Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-01-24
Farmers Go Wrong.
[From the Newark Newa. /

From the Newark Newsl
Farmers go wrong once in a while, the
same as other worthy citizens. Their in-
tentions are generally right but occasion
ally they are misl d by sleek takers, or
they haven't all the information they need
TO direct their judgments, and they go
slightly astray This is exactly what
happened on Thursday last at Trenton,
when the State Board Of Agriculture lent
it's good name and influence to the con-
spiracy TO repeal the limited franchise act.
The farmers want, as matter OF course,
all the trolley conYeniences they can get.
They are as much entitled to all sueh
Accommodations as are the city people aud
are Just as deserving of them. But the
farmers cannot reasonably expect and they
have no right to expect shat trolley roads
will be built through rural sections simply
for their convenience, if the patronage is TO
small 60 pay the running expenses All
such roads are built where the present or
prospective receipts are large enough to
pay profit on the investment, and they
ought not to be bullt under any other
conditions whether for farmers or any
othel class of people.
In these days of enterprise ard of vast
sums of money trolley lines will he built
wherever the business will pay reasonable
profit, unless interested capitalists or cor
porations conspire to prevent their being
bailt And this is true, whether limited
o. perpetual franchises are granted. Il is
true in New York 1t is true in Massa-
chusetts 1t is true wherever limited
franchises are the rule tits true in New
Jersey, as business proDosition ii falls
only when the Public Service Corporation,
with all its perpetual franchises, its polit-
ical influences and its dog-in-the-manger
policy, blocks Legitimate enterprise in this
direction
When, therefore, the farmers in the
State Board of Agriculture adopted res
olution favoriDg the Senator Robbins bill,
on the ground that the limited franchise
act ''retards the development of smaller
communities, which have difficulty in in
ducing the building of trolley lines even
upon the most favorable TERMS" they
spoke without knowledge and stated what
was not true It is not the limited fran
chise law that retards the Developments Of
smaller communities. It is the Public
Service Corporation. The act in question
certainly does retard speculative railroad
building, and this is wholly to It's credit;
but where, under reasonably profitable
conditions, trolley line would be built
on a perpetual franchise it will be bnilt
under limited franchise, if the Publ Q
Service Corporation does not hold the key
to the situation.
Gloucester County has just enough
trolley roads to whet its appetite for more.
A line is wanted from Woodbury. through
Thorofare, Paulsboro and Gibbstowu to
Bridgeport; Mantua to Mullica Hill; Man
tua to Glassboro through Barnsboro and
Pitman; and an extension from Blackwood
10 Williamstown, hence the people will be
interested in what the Nescs says about
trolley franchise. At present this seems to
be Public Service territory, but we have
some evidence that dcg-in-th -the-manger
policy has not always ruled its action here.
The extension from Almonesson to Black
wood last year was not forced, because no
other lines were in competition, and gen.
eral opinion would give either Of the above
routes preference as money-makers.
We are not sure that Woodbury. could
not afford to put enough power in its cleo
trio light plant (the one shat is to be soon
built) to operate a series of trolley lines
through the county into the city, and then
we would want our franchises to be per-
petual, because half, or perhaps all, of
twenty year period might expire before the
would be dividend Garner
The peoples rights in such matters should
be safe guarded by taxation. We know of
no reason why railroad enterprise should
be limited in its existence. any more than
a factory enterprise, because neither would
exist unless serving an important public
need.