Arizona republican., 1916-04-13

the existing contract between the City of Phoenix and this company.
 This relief is asked for q period of at least three years, or until such times as this Company is in better financial condition than it is at the present time We believe that this request is made on a reasona ble basis, as this Company has not been in position to pay for much of the material and equipment that it has purchased in the last few years. For instance. much of the Material that has been placed in the rebuilding of the Indian School line is not vet paid for. The cars that have been pur- chased the past two and four years have not yet been paid for. This company has never been in position to pay it's owners dividend nor has it been able to pay principal and interest on large sums of money bor- rowed from time to time for the re- building of it's tracks It should he granted by all state and city com missions that a corporation should be allowed to make interest on it's capital, before it is forced to an un- necessary expense in the performance i of the duties for which it has been incorporated, and in our case our principal duty is Service to the Public
 Tn order to give service to our patrons. we must first have trackage. then equipment, then maintenance. Within the near future there are DOT tions of our track that must he re- built, at heavy expense, providing we continue to operate over it. This will cost the company many thousands of dollars which must be secured from some other source than it's earnings which have not increased in the last few years as they should have, foi reasons well known to the>> public mind. However, operating expenses and taxes have increased very ma terially, and it is absolutely out o1 the question for us to pave oul tracks according to the present sys- tenn of paving and also rebuild track. and maintain service according to tho demands made upon us The pavins of our tracks adds nothing whatever to service for the public.
 ''The commercial bodies of this city are always making strong efforts t' secure institutions that will create payrOlls, which has tendency to up build any community. This company not only has been. and is making strong effort to maintain payrol
 of $50,000 and more per annum, bu it also is known factor for th' l Strpnpt heniDo of valuations Of Drop
 erty over city and the suburban dis
 tricts through which it traverses, an,
 this payroll should have more con
 sideraton than it has received an,
 it should be protected, and one wa,
 to protect it, is not to place heav
 burdens on it in the matter of eX penses, and particularly so in tn expense of paving it's tracks.
 , "The citizen does not think tha | we are operating on the same cen f fare that was established p year , fare has not been advanced. sti a there is hardly any other commodit , in connection with labor or materia , but what has advanced many fol
 in the last 15 years. Also, the com
 pany has been operating under unfai
 competition by jitneys for the pa. f few years, and this, together with ti business stagnation during the aboN Q period, has placed the company F very bad financial condition. Henc . with us paving is a serious consi(
 ration, as we are expected by Il 1T paving companies to pay cash with