The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-01
BOARD DECLARES
WAR ON R.,F.&P.
Calls on Council to Order Re-
moval Of Wooden Trestles
From Street.
COMPANY QUOTES OPINION
Beck Attacks Road and Indicates
That Board Is Ready
TO Fight.
COMPANY QUOTES OPINION


The Administrative Board and the
Richmond. Fredercks burg and Poto
mae Railroad have fallen cut The
road is standing on it's rights The
board says that If the railroad is
looking for trouble, 1t will gladly sup
ply 1t.
The city might as we'll come to
opan war with this railroad right
away" said MIR. Beck. of tho Admins
trative Board, yesterday. They have
conclusiveiy shown that they Will do
nothing until they are forced To do
it. Even then they Will dodge behind
every technicality that can be dug up
They ought to be gotten off the main
streets at once. The courts have de-
cided again and again that any per
petual franchise is against public
policy. and it is uta,rly lfse,ess for them
to pretend that the city cannot con
troll Belvidere and Broad Streets.
Wants Police Action.
There isn't a city OF 25,0ol people
in the world, don't believe, that would
( allow 1T for one minute. Richmond
has zone on letting this railroad own
1t for years What other city would
stand wooden trestlcs blocking i'm
portant streets. like South Seventh and
South First Street? When / was in
the Council in 1900 / offered resolu-
ton ordering those tresties on South
Seventh street removed. but they have
lodged out every time They have
7 shown their policy of contempt for the
city. think We ought 10 20 right
after them and assert our own rights.
The police should put them in court
every time they run a train over four
miles an hour The ordinance requires
all distractions TO he lighted at nights
+ Why don't the police report t,io nj 80
the Police Court every day for failure
to light their watch houses and gates,
OF to put lights on the wooden sup
ports OF these trestlcs built right in
/ the middle OF the street hope very
/ much that the Council Will take this
matter up seriously and let the clti-
I zens understand Just where they STAND
with regard 10 this railroad"
stand on TcchnicnIItS.
Several months ago the Administra-
tive Board by resolution directed the
I Richmond, Fredericksburg and Poto-
mae and the Richmond and Peters
burg Connection Company ana 1.-The
I TredeGar Company To replace ancient
wooden trcstles obstructing South Sew
cnth street with concrete or steel con
struction spanning The street Repre-
sentativcs OF the railroad appeared ana
7 protested that rs the Council had up
I the matter of abandoning the use of
/ BROAD street. il would be a hardship TO
require expensive construction on lines
that very soon could not he utilized
was preparing plans to modify the
present structures by removing the
supports which cause the most obstruc-
ton to traffic without any great cost.
yesterday representatives OF the rail
road filed with the Administrative Board
an extended opinion of City Attorney
| Pollard to the effect that tho board has
not the power TO order the removal
of me treStlcS The opinion relates
specifically To the obstruction of South
II, tl....
nection company and Tredegar Com
pany, Mr. Pailard holding that the Ad-
ministrative Board has no authority in
the premises To demand or require OF
the railroad different construction.
either as TO material or location or sup
ports, but that the Council IN the cX-
crcise of the police power conferred
upon IL BY the city charter could re-
qUirc q different construction from that
originally required, if the Council
deems il essential to public welfare
TO do so"
MI Pollard recitcs at length the or
dinances OF the Council granting per-
mission for the construction Of the Of
Tending trest!es, granted at n time
when there were no street railway
tracks in South Seventh Street when
motor vehicles We're unknown, when
the city had no fire apparatus. and
when traffic At this point was almost
negligible
Cause of Accidents.
Mr. Beck called attention 10 accidents
which have happened TO persons on
str tn mt ~