The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-05-04
TROLLEY MEN
GIVEN HEARING
On Proposed Extension on
So. Main Street
ASK FOR POSTPONEMENT
City Council Listened to Directors
Cory, Deavitt and Frost Last
Evening-No Definite Ac-
tion Taken.

The city council was in session four
hours last evening, the more important
matters under discussion being the ques-
ton Of extending the street railway
tracks up South Main street to Quarry
street, the granting Of lunch room Ii
oenses under restrictions, request from
u. G. Howland that the city widen Keith
avenue and put in sidewalk on the
south side Of the street, and the question
Of appropristing an additional sum Of
500 to the Citizens Band for open air
concerts this summer.
F. NJ. Cory, E. H. Deavitt, and l. NJ.
Frost, directors Of the street railway
company, were present, and lengthy
discussion was held on the matter Of ex-
tending the company's tracks to Quarry
street either BY the Ayers street route
or straight up South Main. Mr. Deavitt
Of the directors spoke first and said that
for financial reasons the company would
be very hard pressed If they we're obliged
to make this extension this year and
they hoped that the council would see
fit to let them Of for year at least
He said that when the electric road
was bought over two years ago they
had started in making improvements,
first on the roadbed and then new cars,
"a f..tf-. 49, k.I t,&orTod - r,,aLa
extensionss but during the FIRST year
they had control Of the road the contract
with the Consolidated Lighting company
expired and the company made raise
OF 25 per cent. for power over the preyi-
ous contract and the next year they put
it up another 25 per cent, and conse-
quently, to protect themselves, they
were obliged TO build n power plant Of
their own which they have now COM
pleted and It is giving better satisfaction
than the power they were hiring
He said that they had to pay an in
crease Of per cent in the wages Of
their conductors and motormen; also
$1,000 was ppt into improvements last
ynar. and they purchased the BENJAMIN
property that Il might be kept for
public park and ball ground at another
expenditure Of $4,000, which they had
70 borrow The Indebtedness of tile
road at the present time, he said, was
$4,000 besides the bonded indebtedness
Of 100000. This extension up South I
Main street looks ike a very expensive I
be said, and on account Of /
the river and the sidetraeks Of the Barre /
railroad at the foot Of the steep Jockey I
Hollow hill there would probably have 1
to be an overhead track erected which /
would add greatly to the expense, He
said that it would Be impossible to
hold car coming down that hill when
the tracks were slippery with lee or
snow
Alderman Alexander asked if they
,ould state any time when they thought
they would be in q position 70 make
the extension, and at this point Presi-
lent Cory spoke, saying that although
The company was anxious to do any
hing they could that the council wanted
them to de-, they were not in condition
% make this expensive extension at the
present time.
Cory Promised Cheaper Electricity.
Il can get the money" he declared, "if
have to, but ] am sure that 1t would
,e better for the city to wait while
h this matter and let us get into shape
where we can give you something better
n the way OF electric light service. We
ire preparing now to erect another power
slant from which to supply electricity
o Barre and the quarries, so that Barre
an get power at a much reduced rate
han they are now paying. AT Mont
,elier since we have been putting in our
urrent, the people are getting electricity
1t nearly their own price and YOU can
10 the same here when we get in here !
With our power"
Mfr. Cory stated that he bought over
his road solely for the purpose Of saving
{ from being gobbled up by the New
York capitalists who purchased %e
Tiles and Consolidated Lighting com
,anies and he was able TO get it only !
" the reason that the New Workers 3
wanted to pay for it in the bonds Of
he electric companies. Barre as well .
IS Montpelier is interested in the road J
o-day, as there are many stockholders :
n Barre. At the present time he said I
hat the extension Of the tracks would !
lot be a paying move for the road, as I
here was not traffic enough there and :
the extension was made the company {
-ould be forced to take off their half !
are tickets to worlingmen, and this ]
hey were not desirous Of doing unless Z
hey were obliged to by the force Of ]
The city, he said, would
ave to build new bridge on South
lain street IN a short time anyway, and
e Thought that this extension should
e put Off until the city was ready to I
uild the bridge and both go in together
n t.
The mayor asked II the directors
Fouid not meet the council some day /
nd 20 over the ground Of the proposed ;
quite together and Mr.. Cory said that 9
Tould be glad to do SO on any day the
Duneil SET The mayor then stated that I
hey would decide npon time aud not
" the company later
Lunch Room Licenses.
The committee on licenses reported c
hat they had Investigated all of the +
1urteen applications that had been re-
srred to them and they would recon-
lend that the licenses be granted under
ne restrictions which the committee
I'd recommended at a previous meeting. d