Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-16
HOUSE PASSES
LEES TROLLEY
BILL TO AID I. 5. c.
Measure, Once Defeated, Recon-
sidered and Put Through
Assembly.
[From a STAFF Correspondent

TRENTON, March 16.-The House
yesterday reconsidered the vote
by which Assemblyman Lees bill to
permit trolley connections in Newark
without the consent of the property
owners was beaten, and almost as oe-
cisively as 1t was downed a week ago
passed the measure. The vote was IL
for and So against when the bill was
beaten, but the lobby that had been
backing the bill worked so successfully
that yesterday it passed 81 to %.
The measure allows the Public Serv-
Use Railway Company to lay connecting
trolley tracks IL so per cent. of the 'front.'
ing property owners agree and the
Board of Works grants permission, pro-
vided the tracks are not in any single
instance more than half a mile In
length. 1t amends the twenty-year linn
tied franchise law of 1906 so far as the
connecting lines are concerned, If not
further. 1t allows franchises to be
granted for not more than fifty years.
Because the proyisO In the Lee
bill reads that no consent for more
than "a h~aif-lniIe OF track shall be
granted unless so per cent. of the
fronting property-ovners agree, the
Impression went abroad yesterday
that II would b. necessary for the
Public Service to get the consent of
80 per cent. of the landowner be-
fore Military OF Washington parks
In Newark can be looped, should the
measure become a law.
This, however,, Is not true. The
bill allows any balf-miIe connection
10 be laid absolutely without the
consent of prOperty-owners. The
only thing necessary. once the Lee
bill Is on the statute books, Is to
obtain = Board of Works franchise
for amy connecting line that the
Public Service Railway may want.
The debate was far more exciting
than a week ago, and was character
lied by a denunciation of the 1906 linn
tied franchise law as ''bad legisla-
ton by Assemblyman Walter e
Edge, of Atlantic. leader of the Repub-
lican majority, The motion to recon-
slider the vote was passed without ar
gument. and then the debate came on
the final passage of the bill.
II voted for this bill a week ago be-
cause / thought it was good legisla-
tion,' said Mr.. Edge, land | am going
to vote for it today because l still be-
lieve it to be good legisla ton. | be-
lieve that the time has come in this
State when we must put forth a little
good, common sense in handling cor
porations and corporate bodies. | would
not amend the limited franchise law at
this time, but | believe that there is nc
reason why the governing body of a
municipality should not have the right
to say whether the franchise shall be
for fifty years.
Edge Defends
II believe that we made a mistake
in this State when we passed the So
called limited franchise law. | think
thai every man here appreciates that
twenty years is too short a time to
place as a limit on the life of a fran
chise. The history of this State since
that law was enacted shows that it was
bad legislation. Not a trolley company
has been formed in this state since
then. 1t is impossible to secure the
capital to invest in a company wheri
the franchise is limited to so short q
period of time.
Duane f. Minard, leader OF the Essex
delegation and attorney for the Public
Service Corporation. took up the de-
Tense of the bill. He told of Newark
traffic conditions, and insisted that the
measure was demanded by the people
there.
Sullivan Fights Bill.
. Minority Leader Mark A. Sullivan was
the first to attack the bill. He re-
ferred to a statement by Minard con
corning the stand of "the other side"
as follows:
st want the gentleman to understand
that this Is not the other side for the
bill before us is surely not a political
measure. My opposition to the bill,
which is characterized as that of the
other side.' is the opposition of a mem
Der from Hudson County. and his state
ment is manifestly unfair.
st agree with the gentleman from Es-
sex that nothing more can be said about
the bill. Everything that was to be
said was said last week, when the bill
was beaten overwhelmingly, with about
forty votes against it,
What pernicious influence, what sin
lister influence, has been brought to
bear to reconsider a bill beaten by
soIpe forty ,.oteS. T lea ya to the mann