Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1916-03-28
ELECTRIC COMPANY TO MAKE M
PR0VEMENTS AND EXTENSIONS
OF STREET RAILROAD LINES

The Wisconsin Valley Electric COM
pany will begin work on extensive i'm
provements and extensions just as soon
as the frost is out of the ground. The
track on Grand avenue between Forest
and Strollers' bridge will be replaced
with a complete new track of heavier
material.
The company will also apply to the
council for franchise and right to con-
struct extensions on Third Avenue,
South, and on North Sixth street. 1t
is intended, subject to approval and
satisfactory arrangements with the
common council, to extend tracks on
Third avenue, South.
Mr.. Ewing, manager of the company,
today said: 1.-THE company fully recog-
nizes the benefits which will accrue
and the convenience of further electric
railroad extensions. While city cleo
trio street railroad construction has
been at a practical standstill over the
country, yet Wausau ought to have
some additional track. AS a matter
of fact, as all people are now fully
realizing, the passenger traffic of city
lines, except in larger cities is no
| longer profitable, due to two reasons:
| 1st) The development of automobiles
has seriously decreased earnings. (2nd)
The demand that the roads pay for
street improvements is putting on the
smaller roads too heavy a burden for
the business to carry. We all in Wau
sau want not only extensions of lines
in the city, but what we need more
as city building proposition is cleo
trio roads carrying both freight and
passengers. A line from the 500 road
on the north to the 500 road on the
south can as a combined freight and
passenger proposition be made feast
BILE project There is power now run
ming to waste to operate such road,
and the financing and building re-
quires merely a leader of sufficient
ability to carry the project through.
I'm the meantime too many street
Improvement burdens should not be
insisted upon by the cities. The rail-
road company does not use the paving
of the streets, and it is the paving re-
quirements of cities which to a con-
siderable extent has discouraged and
stopped the construction of these lines
everywhere.
There is not in the state of Wiscon
sin today with one possible exception)
city street railroad line which is
paying per cent on the actual cost
of the property--this statement war
rants consideration. The deficits of
most of these properties are being
carried by other more profitable de-
partments such as gas and electric
light and power, and public officials
should recognize this unfortunate con-
dition and decrease so far as possible,
unnecessary paving burdens so that
improvements in transportation can
be made.
This company now has no fran
, chise covering extensions and it pro-
poses to submit to the council, appli-
cation covering extensions, and with
such application, full and complete
information as to conditions of small
electric roads in general as well as
to our company in particular. Reli-
able publicity of public service matters
of all kinds invariably leads to better
| results, and to better service, and in
| the interests of Wausau we should
now take up and consider these mat
| fprS