The labor world., 1913-09-06
HOW FRISCO GOT
RAILWAY EXTENSIONS
Continued From PaKe I.

Continued From Psxe 1.
cisco should have one of the best rail-
way systems in the country.
The moral of the election is a IA
vorable one, and it shows that public
ownership Of public utilities Is a live,
practical issue that will have to be
| met by the public-spirited men and
women of every city in the country.
In his mail Mayor Rolph received
messages from men throughout the
| nation, and nearly all OF them re-
ferred to the fact that what San
Francisco authorized in the election
would in time be authorized by the
people everywhere in the United
States.
With the proposed lines in opera
ton San Francisco will have. it's own
cars running in every part of it's wide
ly scattered territory.
The fight was begun in 1896, when
an injunction was secured preventing
the board Of supervisors from OPEN
ing the bids for the Geary street rail-
way franchise.
On May 26, 1898, the new city char
tor was ratified by the people, in
| which the purpose Of the city to ac-
| quire public utilities was declared.
In June, 1898. another application
was made for the Geary street fran
chise and the franchise was again
denied.
A proposa! to issue bonds to recon-
struct the Geary street railway was
made again in December, 1902. The
bonds failed to receive the necessary
two-thirds vote.
Another application for a so year
franchise was made and defeated in
February, 1908.
Another defeat came on Oct. s, 1903
when bond election was called and
the bonds failed to carry.
The fight only grew in intensity,
the Geary street park and ocean rail-
way expired. No agreement was made
between the city and the railroad on
advice of the city attorney. The COM
! pany paid per cent, of it's gross
| receipts. into the city treasury for
permission to run it's cars.
In May. 1905, the supervisors de-
| clared their intention Of rebuilding
| the road without recourse to a bond
issue.
The sum of $s50,000 was set aside
! in June, 1905, to begin the construc-
| ton. The construction contract was
| signed just before the great fire Of
! 1906 that reduced San Francisco to a
pile of cinders and twisted iron. The
| records Of the plans and estimates
for the road were destroyed in the
F.; fire and the negotiations for recon-
struction were abandoned.
| The fight was continued through
out these days of stress and toll when
the city was rebuilding itself
| In June, 1909, a proposition to is
sue 100000 bonds for an overhead
trolley line was defeated by the small
! margin of 421 votes.
! But friends Of municipal ownership
! began to struggle for the principle
! with increased ardor, and on Dec. 20,
1909, two municipal railway bond is
sues were submitted to the people.
One provided for $1.900,O00 to con-
struct a line from Kearney street, out
Geary, to the ocean. The other pro-
vided $4,000 to carry the road to
the ferries. Both propositions carried
overwhelmingly and the municipal
ownership principle was established.
On Feb. s, 1910, an ordinance was
passed formally authorizing the bond
issue. Horace Platt, president of the
Geary street railway, sued to restrain
the bond sale on the ground that the
city had exceeded its authority in
authorizing the issue.
Superior Judge Ellison decided that
the bond issue was valid on April 16,
1910, and this decision was affirmed
by the supreme court in July Of the
same year.
Only July 1s, 1910, the first bids
were received for the purchase of the
bonds, $121,0o0 being bid for the
$4,000 Of bonds offered. The re-
mainder of the issue was sold "over
the counter to small local investors,
The installation Of poles and the
overhead equipment of the munich
pally-owned Geary Street railway be-
gan in June, 1911. In August of the
Same year the roadbed construction
was begun between Fifth avenue and
Thirty-third on Geary street and on
Tenth avenue from Geary street to
Golden. Gate park. The work was
done by day labor.
On April 19, 1912, the contract was
let to P. H. Maloney for the roadbed
from Fifth avenue to Kearney street.