The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-06-02
ANOTHER TALE
OF LOW FINANCES
BY b. & M. T. & p. co.
General Manager Sands Told Barre City
Council That His Company Is Not Able
to Pay Proportionate Share Of Pro-
posed Street Paving Job and
Would Protest Assessment
for Bridge Construction.
for Bridge Construction.

The city council, in the favorite indoo
pastime of bringing the intercity trac
ton people to book, INDUCED in its per
ennlal speciality at city hall Thursday
afternoon when General Manager H. 5
Sands OF Boston and the b. g. NJ. T. & p
Cos local superintendent, II. D. LARA
bee, were called i'll for a conference
Bringing the traction company to book
invariably involves cry OF poverty or
the part of the trolley officials and yes.
terday's get-together was no exception
to the time -honored rule. Messrs. Sands
and Larrabee 1.-THE former did most Of the
talkingl, merely showed the city fathers
the lining of their pockets and then, for
all it mattered to them, the conference
might have ended. 1t didn't, because the
council hasn't acquired such a careless
habit of adjourning without an inning or
two of discussion.
Briefly, Mr.. Sands explained that an
empty exchequer could not be expected
to count as factor in paving project
such as is planned for South Main street
this summer. Much less could the coun-
Gil expect any pecuniary aid from a COM
pany that has outstanding obligations
of something like Sl56,000 that it can
not meet. The general manager stated
straight out that the company realized
that its failure to participate in the paw
ing project will abrogate the franchise
agreement made when the road was
built. He expressed his regrets that the
l.xI a.. ~
be violated, but offered no alternative.
He did go as far as to suggest that a
l0-eent fare between cities, twenty
minute service from ii O'Clock a. m. un-
til s p. m, with forty minute service
at other times might have tendency to
restore the road to popular favor and
put the company in a position to liqui-
late part, at least, of its indebtness.
When asked by Alderman Healy if he
could guarantee payment ON the paw
ing contract IT the company was per-
mitted to adopt the suggested schedule,
Mr.. Sands replied in the negative. Al
herman Healy then proposed that the
,ity so far as the franchise will author
re, permit the company to operate cars
IN any schedule deemed feasible for
rear. At this juncture it was intmated
hat the company had followed its own
preference in that matter for more than
year.
In closing, Mr.. Sands quoted figures
inc last year averaged eight passengers
,er trip. He concluded that. so long as
he company is without funds and has
10 credit, the city must follow the die
ate of its best judgment in acting.
Alderman Glysson stated the PROPOSE |
ion, as il appeared to the council. in a
ew words by declaring that one of two
curses must be pursued that the fran |
hise must be revoked or the paving pro-
ect must be abandoned. Mr.. Sands had |
tated previously that the company does
ot question tile councils right to re-
oke the franchise should the company |
all to pay its share of the paving bill,
ut intimated that any attempt to
barge for bridge building would be TAX
n up with the public service commits
ion. Alderman Bruce questioned the
fiicials at length and then they depart
4. Several opinions were expressed as
, whether the B. & NJ. T. & P. Co. is
nxious to have the road go into the
ands of receiver.
Alderman Reynolds, near the close of
he meeting, suggested that adverse ac-
on on the bonding proposition at the
,ecial city meeting next week might
It as an estoppel on further structures
4 the traction company. Before ad-
urnment the street committee and city
.torney were instructed to inquire into
le legal procedure that must be fol-
wed in dealing with the traction COM
my.