Norwich bulletin., 1919-07-04
FINANCING TROLLEY LINE
 OVER THAMES RIVER BRIDGE

| By selling off it's franchise rights to | generate and sell electricity in this ter ] ritory, a process of living on its own 1 fat" to speak. the Shore Line /, Electric Railway company of this city, 1 operators of the trolley lines in this section, has been able to meet an in sistent demand made upon it for the payment of $262, 900 in rent to the Con necticut company.
 Related to the same financial trans action is a proposition by which the Connecticut company is to finance the expenses of making the track connec-
 tions at the highway bridge over the
 Thames river at New London to the extent of S100.00O.
 President Robert w. Perkins of the
 Shore Line road explained on Thurs
 day night that was probably the way in
 which the road would be ena bled to
 have the necessary work carried on a
 It's trolley cars over the bridge, which
 State Highway Commissioner C. J.
 Bennett now says he intends to have
 ready for opening on Labor day.
 The Shore Line company. President
 Perkins said, had never been able to
 pay to the Connections company the
 rent due for the trolley property which
 it holds on a lease from the Connecti-
 cut company, and recently the Con-
 necticut company had made very ur-
 gent demand for some kind of settle
 ment. In the emergency. the Shore
 Line directors raised the money to pay
 O1 the 1OnHecIlCuI company Dy SeIllIS
 to the Eastern Connecticut Power
 company, winch is owned wholly by the
 Morton F. Plant estate, its franchise
 rights to generate and sell electricity.
 By notes and by cash from the sale to the Eastern Connecticut Power com
 pany, the Shore Line was able to set
 tie its account with the Connecticut company, but the proposition was a once put up to the Connecticut com pany that they ought to use some of this money for the Thames river bridge connection expense.
 According to the terms of the lease | between the two trolley companies, | The Connecticut company must f- 1 nance all capital expenditures and the l laying of new tracks is considered in l trolley lines as a capital expenditure. | work at the bridge approaches, MT. l Perkins included a request for a | certain number of new one-man cars, l but this was refused. However, the they would finance the bridge work 1 if it did not exceed $100,0 and esti- 1 mates are now to be made to see if it will not exceed that sum.
 When the state highway commits sioner learned of this projected ar he at once said that this seemed to promise a delay in his plan for a Labor Day opening of the bridge since he would have to halt the concrete road work that he had already started at the bridge ap- breaches. To smooth out this difficult ty President Perkins at once agreed that the Shore Line would bear the expense of laying about 100 feet of track through the concrete approach at the Groton end of the bridge and 500 feet at the New London end at an expense of sS,00O. This is to pro- -ect the situation there and obyiate he necessity of tearing up the ap- breaches to lay tracks after the con- srete roadbed had been laid. Com missioner Bennett is thereby enabled o go ahead with his work without be- ng held up, as the tracks have al- -eady been laid across the bridge.
 If this plan proposed to the Connec- icut company goes through it will mean a saving of 5000 in operating or the money will be furnished from he Connecticut company on , per cnt basis. whereas the states propo- ion was to charge the company an nnual rental of S10,000 if the state lid the work.
 The big expense in connection with unning the tracks from the bridge to h onnect with the present tracks of the Shore Line is at the New London end E where the tracks will come through 'rystal avenue to join the trolley t racks in Main street. This connect ng link from the Groton side by way f the bridge will serve terminal abilities in New London for the Iroton lines and the road will enjoy II advantage over jitney lines that | nay be run in opposition, because it = Till have to pay no toll over the ridge. while for jitney traffic there Till be toll charge.