The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1918-11-02
NTERURbAN LINES
MAY LINK MOBILE
AND new ORLEANS
Mississippi Coast Municipalities to Be
Represented at Conference
To Be Held in Bay St. Louis
DURING MONTH OF JANUARY.
Laws of Louisiana and Mississippi
Make 1t Possible for Proposed
Interurban Line.

Bay st. Louis, Miss, Miss, Oct. 26
Steps will be taken early in the new
year for arranging the preliminary
plans for the construction and opera
tion of municipality electric
inter-urban railway system between
New Orleans and Mobile.
When the City Councils of the mu-
inequalities situated along the Missis
sippi coast hold their meetings in jan
uary resolutions will be offered pro-
viding that each municipality shall
appoint a committe of three citizens
for the purpose of holding a joint
conference that will map out the preli-
minary work that is to be done tow
ard building the inter-urban system.
Each municipality will be expected to
appoint strong committees, to be CON-
posed of some of their best
and most progressive citizens.
The municipalities that will be re-
presented at the conference will be
New Orleans, Waveland, Bay St.
Louis, Pass Christian, Long Beach,
Gulfport, Handsboro, Biloxi, Ocean
Springs, Pascagoula, Moss Point and
Mobile.
The conference to be held for the
purpose of carrying out the laws
passed by the Legislatures of Louis
lana and Mississippi empowering mu-
inequalities to combine with each 9TH
er in the construction, ownership and
operation of inter-urban railways.
The laws are identical in language,
the purpose being to provide for a
uniform system of construction, OPP
Grafton and management.
Among tie matters ITO be dis
cussed at the conference will be the
route of the proposed line, the allot-
ment of cost of construction, the pur-
chase of existing lines, the location
of power plants, places on streams
for establishing hydro-electric plants,
etc., and plans for a permanent or
ganization to build, control and op-
crate the inter-urban system.
The conference will probably be
held at Bay st. Louis, because it is a
cenral point, and because it is at
this place that one of he engineer
ing questions, that of the construct
ion of bridge across the Bay of st.
Louis, will have to be settled. For
this reason the State and Federal
highway engineers will be invited to
participate in the conference and Of
fer their advice
1t is designed to build bridge
across the bay that will accommodate
the inter-urban, as we'll as general
traffic. Under existing laws the
ridge can be built either by the coun-
ties of Hancock and Harrison, the
municipalities that will own the in
terurban, or by private corporation,
A publicly-ow bridge, it is under
stood, will be favored, but the details
are yet to be worked out. If public
bridge is built the federal government
will defray part Of the cost through
he National Highway fund. That is
why it is necessary to have the fed
eral engineers at the conference,
MEANS NO NEW TAX.
Undr the provisions Of the laws
passed by the Legislatures of Louis
lana and Mississippi the inter-urban
system between New Orleans and
| Mobile will be built and operated
| without costing penny in addition
al taxes. The laws. authorize the
municipalities to ISSUE bonds for the
construction nuEposes that will be
secured by mortgages on the inter-
! urban and the revenues derived
therefrom The revenus will pro-
wide sufficient money to pay the inter-
| est on the bonds, and at the same
| time furnish sinking fund for the IL
quidation of the bonds. If these
plans are carried out the people will
get the benefit of these improvements
without any increase in taxes or any
| additional expense to their local gov
ernments.
The sentiment that has so far de-
veloped favors double track inter
burban system all the way from New
! Orleans to Mobile, so that the line
will be equipped at the start to ham,
die any and all classes of business
that may be offered, IT Is Also pro-
posed to connect up the nterurban
| with factories and industrial plants,
to build electric belt railroads at the
most important commercial eenters
along the Mississippi Coast.
The law authorizes the municipal
ties to take over or purchase existing
inter urban and local railway sys-
TENS at fair and reasonable valua-
tions. There are two systems on
the Mississippi Coast, one running be-
tween Biloxi and Pass Christian and
the other between Pascagoula and
Moss Point, and it is very likely that
the corporations owning them will
sell to the municipalities. w. T.
Stewart Of Gulfport, who represents
the Jones interests in the line be-