The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-08-15
Make Request That Council
Extend Time for Build
ing Forty Miles.
ORDINANCE is INTRODUCED CIV
ING THEM UNTIL MARCH TO
CONSTRUCT 80 MILES-MANY
MATTERS CONSIDERED BY THE
ALDERMEN LAST NIGHT.

The request of W. A. BlOunt, repre-
senting the promoters of the PenSa-
cola, Alabama & Western and the
Pensacola & Northeastern Railroads,
for an extension of time in which to
complete 40 miles of these roads, the
Introduction of an ordinance granting
this extension and reducing the mile
age to 80 miles by March l, 1906; the
opening of bids from banks for the
custody of the city moneys; the read
ing of the annual message of Mayor
Goodman; the hearing of a report of
the franchise committee on the Gar
den street franchise, wherein the
street railway is given the right to
construct its tracks in the center OF
the streets; the passage of several or
dinances and discussion of many mat
tiers, caused the regular semi-monthly
meeting of the City Council last night
to be one of the lengthiest of any held
during the past three or four years.
When the council convened at 1880
o'clock there We're present President
YOnge presiding. and Aldermen An
drews, Brown, Calm, Durham, Nc
Hugh, Meyer, Reilly, RochebIaye,
Williams and Yonge. The minutes of
a number of meetings were read and
approved.
Alderman Andrews Protests.
Immediately after roll call and be-
fore the minutes had been read Alder
man Andrews arose and stated that
while he had no desire to block the
progress Of the council, that he would
protest all transactions of the council
as being illegal, as stated in his pro-
test when there was a change in the
presiding officers
Wanted a Rebate.
A. A. Fisher appeared for j. A
Chaff1n and requested that Mr.. Chafin
be given a rebate of S54 upon his
taxes, which had been imposed as a
penalty. He stated the grounds for
making such a request were that Mr.
Chafin had never received any notice
from the tax collector that the taxes
were due. The matter was referred
to the finance committee
Extension of Time.
w. A. Blount, H. l.. Covangton, J..
r. Saunders, F. C. Brent and J. A.
Chaplin appeared as a committee rep
resenting the promoters of the Pen
sacola, Alabama & Western and the
Pensacola & Northeastern Railroads.
Mr.. Blount, as spokesman for the COM
mfttee, stated that those who are in
terested in the movement for the two
new roads, desired an extension of
time in which to carry out certain work
which had been agreed upon last
February when the council granted an
extension of six months
He stated that many obstacles had
been encountered, which had prevented
ha -,
miles of road as agreed upon, chief
among which was that the bids for
grading the roads were considered eX-
cessiyely high, amounting to $4,000
for the forty miles, which was out of
all proportion to road building in
Florida, where the estimated cost for
completing the rOadbed is $4,000 per
mile
Citizens of Pensacola. he said, had
already expended about $50, 900 in Sc
curing surveys of the proposed roads,
while those in New York interested in
the roads had expended an equal
amount. These parties, he said, had
decided to call for bids for grading a
larger amount of roadbed, and believed
that it could be secured much cheap
er, and desired the council to extend
the time for the work to be completed
to March /, six months from Septem-
Der /; also not to forfeit the $4,000
on deposit as a guarantee that the
work would be carried out. and to re-
duce the amount of roadbed TO be
completed to twenty miles of the Pen
sacoIa, Alabama & Western and ten
miles of the Pensacola & North
eastern.
He informed the council that under
ordinances and franchises that
1t could not forfeit either of these
franchises at the present time, and
that not until March of 1907 could one
be forfeited and Sept. /, 1908, before
another could be forfeited.
He further said that no one with
the money market in its present con-
dition would attempt to build the
Memphis road, excepting those now
behind the movement. but he was
satisfied that there are parties, even
under these conditions, who would
build the Andalusia road.
Ordinance introduced.
Mr.. Blount requested that an ordi-
nance be introduced extending the
time to March l. He had prepared
this ordinance and under suspension
of the rules Alderman Yonge read IL
for the first time and it was referred.
Wanted information.
Alderman Andrews wanted informa-
ton regarding the ordinance. He stat
ed that he had made unsuccessful
efforts to locate the ordinance book
so as to get some Information regard
ing the action of the former council
lint after chasing the ordinance hook
from one Office TO another he had
Continued on Page Three.)