Perth Amboy evening news., 1921-04-21
TEN CENTFARE
PLEA DENIED
No Raise in Rate on Jersey
Central Traction Line for
Present at Least.
UTILITY BOARD RULES
Trolley Co. Also Refused the
Right to Remove Its Tracks
From Borough of MataWan
UTILITY BOARD RULES
[By Evening News Correspondent

JERSEY CITY. April 21-There
will be no ten cent fare on the cars
of the Jersey Central Traction Com
pany, at least for the present, nor
can the company remove its tracks
from the borough of Matawan and
Keansburg, according to the find
ings of the Public Utility Commits
sion before whom the three apph-
cations were heard in Jersey City
yesterday.
Nearly ell of the municipalities
through which the company oper-
ates trolleys were present at the
hearing. Perth Amboy was repre-
sented by City Attorney Leo Gold
berger. Matawan by Borough At
torney Elmer II. Geran and Coun-
Gilman Bennett X .Eskesen, Keans-
burg, by the mayor of that borough
and the attorney. A representative
was also present from the Keans-
surg Steamboat Company. The
Traction Company was represented
by C. l.. S. Tingley, of the Phila-
delphia Office.
The three applications of the
company were taken up separately.
The first to come under the consld-
Grafton of the commissioners was
that requesting a ten cent fare. The
company now receives a seven cent
fare. No opportunity was given to
Introduce any evidence at this hear
ing. owing to tie fact that there Is
an appeal now pending in the su-
preme court taken from a decision
rendered by the former board OF
commissioners. City Attorney Leu
CsoIdherger of Perth Amboy sug-
rested that the Traction Company
withdraw the appeal so that the case
might come up for consideration by
the present board, but as no action
was taken by the company 10 90
This. the commission in order TO
avoid further legal entanglements
edvised that the matter be laid
over until after the supreme court
reports on the appeal.
The application of the Company
T., be allowed to remove the ralis
and discontinue the service IN MAT
avian borough from the tracks OF
the New York and Long Brancn
railroad to the tracks of the Central
Railroad of New Jersey at Freneau
was the next to be heard.
Borough Attorney Elmer H. Ge-
ran of Matawan, argued for that
borough. Evidence taken at
hearing before the old board OF
commissioners was offered In evil
dence at this hearing and accepted.
ATTORNEY Geran maintained that
the company had no right to remove
one section of the line in the por-
ough unless it removed the whole
line. He pointed out that the COM
pany was not anxious to abanoon
that section of the line In the Dor
nugh between Keyport and Mata-
uvan station. but the borough de-
nanded that all be removed or
none. .,tad
In replying the company stated
that the line was non-profitable ana
such heavy demands were peins
made on them by the municipality
that they would rather abandon the
service than make any expenditures.
At this point Chairman Tracy OF .he
commission. asked Mr.. Tingley II II
were not true that the company
made no application to remove its
tracks until after the borough de-
manded that the road bed be re-
paired. He admitted that this was a
fact.
Commissioner Tracy then asked
Mr.. Tingley if the company Wouio
be satisfied if the commission Or
dered them to resume normal ser,
vice if the matter of fixing the ROAD
bed is postponed until some other
occasion. Mr.. Tingley stated that
such an order would be agreeable 10
the company. The commission then
denied the company the right 10 re-
move the tracks and ordered that
normal service be resumed on the
line. Under the order that the ROAD
bed need not be repaired at present;
The application for the removal
of the company's tracks at keans-
burg was the next to be heard. The
testimony in this case showed that
although the land over which the
cars operate is now the property OF
the borough, at the time the tracks
were laid it was owned by other
people. -,
When the tracks were put down
the company made contract with
the former owner that IL after five
years the line did not pay they
could remove the tracks. The fran
chise was taken over when keans-
burg became a borough. The repre-
sentative of the Keansburg Steam
boat Company stated that when the
tracks were laid that company ad-
vanced $4,000 to the traction COM
pany to meet part of the expense OF
laying the rails. For this reason the
steam boat company did not want the
tracks removed. The steamboat
company also pointed out that the
FIVE years stated in the contract were
not up as yet and although the line
might not be paying at the present
time, before the end OF the five years
there was nothing to prove that 1t
would not be.
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