The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-11-02
To Ask Council Tonight
for Blanket Grant for
Entire System.
WOULD SURRENDER ALL
RIGHTS IN PERPETUlTY
Company Expected to Offer City
Free Dedication of All
Viaducts.
FARES TO REMAIN UNCHANGED
Franchise Asked For to Preserve
Labor, School and Universal
Transfer Privileges.

Before the Common Council tonight
the Virginia Railway and Power Com
pany will apply for n new thirty-year
blanket franchise in exchange for
the several franchises under which the
amaigamated street railways now
owned by the company In this city are
operated. The company now operates
under about fifteen distinct grants ex-
piring Mt different dates from seven
years hence to perpetuity.
The executive officers OF the company
have been engaged for the past few
days in putting tho finishing touches
upon the preamble and petition. which
will be introduced In the. Common
Council tonight While the authori-
ties OF the Virginia Railway and Power
Company preferred to withhold the ex-
act provisions of the measure until IL
was presented formally to the Coun-
Gil. the general object of the petition
can be anticipated with more or less
accuracy.
WOULD ELIMINATE
PARALLEL LINES
II has been the desire of the COM
pRny for several years to eliminate use
less parallel lines whose operation was
made compulsory under the franchises
through which they were absorbed and
made part of the present system. The
proposed new blanket franchise will
provide for tho elimination of all tracks
Of this character. In this category will
fall the Cary Street line which is
paralleled by the Main Street line, only
ono block to the north A better com
hiration, of the Laurel. Oakwood and
Broad, and lakewood and Main lines
Will: In NIL probability be sought.
y Although the company has at various
times given thought to n possible
change In The system of fares. II Is
stated authoritat.vely that the new
blanket franchise will propose no
change from the present system. The
-siS labor. and school
Stickets,as we'll as the universal trans
isNosCIfKNtsf:yVi :yViIAT'EvrFy5ssssss,s ~
IN SCHEDULE OF FAR RES
a. According to the last annual repor,
of the company. the average fare paid
by passengers. including transfers. wa
] sc cents. The assertion is made by a
prominent officer OF the company that
this fare represents an actual loss. and
that a rcadjustmcnt of The tariff would
: he only just. IL has been suggested as
a remedy that the company adopt the
zone system In use in some European
countries, in which each passenger
pays graduated fare. according TO
the distance Travelled. ~
The zone system. however, is In use
nowhere in the United States. and Is
therefore, open to serious objection.
The institution of straight Scent
fare and the withdrawal OF the trans
fer-on-a-transfer privilege have hot,,
been suggested ms possible remedies.
All these plans. however. have been
rejected by the company, and. In the
new franchise for which 1t will apply
Tonight 1t will undertake to contract
with the city for the maintenance OF
: the present tariff system unchanged
for a period of thirty years.
sxsxu,5 xISy r-nxrrsa Nx.,S
ISSUING OF BONDS
AZ The grouping of.the whole city street
{. car system under n single franchise
would greatly clear the fiscal situation,
Z simplifying the company's securities
: and placing its bonds on n more fa-
4 vora BILE footing. The marketing OF the
company's bonds. when secured by a
single thlrty-year franchise. would be
! a much simpler matter than when pro-
9 tected by several franchises, each ex-
1 piring at a different time,
Annexation next Thursday will throw
!: into the city proper a considerable
mileage OF the scompany's lines now
{ operating In .Henrico County. This
emitting of the lines from suburban into
urban territory complexities the prob
J lem OF taxation. since the city imposes
5 a graduated franchise. tax carrying
3 from, 1-2 to 10 per cent of the gross
= receipts from traffic. while the county
!, imposes. only an ad valorem tax on the
physical property OF the road a blan-
ket franchise, for all the lines would
Z make the whole system subject to a
& uniform franchise tax.
WILL RETURN TO CITY
VALUABLE FRANCHISES
For the benefits just outlined, the
company Will offer to turn over to the
city all franchise rights that 1t holds
+ In perpetuitys and the perpetual grants
s OF land which 1t holds under franchises
I'm Chesterfield and Henrico Counties.
It Will, in all probability. also offer to
turn over to the city for free public
use; the several toll bridges which 1t
now controls or may acquire
The sale of the Richmond and
4 5Henrico Railway on Thursday, ii is ex-
pectcd. Will have n significant bearing
esked for IT is stated on good au-
thority that the Virginia Railway and
Tower Company Will be In a position
Thursday to. buy the property If 1t
chooses to do so.
the bankrupt road is acquired by
The virginia Railway and Power Com
pany, and all Indications point in that
direction. the power company Will be
In n position to offer the city the .dcdi-
cation ofsthe Marshall Street viaduct
,5as IL public street--a utility which
many Councilmen would be glad to see
Z the city control. The proposalbto turn
the yiaduct over to the 5cityS,sill prob
bly, be ono of the bigger concessions
= thatsw be offered in return for the
) new blanket franchise.
With the absorption of the Richmon
s and III enrlco properties effected, the
S,svirgipia Railway and Power Company
Continued on second Page,)
a1a. m ATLANTA sANp RFTIrRN.sta, IA IN