The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-01-17
TO MAKE
IT REAL
RAILROAD
Leaguers Don't Like Pro
posal to Abandon Street
Car Service
PLAN Big EXTENSION
Would Connect Penitentiary
and Mandan-Bill is
Being Prepared
DIV STAR correspondent.l

...a Icy STAN correspondent
Bismarck, ". D.. Jan. 1.-THE league
does not relish the budget boards sug-
gestion that the organization should
celebrate the beginning of its admins
tration by the abandonment of North
Dakota's FIRST and only state-owned
and operated public utility-the capitol
street car line.
The proposal strikes at the very root
of the leagues program of state-owneI
utilities. The leagues adoption OF the
recommendation to be made by the
board would, organization chieftains
assert, be confession at the outset OF
the states inability to successfully
operate such utilities.
bigger and Better.
A bigger and better street car line
and one which will pay DIVIDENDS, Is the
league program, which will be en-
bodied in bill which is to be intro
duced in the house by Representative
viding the new constitution or all
amendment enabling the state to en-
bark in utility-ownership is adopted,
will provide for the extension of the
railway to the penitentiary; the COM
pletion of the long proposed loop Wnlch
would give service to all OF east BIS
marck and ultimately, when the bridge
across the Missouri is completed, an in
terurban line to Mandan, extending to
the reform school.
This system would connect all of the
North Dakota public institutions locat-
ed in the central part of the state-the
capitol, the penitentiary and the reform
school. 1t would also afford good serv.
ice to the Indian school, which would
be touched by the Mandan-B Bismarck
line, and, when Fort Lincoln is rehabil-
itated, probably would offer hourly
service to that point.
d. Line Would Pay.
1--WE are confident that this line
would pay" said a prominent Lacquer
today. eve understand that the Breclk-
enridge-wahpeton line, even since
Breckenridge has gone dry, is paying
as high as 40 per cent. The state can
operate as economically and as eff
ciently as any private individual or
corporation, and the capitol street car
line offers US an opportunity to prove
this fact.
Power from Pen.
"Our plan Is TO establish central
power house Sat~the penitentiary, which
would furnish current for the street
car line and light the capitol building.
This would do away with one big item
of expense-the long haul for coal to
the capitol. 1t would be necessary, of
course, to run one boiler here to fur
nish heat for the building, but the coal
board of control charges to the street
car line. could be greatly reduced by
locating the principal plant at the
prison, where coal can be shipped in in
Itenas Not Exerbitant.
"other cost items shown by the board
of control and the budget board are
not exorbitant. Fifteen hundred per
year is charged up to oil, supplies and
repairs; $1,000 is charged to employees,
and $3.50 to convict labor on the tracks.
The total cost of operations for the
last year. is made by these figures,
$7,770, and the receipts for 1915 and
1915 are reported to have averaged but
$2,42e.28 per year. 1t must be remem-
bered, however, that the present car
line is serving a very small portion of
the city, and that the service could be
greatly extended without a correspond
ing increase in cost. 49,.
RlGht-of-Way I'm shape.
"The old right-of-way, connecting
the capitol power plant with the end of
Ninth street and which was put in
when a bin was passed several years
ago providing for the construction Of
this loop, Is still in good condition. AT
one time the 500 railway offered the
state rails free of charge for the pur-
pose of laying this piece of track. In
any event, this construction would not
Left without Light.
Under the present arrangement we
have been left here In the capitol with
out light after s o'clock until we made
had to md It's way out of the building
by match1ight, because the power was
shut off at 8. Janitors are unable to
do their work at night, and all the de-
partments when rushed are handicap
ped by the inability 60 put in any over
session. there is no current on during
the noon hour. and no matter how am
bilious we may be, we are compelled to
spend that time in idleness. All this
could be remedied by procuring cur
rent from the penitentiary power
plant"
Colds Cause Headache and Grip.