The San Francisco call., 1908-11-10
RAILROADS USURP
MANY FRANCHISES
Mayor Taylor Calls Supervis-
ors' Attention to Illegal Use
of Numerous Streets
Joint Committee Will Meet to
Investigate Charges Pre-
ferred Against Company


Mayor Taylor called the board of
supervisors attention yesterday to the
illegal occupation by the United Rail
roads of several main streets, and sug-
gested that the special committee ap-
pointed months ago to act on a similar
condition call the officials to account.
Inquiry developed that the committee
consisted of the street and judiciary
bodies acting cojointly whose chair
men We're Supervisors Center and
Comte. These committees will meet
together Friday at 10 o'clock to in
vestigate the mayors charges of the
illegal use of Seventh, Post and Stanyan
streets.
Supervisor Pollok called attention to
another encroachment of the United
Railroads. He said:
AT Post street the road is installing
connection with Market, although
General Manager Black informed this
board only a few weeks ago that such
JOB costs $4,000, and declined joining
the important Sutter street tracks to
Market for this reason. Why the road
seeks to join Post and Market does
not appear. What right the company
mas to do so without a franchise also
calls for inquiry"
On Pollok's motion this action of the
road was also made a subject for the
investigation of the committee.
MAYOR TAYLoR'S LETTER
Mayor Taylors letter ON the road s
usurpations follows:
San Francisco, November g. 1908
To the Board of Supervisors of the Citv and
county OF San Francisco: 1 beg to submit for
your consideration the following cases Of the He
gai use by the United Railroads company of GER
tain OF the streets of this city and county
iitlegal. that Is, II the facts are as 1 believe
In Seventh street between Howard and Bryant
there are trolley poles which were placed there
| removal OF debris after the fire. The tracks
were afterward removed by order Of the board
OF public works, but the poles still standing.
the United Railroads In this street
PERMANENT TRACK LAID
In Post street between Larkin and Leayen-
worth there Is permanent track laid and poles
anu wires strung, notwithstanding the fact that
the street railway company has no franchise on
these two blocks of this street. After the fire
and while the west bound Suffer street track
was being laid the Unired Railroads obtained a
permit to lay temporary track these two
blocks so as to enable it to run east bound cars
In Sutter street and returningswest bound in Post
street TO Larkin, thence south in Larkin to
OFarreH. thence west in OFarrell to Fillmore.
and thence north in Fillmore connecting the
east bound reconstructed track In Suffer street.
This was done to enable them to get the Sutter
street line in operation earlier than they would
otherwise have been able to do had they been
compelled TO await the completion Of the west
bound track in Sutter street. As they had nc
franchise in Post street between Leavenworth
and Larkin this temporary permit was given by
the administration precedent TO the present one
70 enable them to operate the Sutter street line
as above stated for the time being; but. instead
of removing the track after the west bound
track was laid in Suffer street, they relaid the
Post street track permanently although nc
| franchise. far 1 know, had been given on
| these two blocks.
| In Stanyan street between Hayes and Fulton
the United Railroads laid a permanent track
claiming the right to do so under franchise
granted At the time they laid
| this track the right to do so was disputed by
the board of public works. butithe then admins
tration permitted their installing the present
permanent construction with the proviso that the