Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-03-23
Lee Bill Reported as
NeWarkerS Organize
for Finish Fight.
OLD MILITARY COMMON
IN HOUR OF DIRE PERIL
Trolley Loop Scheme Rouses
Standardization Meet
ing to Be Held.
[From a stan correspondent.l

fFrom a STAFF Correspondents
TRENTON, March 2s.-Despite the
exposure of the iniquities, which would
permit the Public Service Railway
Company to grab many important
streets in Newark, without the consent
of property-owners and turn such
public squares as Military Park into
a looping" district for street cars, the
Lee trolley bill was favorably reported
out of the committee on railroads and
| canals of the Senate this afternoon
The move to advance the measure
was made over the protests of Newark
citizens who came here last night to
oppose it. Scant courtesy WAS accorded
the opponents of the bill, and the hear
ing was hurriedly adjourned by the
committee when the members decided
to make a favorable report.
Even in the brief time given them to
attack the measure however its eniqui-
ties were fully exposed. It was when
these disclosures were made that the
hearing was abruptly terminated
A Joker gives the bill it's sting On
its face the measure would require the
consent of 80 per cent Of abutting
property-owners to allow any car line
extension. Study of the bill shows 1t IL
carefully worded TO expressly make
this requirement apply only to exten
sions more than half mile in length
Shorter extensions can be made without
the consent of property-owners- And
this, it is declared, makes the
veritable grab especially in its appli-
cation to Military Park.
Senator Fielder, leader of the
minority said today:
II shall offer amendments to the bill
| to give the property-owners some say
| in the matter and to require that II =
franchise is granted it shall be by ordi
nance and that the mayor shall have
veto power
| Senator Osborne prepared amend
ments last night He said that If they
were not incorporated he would vote
against the bill His chief amendment
limits franchises granted to twenty
| years instead of fifty, as the bill now
provides.
President Joseph s. Frelinghuysen, of
the Senate. is said to have promised to
aid the Public Service in pushing the
bill.
| Senator Mills, of Morris. who was
counted on by the Public Service, said
today he was against the bill. because
1t would let trolley companies build
lines regardless of property-owners.
and would enable them to get around
present statutes. He thought the bill
should be radically amended
! Property-owners in the vicinity OF
Military Park who are affected by the
Lee trolley bill, are to hold an indigna-
ton meeting. Formidable opposition to
-
support, is to be mustered up and pre-
| sented to the lawmakers at Trenton
The attempt to railroad the trolley bill
through the Legislature, thereby over
riding the rights of the people, Is high
handed, and has reused the wrath of
many of Newark's most influential citi-
zens. A snap" hearing was held on
the bill in the Senate yesterday, when
the "joker" in the measure was fully
| exposed
The hearing was before the Senate
committee on railroads and canals, COM
posed of Senators Wilson, Wakelee and
! Cornish. Abruptly the hearing was
terminated without giving the opposi-
ton time to complete the arguments
against the bill, which seeks to depart
from the custom as prescribed in the
traction act which was passed in 1898
and subsequent amendments, which
proyides that before a trolley franchise
can be granted the consent of a major
ity of the abutting property-owners
must first be obtained.
The Lee bill departs from the traction
act in a radical manner AS will be
seen in the provisions of the bill print
ed below, the governing body having
control of the highways may authorize
the construction and operation of any
extension of street railway tracks in
any municipality in the State. The
bill contains a proviso requiring the
consent in writing of so per cent. of the
property-owners abutting on the line
of the proposed extension
But this proviso becomes operative
only when an extension, exceeding =
haIf-miIe in length, is applied for.
The injustice of the measure is now
shown by it's ''joker," through the fact
that the Public Service people are try-
ing to loop Military Park with a troll
ley line which is less than one-haf
mile in length. Under the Lee bill the
consent of the property owners is NOT
required to do this.
The trainers of the bill--probably the
Public Service people themselves--i1l-
jected into the measure a clause to
cloud the public mind That CLAUSE
provides that when the trolley extern
sion sought is more than a half-mile
in length the consent of SO per cent. Of
the property-ownerss shall be necessary.
There is no application OF that clause
in the Military Park instance. for the
extension sought is less than half =
mile, and no consent is therefore need
/ ed. The bill, as drawn. would permit
the trolley people to ignore the prou-
erty-owners, even II the SO per cent
consent clause did apply. for all that
would he required would be To get fha