The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-02-23

that could be changed. Eckard P Budd
asked Mr.. Lewis to state his ideas, but the
latter said he was not then prepared to do
so Later he said he thought the term of
the franchise was too long. He was also
of the opinion that the limit for unload
ing freight should be changed. He COM
mented upon the apparent secrecy and
haste in getting this ordinance through.
and said he did not know why this should
be the case. He thought that the ordi-
nance should have been published In adj
vance that the people might know what
was asked. Mr.. Lewis disclaimed all in
tention of being hostile to the trolley
company.
To this Mr. Budd replied that there had
not been any intention of resorting to
underhand methods, and that there was
no law requiring that an ordinance should
be published in advance. In fact sim
pie resolution would be all that was ne
cessary in this case, but it was thought
preferable to have an ordinance. In an
swer to question why the privilege was
first sought In Mount Holly, Mr.. Budd
said that If such franchise could not be
gained here there was no use in trying
elsewhere, as there were but few town
ships where the trolley company would
have to apply as they had private right
of way over a majority of the miles of
road. He recalled the fact that the own
ers of the trolley had come to Mount
Holly on either side of the town when the
road was first built, and were then COM
PEELED to buy bankrupt road and one
which was about to be abandoned, there
by expanding thousands of dollars un-
necessarily. They did uot want to go at
the matter in the wrong way this time.
One of the preambles to the ordinance
recited that the township committee
"deem it advantageous to the public" to
allow the trolley company to carry freight.
This caused one of the DIRECTORS to ask:
How does the township committee know
that it will be advantageous Nobody
seemed to consider the question worthy
of answer, but it might be said that the
committee is supposed to keep in touch
with the citizens. All, save one, of its
members are in the town all day, and do
not confne their acquaintance to any par
ticular class, but mingle with all citizens
and get the views of many people. In
fact many of those who signed the petit
tion for public meeting have openly ex
pressed themselves as favorable to the or
dinance, but they could not see any OBJ
lection to hearing on the subject and an
Interchange of opinions.
This evening the chance will be given
for all interested to express themselves on
the subject. The ordinance offered will
be read and the points it contains will be
explained. The main objection seems to
be that the term of twenty-five years is
too long to give the franchise, and an
other is that the car barn at the upper
part of the town may, by being a depot
for the loading and unloading of freight,
become nuisance to those who have res
licences in the vicinity Another sugges-
ton is that the trolley company should
either sprinkle the streets over which its
cars pass or bear portion of the expense.
There were forty-fYe signatures to the
petition presented on Tuesday evening,
three of the signers being present. To
nights meeting will probably have
larger percentage in attendance.