The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1910-11-15
RAILROADS DISPUTED
In Hearing Before Legislative General
Committee Last Night.

The general committee Of the Vermont
legislature gave a hearing last evening
on the bill asked for by the city Of
Burlington to give the public service
commission power to order the eonstruc-
ton of new station there Burling-
ton was represented by Mayor Burke,
City Attorney Villas and Alderman
Cowles and the railroad interested by
the same attorneys who have appeared
for them at previous hearings.
The representatives presented a sub
stitute bill in the main like the one
previously offered, but giving the rail
roads power jointly, to take land for a
station and the right to run over each
others tracks to reach a union station.
For the Central Vermont road Judge
Powers said that the bill should contain
provision that the public service com
mission should have power to apportion
the cost Of land as we'll as the cost Of
building and the apportioning OF a por-
tion of the cost Of a station to the city.
1t should also include the land. lie also
proposed new section tO the bill which
would give the right OF appeal from a
decision by the public service commits
sion direct to the supreme court, which
should have chancery power instead Of
to court Of chancery, as now provided
BY the general law
IL general. Judge Powers protested
against giving the public service com.
mission such great power as the bill
contemplated. It was dangerous to COM
pel two railways to build a union sta
tion whore they already have one that
they consider adequate for their needs.
As a matter Of public policy he did not
consider it right to take any street and
use il for the site OF a station, The
/ legislature should 60 slow IN imposing
burden on the railroads that was not
just or fair.
In his remarks, Judge Powers said
that the Central Vermont railroad was
little surprised to find that the Rut-
land road. which it had considered CO.
defendant, had apparently Topped over
to the other side and intimated that
the bill presented by the representatives
OF Burlington had been prepared BY the
attorneys Of the Rutland road This
was emphatically denied by Mr. Law
renee of the Rutland road.
Mr.. Villas told the committee that
the city was asking simply to be placed
where every town in the state on the
line of railroad was with the right,
if conditions existed which should be
renedied, to get relief from the public
services commission This was now ap-
parentlv denied Burlington and all it
asked was the same rights that Bolton
OF Ferrisburg had.
They were not asking for a station
to beautify the city nor were they
actuated by reasons Of sentiment, rs
Judge Powers had claimed. They did
not even know what kind of a station
the public service commission would or
der or even II it would order any. What
ever was ordered the city stood ready
to bear such share Of costs as the pub
I lie service commission should deem right
and just.
Mayor Burke and Alderman Cowles
also spoke briefly Of the conditions that
now existed in Burlington, the mayor
urging the committee to bear in mind
that in this matter they were not asked
to legislate for the city of Burlington
alone. but for the whole state and the
travelling public in general.
The impression IS that the committee
/ is favorably disposed toward the bill.
The same committe win give hearing
( next Monday on Senator Buffers bill
to compel the publication Of railroad
timetables in the newspapers on which
all railroads desire a hearing