The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-04-30
DEMAND RUTLAND
RUN M0RETR
OVER CHATHAM
Citizens Protest Reduced Ser
vice on Division
BIG MEETING Hello IN TROY
Chairman Seymour Van santvoord Of
Public Service Commission
Presides

Troy. April 3o.--Chairman Van
Sanivoord OF the Second district pub
lie service commission yesterday az
ternoon held a hearing upon the COM
plant OF residents OF the towns Of
Berlin and Petersburgh. Rensselaer,
county. against the Rutland Railroad
company Chatham diyision) in the
matter OF alleged inadequate passen-
ger train service. The hearing room
was crowded with interested citi-
zens OF the towns involved.
The complaint was the result OF a
new passenger train schedule put in
10 effect April las; which did not
satisfy the compliments. They ask
ed that a train leave Chatham at s
a. m. II is theig contention that with
such a train passengers in the early
morning from Albany and from Pitts
field could get this train and passen-
gers between Chatham and Peters
burg Junction could get a Boston and
Maine train which would bring them
into Troy at 1l.20 a. m. They furth-
er asked that a train from Benning-
ton connect at Petersburgh Junction
at 6.27 p. m. with a Boston and
Maine train from Troy and connect
at Chatham a. s.3l p. m. with Bos-
ton and Albany train from Albany,
and, later in the night, with a Boston
and Albany train from Boston.
Thomas Spratt OF Ogdensburgh APP
pea red for the railroad company. and
+. T. Grant of Rutland. general pas
senger agent, and George l.. II.
French OF Rutland. general superin-
tendent. were the principal witness
es. Mr.. Grant produced data show
ing that the railroad company could
not afford more adequate passenger
train service than at present exists,
and stated that even now the COM
pany was operating at a loss. He set
forth that the company's earnings In
the year 1913 had decreased Sl.3S1.-
so as compared with the year 1912,
and stated that auto-bus lines travers
ing territory covered by the railroad
were responsible to a certain extent.
Mr. French also went into the details
OF operation. and stated that while
the company was willing to give the
people along its line satisfactory ser
n Npt,lA no
accomplished without considerable f.
nancial loss TO the company.
Senator Victor NJ. Allen OF Peters
burgh made a vigorous protest
against the present conditions and
urged the railroad company to rem
der better service to the people in
his territory than that afforded at
present. He said they were willing
TO cooperate with the railroad offic-
ials, and that ii was agreeable to
them If the railroad raised the pass
enger and freight rates so long as
they received fairly good service. He
further emphasized that the people
were not asking for parlor car nor
passenger train accommodations, but
were willing to ride on q passenger
car attached to cattle train in or
der to receive such service.
Chairman Van Santvoord stated
that the commission did not recog.
nize as necessarily sufficient that a
railroad operated at a loss, and re-
marked that it had compelled rail-
roads to place on schedule certain
trains under such conditions. 1t was
agreed between all parties that Sena-
tor Allen, representing the complain
ants, Mr.. French, representing the
railroad company. and Chairman Van
Santvoord, representing the commits
sion, would hold conference at the
office OF the chairman next Wednes-
day at . y. m. for the purpose of ar
irving at some satisfactory settle
ment of the difficulty.