Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-04-27
J|TNEYS MAY CAUSE
FRANCHISE CHANGES
Street Railway Company Application
Set for Hearing on
May II.
CONDITIONS HAVE CHANGED
Since Virginia Railway and Power
Company Applied to City for New
Thfrty-Year Grant, New Form of
Transportation Has Developed.

The Council Committee on Streets
yesterday fixed Monday night, May IT,
ut o'clock. for the initial hearing on
the application of the Virginia Railway
and Power Company for n new blanket
franchise to supplant tho numerous in
diVidual grants under which it Is now
operating Its street railway and light
and power lines In this city.
Although dates for hearings on tho
| franchise have been fixed by tho COM
mittee In the past two months, only to
be postponed for ono reason or an
other 1t appears probable that this
llong-pendfng matter will actually be
taken up on May IT. Counsel for tho
Henry W. Anderson, told tho committee
that his company would welcome a
prompt disposition OF tho franchise pc
tition.
The petition was presented to the
Council on November l, 1914. Consid :
crablo delay was experienced at the
outset, when the committee requested
the street car company to prepare n COM
pilation of all Its franchises The
preparation of this book, which con-
tains about 500 pages, consumed more
than three months. 1t has been In the
hands of tho committee for almost two
months.
SUGGESTS ELIMINATION
! OF PARALLEL LINES
In its petition to the Council, now
@.
the Virginia Railway and Power Com
pany asks for thirtyyear blank let
franchise. 1t suggests. among other
thinSs, tho elimination of certain paral-
lei tracks. the maintenance Of which.
tho company objects, while economi
cally unwise, is imposed on 1t by pres
ent franchises. In return for the
blanket grant, the company. in its PC
tition. offers to dedicate to the city tho
FIRST. Firth and Marshall Street via
II &c re 4.
zee simple, and Forest Hill Park
This petition was filed last November.
many months before the jitney bus in
! vaded tho local transportation field and
neGan TO absorb considerable por-
| ton Of tho compnnys most profitable
short haul traffic. The company takes
tho position that 1t Is being subjected
to unfair competition, since, It claims.
the Jitney bus is not being required to
pear proporttonately tho taxes and bur
oens imposed by the city on the street
car company rs compensation for the
use OF the streets.
ANDERSON SPEAKS OF
CHANGED CONDITIONS
! In his short talk to tho committee
Yesterday, Mr.. Anderson alluded to the
! changed conditions" of tho present as
compared with last November when tho
| franchise petition was introduced He
| did not make the alluson more cxplicit.
|
mind the titney invasion and It's effect
on the company's business.
| Students OF the local transportation
situation predicted last night that when
] the hearing on the franchise applica-
! Ion fs held, tho Virginia Railway and
Power Company will modify in impor-
! tant particulars It's application to tho
! Council. 1t was even thought prob-
| able that the company would withdraw
its offer to dedicate to the city the three
viaducts.
1t is pointed out that the Marshall
Street, and First and Fifth Street via
/ ducts at present effectively bar the lit
ney from extending it's operations to
the East and North Ends To reach
! these outlying sections Of the city nv
| osher routes than across the viaducts
would involve wide detours that would
practically prohibit 5-ccnt automobile
| haul.
That the Virginia Railway and Power
| Company will take Into account the 1T
ney bus traffic and its effects on it's
| own business. in forwarding it's petit
tion for n blanket franchise, seems alto
! gether probable. The jitney was an un-
forcseen factor when the franchise pcti-
ton was fled and its presence will un-
| doubtedly result in important modifca-
ttons OF the company's proposition