The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1918-07-27
iNTERURBANs PLANNED.
System of Municipality Owned Rail.
ways Under Consideration.

A Baton Rouge despatch to the
Times-Picayune conveys the interest
| ing information that preliminary
steps are being taken by John B.
Rucker, manager Of the traffic bureau
of the Baton Rouge Chamber of Com
merce, to effect organizations in the
cities and towns in this section Of
Louisiana that will result in the con-
struction Of system of municipality
owned interurban railways.
These organizations are to be per-
fected so as to take advantage of the
act passed at thesrecent session of the
legislature empowering municipali-
ties to own, construct, acquire, lease
and operate electric street rail-
ways and interurban railways and
hydro-electric power plants. The
bill was introduced by Senator E. L..
Simmons of st. Martin, passed both
houses by unanimous vote, and is
now a law.
The plan is to effect an organiza-
| ton in each city and town and thus
lay the groundwork for a campaign
to gridiron Louisiana with interurban
railways that will furnish cheap and
rapid transportation to all sections of
the state. 1t is the purpose of Mr..
Rucker and others interested in the
movement to work out all of the de-
tails SO that when the war situation
adjusts itself and construction work
can be undertaken everything will
then be in readiness for building the
lines.
It is proposed to build an interstate
as well as a state system of interur-
bans. The Louisiana and Mississippi
legislatures have passed identically
same laws on the subject, and when
the legislatures Of other neighboring
states convene they will be asked to
pass the mississippi act,
which was drafted as model law for
all of the states. The Louisiana. and
Mississippi municipalities are now in
position to combine and cooperate
with each other in the construction
of interurbans.
Baton Rouge is arranging to bring
about the construction of three sys-
TENS of interurbans. One line is to
traverse the west bank Of the Missis-
sippi river to Donaldsonville and then
run down the west bank of Bayou La
fsurche to Napoleonville, Thibodaux,
and Houma. The other line is to go
down the east bank Of the Mississippi
river to New Orleans. The third line
IS to run from Baton Rouge to HAM
mond, mono CoVingeon anu onueia anu e9n-
meet with Ihe nuhIcl ellll au.. ~.
terurban tnat Is pa pianneo M pesWTsn Me-
New Orleans and ~ oDlie. Inc WIS, J,
slssippl act empowers Ine cues anu la.
towns along tne gulI cosse saa W .ahs
over Ire Interurban now N opeIas.oli
between SIfoxI ana s.lali
and o aonlslan 3 aa.ass
Isl
MAYOR Benrfn an, mas given assss.la.,ss
that the ilne peIWeen +, N,.l.saIle
ana tne stase me WIZ " ; e
soon as the MISSISSIPPI mun.ci u cipsaiisies
are .[ reauy ~ W e'e1i ps1ie = s''ie. =
structlon work. !,
+ a date viii be nxea N ene neal ! ~
ture Tor a conference OF colllnLslu,a. n;aa,iss
and business organizations gam. W uls.uSs 1lIs
the lnterurban questlon anu " 'a.1ll'ii
the campaign. = - aa,,ad ,,non &c
Inc simmons ~ aes - auuneu ;acos p af Il,
one Oh tne mosc n.pol 'ane p,en ns,t IN ~
constructive s1 lesis,as asion a. 49, 49, nc
on the statule BOOKS vi .lie ses''e' -
text OF lne Jaw . ioi:oWs. s.ao+oa =, tba
Sectlon l-be II enaceeu ~ e
general assemply .oI en s. +h;s
Louisiana, tnag municlpalit1es ~ ~, er,s
state are nefeoy autaorlzeu - anu aaa,,;ra @
powered TO own, cohssiucst s. 80 asq Ill
lease and operate elecei,I a1,st.;a sensee ra;1- I
ways and lnterurpan elecCIls -
ways ana eiecelc Hgs1L a1aatn;a sau po,uar p
plants, ana hyafo-eiessaN pJIoa h;,,a
plants, anu ~ tra 9tso cts With each other
ana maks co.,.r oa,,,,;oin.l;t;as ao Has n other
ana WIN IL ,inan nn.,a arsh;n ] Construction.
states ~ ele o ,aas;nm p p,naraf;on and
requirement, leaslhg, n1ga+r;a Gpeiat ;ater,,rhan
maintenance OF eleesri me this q state t
railways peeWeen pG,nof - th;s = stat stata and
or between points ~ s.1tts s'0s'eN -.
other states; o D. = f,,r+hor enacted.
Sectlon zps .1;4;as - +ha+ ! ~ I 4eLe advan.
that munlcipansl; m paaltses;+u si.s arantad % n this
tage OF eng aG.n nad aga ananowered to
act are auenu,a4er .1oaat ro;11uava au interurbar
mortgage e4s;o s.les n,h s;nht;n% and mower
railways, elen.lie eal e+han ,,n' nronartv newt and
plan.s s.ant .,,, ,asad a bv srch railways,
eaaip1 ead - n1adee' the revenues derived
therefronn, and to issue bonds, se-
cured Wy 4nn,,rhag 0 To- ra;lwavs and
railWays, ,a,.rar lns = nlants Man and hydro-
elecIr!c pomu ,,ar nIants The bonds
eleeeils ere. :as,,od - hap;n the construction,
I'fsl lssueI ,aasa ar onerat;on of such
pufcnase, lgas 1',e ,,s and mower plants
elecCrlc ialiWsy1 zinc l;+v