Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-09-25
ALDE N En- DISCUSS
PROPOSED 7.CENT FARE
Traction Company Officials
Claim They Cannot Pay In
creased Wages Recommended
by Arbitration Committee I'm
less Passengers Pay More

]
fare on its lines an this city, as recon-
mended by the board of arbitration in
the recent strike, was adjourned until
Friday evening at 1870, at which time the
council will hear the report of a COM
mittee consisting of C. L. Woodbury.,
president of the board. and Aldermen
Patrick and Dwyer, empowered to confer
with the mayor, coneult legal advice as
to the right of the city council to grant
the raise in fares, and secure such IN
formation as will enable them to draw
up a resolution to be presented to the
board
| 1t was a quiet meeting Tuesday night,
compared to some which the aldermen
have held, although there were enough
opinions expressed on the street railway
situation in Burlington to keep an aver
age man thinking for quite while. After
city Attorney Hopkins, at the request of
THE board, had drawn UP resolution pro-
viding for the raise to a seven-cent fare.
which should continue for two years. and
from that time until the expiration of
the principal franchise of the company,
unless d change was desired, either on
the part of the company or the city, also
providing for the operation by the COM
pany of n line to the Union station. the
whole matter came to q head when Alder
man Patrick made the statement that
there would he no use passing such n
resolution and then have 1t vetoed by the
mayor.
I'VE do not want to delay this Natter
said MIR. Patrick, but we think it will
be a greater delay to pass this resolution
and give the mayor n chance to hold 1t
up for a month and then veto it, only to
have it come back to us to thresh out
over again. If the mayor would only
present mis- suggestions now so that this
resolution could be fixed up to satisfy
him, we could then work tremendously
together and get along much faster with
this matter"
To this challenge Mayor Jackson made
no reply. Earlier in the evening, how
ever, when called upon, he said that
there were two points to be considered
seriously in this proposition, first, whether
the city council had the right to act
in this matter. and second, whether the
financial condition of the Traction COM
pany necessitated the raise in fares, and
that both questions were still unsettled
in his mind.
City Attorney Hopkins said that he
understood the position of the mayor and
that there was a difference of opinion
among attorneys in the city as to whether
the city council could make a new con-
tract as to fares with the Traction com
pany without a years notice of sucr
proceedings as specified in the origina
franchise. Attorney Hopkins expressed
his opinion. which he said was reached
after careful study OF the franchises ano
the situation in general, that the city
council had the power TO act in the mat
ter. He said that the authority gver
to the city council by the city charter
| is supreme as to the conduct of affair:
connected with the streets of the city
and that any contract between the city
council and the Traction company car
be modified or changed at any time. pro
vided both parties agree to the change
However. if there should be a disagree
ment, the terms of the franchise would
hold and a years notice would have tt
he given before action could be taken
The power to make a contract i'll the
first place, said Mr.. Hopkins, carries witt
it the power to agree between the parties
of the contract.
The meeting was opened by a shor
,statement by Elias Lyman, pres
. dent of the Burlington Traction com
pany to the effect that the recent in
crease given to the employees of the com
: pany raised the average weekly wage
paid to $3.50, an increase of about 100 pc
5 con, over tho weekly wage of SIG which
j,he cornnanv was having I'm 1916. He ais,
f stated that the government taxes had in
: creased from less than So 900 to sl3 0O0 IL
the same length of time.
For the arbitration committee which
b. recommended the raise in fares, Georg,
r T. whitney and John J. Whalen tol,
hriedv of the reasons for the recon
mandotion Mr.. Whitney said that he hat
e not taken into consideration what tn
Traction company might be losing o
gaining nv the Increased fares but tina
a tho committee had tried to do what wa
c right and the recommendation which ha,
l bear ,rado was hased unon the fare pre
e calling in other New England cities tn
D size of darlington. A seyen-cent far
I seemed 70 be the "market-fare' through
II out this section of the country, and thi
was the fare recommended
Mr. Whslen said that the settlement be
tween the Traction company and it's EN-
:. lOIoves had been made with the best O
feeling prevailing. and that the employee
are now receiving a wage averaging full
Z as high as that paid street car men i
4 any city in New England He though
that the company was Justified in askin
Y for the seyen-cent rate The only othe
. Mace in this part of the country whic
= the committee had found where a five
: cent fare still prevails was Plattsburgl
6 and there only within the city limits
g Higher fares were charged for trips I
: the Military Post and to Bluff Point.
= When questioned as to what dividend
/,