The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-26
PROPOSED FRANCHISE
CHANGES AREN'T AC-
CEPTABLE TO BARRE
Continued from first page

time honored practice of permitting uni
formed policemen and firemen to ride for
nothing. The substitute franchise, as
favored by the company, grants permits
sion TO the b. & M. T. a. p. Co.. its sue
cessors and assigns, to construct and for
a term OF 20 years TO operate an electric
street railway system in the following
streets: ION North Main street from
the Barre Berlin line to City square; on
South Main street from City square TO
Ayers street; on Washington street from
City square to Nelson street" If this
preamble is accepted, it is held by COM
petent persons who have examined the
draft, the railroad company will be re-
lieved of its promise to extend the line
in two directions to the city limits. This
rs the first concession in series of trades
which the city will make in orGer to re-
ceive that which is already its due under
the existing franchise.
Here is the schedule which the com
pany proposes to enforce if its efforts to
abrogate the present franchise are sue
cessful:
The company shall run at least one
car each way over all lines within the
Barre city limits every 80 minutes be-
tween the hours of a. m. and 1880
p, m. during the months of May, June,
July, August and September; and every
40 minutes between the hours of a. m.
and l0:40 p. m. during the months OF
October, November, December, January,
February, March and April; provided,
however, that on Sundays and holidays
the company shall not be required to
run car on any part of its lines earlier
than 1880 a. m" By those who have ex-
amined the proposed franchise in criti-
cal way the service curtailments in the
foregoing clause are regarded as self.evi.
dent.
In another instance the city, if the
council adopts the new franchise, will
forfeit the right to assess the railroad
for any bridge that may be built on
lines which the company has guaranteed
to extend to the city limits. This for the
reason that the draft now under consid-
Grafton restricts assessments of this ma
ture to bridges over which the railroad
now operates. Thus, the liability to pay |
for portion of the construction work on !
the proposed new South Main street |
bridge is removed, inasmuch as the |
road is not now operating over the
bridge. Individuals and private concerns |
are deprived OF redress available under
the present franchise whenever pipes are
laid or repaired by them or wires, sew
ers, drains or crosswalks installed, the
promise to replace displaced railroad
equipment at the company's expense APP
plying only to the city. Another clause
states that the company shall remove
snow and ice from its tracks and may
spread the same over the highway, pro-
vided it does not interfere with a safe
and unrestricted use of the highway by
wagons, sleighs and other vehicles.
Should the company fail to meet the re-
luirements, the new franchise says that
the city may, "after reasonable notice to
the company, do the work necessary to
meet such requirements and charge the
cost thereof TO the company"
costs, it is surmised, would
De subject to interpretations similar in
heir degrees OF variety as some of the
placed by the company on
'lauses in the present franchise.
In the proposed franchise the city for
eits, among other things the right to .
equire of the company the installation
II guard rails against the outside OF the
teel rails, protection which is regard
d as essential along certain strips of the :.
abroad.
The company franchise, as drafted o
nds its browning achievement in clause I
which reserves to the company the right a
o obtain from the public service com a
mission any repeal or modification that !
may succeed in having granted by the q
The existence OF the e
riginal franchise inhibits the public E,
ervice commission from changing in any =
ray the provisions therein contained. 1t b
as been intimated lately, by company p
fficials, that acceptance of the fran 81
hise recently drawn up means that mon m
Y necessary for the railroads share of &C
he South Main street paving project
ill be forthcoming, although in the past
he company representatives have reiter-
ted the claim that its finances would
OF permit the levying and collection of
lch an assessment. BY reason of pos
BILE franchise changes, however, the
1mpany expects to receive from the
an extension Of the bonds
lie in November of the present year =