The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-06
MIR. PUNDERFORD's ARGUMENT

 TT HAT THE readers of The Times Farmer may
 ate firs-hand information of the attitude of the Con neccut company with respect to its desire to kill off the W ney its wish to have certain burdens taken off and its desire to charge fares upon this page is printed the views of l. H. Pderford general of the company which very clearly stated This not always the with the advanced in behalf company This the trolley opoy does not lose anything by the failure of it's advocate make himself understood
 Mir Punderord speaks though he may not know it. as two kinds of expert He deals with the mechanical side of his company that which has strictly to do with the operation of the road its management physical properly In this field he commands attention What he says may be received ar understatemen of what been done the way of effecting economics.
 He attempts trolley problem as con relations between the and the public those questions which social and legislative their In this field his views for the most part entitled to ser consideration.
 What N Punderford says physical advantages of unifcaon about shop economies, about reclamation of rails about safety interesting proves the engineers the producing in charge of the company have been doing their best to oethe difficulties created partly by the times and partly by unfortunate absolutely criminal nan Acial management of other days
 From the engineering standpoint the present management of the Connecticut company may be regarded admirable The engineers making such garment from little cloth
 When Mr Punderord deals with questions as taxa ton he is singuary unfortunate His method approach is istorc with his company. In the beginning was first advanCed by representatives of his company the argument he probably the nsncere lobbyist with legal training The argument has been used len that it tradition. The Connecticut Company has bred up school experts own who adhere to it's ideas about trolley taxation they never heard of any other Mr. Punderford is relieved any implication of per sonal insincerity.
 Tn Connecticut taxation is usually laid upon values
 The Connecticut Company has two sorts of property upon svhiek it pays taxes
 Property to which it holds the ie and property which leases, agreeing to pay the tax part of the rental
 In it's last published report to the Public Utilities Connis sion the Connecticut Company reported its property as worth $53137OOO The Connecticut Railway & Lighting Com pany owner of the leased property reported value of $3 3O0 The total value of the property upon which the Con neccut Company should pay taxes is $5O9O0O the con- pays, figures of MT. Punderford about $450OOO OF Little than five mills the dollar The in Bridgeport local property the dollar and this the rate paid by automobile in Bridgeport
 Dollar for dollar automobiles taxed at higher throughout Connecticut than trolley cars are.
 In addition 10 paying their taxes like other property a fomobes subject charge, virtually Punderord fuggests for the fuse of the road"
 In the of Ford worth say $500 this charge is 11 which is more than cent per the of inc property new It IS much the value of the
 similar charge of cent the value of the prOpervI of the trolley monopoly would provide the of $098O which almost $7O0OOO Connecicu company pays in taxes, for it's contribution pavemens and its contribution to bridges.
 The contention that has between troeys and itnevs the Connecticut Company unfairly taxed utterly ridiculous The contrary is the case
 Charges for bridges and pavemens were originally laid in lieu of taxes If these charges related and the company taxed something like fair rae let say one and one half cent would than at present and be paying 4nuch less than the of other property in the state
 Moreover the Connecticut Company in mendng it's road ed in keeping its right of fairly ftan costs in pavement and bridges
 Nor under this theory, anything charged Connec icut Company because it has monopoly a large and Important method of doing business. Private management of Connecticut railways is ut ery broken down. The remedy public ownership the o remedy
 A RELATED ANSWER