Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-11-10
Burlington Submits Substitute
Bill in Fight for Better Rail-
road Facilities.
RUTLAND ROAD Is WILLING
Ready to Help the Project Along
Mayor Burke, Messrs. South
wick, Cowles and Villas
Appear for City.

Montpelier, Nov 8.-The Senate general
committee gave another hearing this
ar ernoon on Senate bill No. 10 relating
10 the location Of depots or stations by the
public service commission, which has
come to be known as the Burlington
depot bill. Mayor Burke, City Attorney
Villas, Alderman C. I. Cowles and J. L.
Southwick represented the city and the
railroads were represented by c. W.
Writers of ST. Adams and ex- Congress srna n
Powers OF Morrisville for the Central
Vermont road. Edwin Lawrence OF Rut-
land, for the Rutland road, and w. g. c.
Stickney of Bethel for the Boston e.
Maine road.
q The gentlemen representing Burlngt ton.
/ placed before the committee Il special act
designed to cover this particular case in
order to meet the objections raised by
tho railroad attorneys at a previous hear
ing that in the passage of the Senate bill
Burlington was asking the enactment of
a public act to cover what should be mot
by special legislation. This act provided
| that portion of the cost Of Il new union
station az Burlington might be assessed
upon the city by the public service com
mission SO it was accom- panied by an act
FLOWING the city 10 Issue bonds to provide
! funds for whatever It's share of the cost
of new station might be.
NOT FOR BURLINGTON ALONE.
MAYOR Burke urged tho committee in
considerins the matter to bear in mind
| that this action was not alone for the
benefit Of burlington but for the benefit
of the whole State and the travelling
public in general
, Mr.. Stckney stated that as long as
n special act was the desire of Burlinst ton
and not any change in the public
statutes the roads he represented were
not Interested. but suggested that the
special act to amended to provide some
| way to acquire land in case IT was no,
desired to locate the station either or
land owned by the city or by the rail
roads.
Mr.. LawrenCe, for the Rutland road
| stated that he had no general objection
to a special act such as had been propos
ed, but that as he had not had an oppor
tunity to consider this particular act W.
could not say what the attitude of tn,
road would be. 1t was evident from Mr.
Lawrence's attitude both at this hearing
and the previous one that the RUTLAND
road has no serious objections to help
ing build new station ut Burlington.
SEEK EQUAL RIGHTS ONLY.
j. l.. Southwick pointed out to the com
mittee two standpoints from which h
thought they should consider the matter
one was that 1t was their duty TO amen,
the laws so that all the people of tn
State should have equal rights AS to prop
or station facilities He did not believ
the Legislature of 1906 intended that tn
people of Bolton, for example. should b
able to appeal to the Public Service com
mission and obtain relief from such
trouble. if one existed there, and that tn
people of Burlington should be debarre
from this privilege simply because Bur
lington happened to be a junction point
II the committee found there was a de
feet In the law it should be remedied o.
the other hand II the committee though
the needs of Burlington demanded specia
legislation they ought to recommend tn
passage of the special act. In some wa
relief should be provided and it was i'm
material to burlington in which way
came. Mr.. Southwck told the committe
of the conditions that existed at the Eul
lington station and urged the committe
o give them the same opportunities unde
the law the res, of the people OF tn
State. who did no, live n junction point'
enjoyed.
city Attorney Villas spoke briefly IN re
gard to both the change desired IN IN
public statute and the special bill. takin
the position that the city was asking fo
no new departure but simply for the re
mOval OF discrimination.
, Al the request Of the lawyers for III
/ | Central Vermont road the committo
agreed TO give another hearing on IN
special bill put in by the representative
OF burlington next Monday evening a
I30 O'clock.