO have the matter
brought to a final vote within a shori
time.
This motion preeipitated the hrsi
| FIGHT Of the evening Robert Moss,
| counsel for the w. p. q A, addressed
the Board and asked that the origi.
nal ordinance be substituted for the
report Of the committee. He gave TIE
Council TO understand that the com.
pany desired a test vote upon the routs
as originally laid down, which in