The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-02-24
BELIEVES BOOST
IN RATES WOULD
SOLVE TROUBLES
Berkshire Trolley Controversy
Discussed by G. M. Hawks
HELP TO SAVE HIGHWAYS
Confident Any Relief Granted
by Public Service Com. Would
Be Locally Endorsed
HELP TO SAVE HIGHWAYS

Editor OF The Banner AS one Of the
men appointed by the President of
the Village of Benn ngton to carry
to Montpelier. the protest Of the yot.
ers against Senate Bill No. 26 and
House Bill No. Il, now pending before
the Legislative Assembly, feel It my
duty to stat my pos on regarding
these matters no matter what the
outcome may be.
Senate Bill No. 26, proposed by
Senator Ccburn, of Chttenden Coun-
ty by request, reads as follows:
An act to enable the public sery-
ice commission to authorize compan-
les operating street railways to dis
continue service thereon or dispose
OF the property thereof.
It Is hereby enacted by the Gener-
al Assembly of the State of Vermont.
Section 1.-The public service com
miss on may, II on petition and after
hearing, it finds that a person or
company operating a street railway Is
not max ng a reasonable return on a
reasonable value, of such railway or
part thereof, author re such company
to d scontinue and dispose of the
track or equipment or any part
thereof on such cond tons as to the
COMMISSION shall seem proper and
consistent w h he public interest
Section 2-This act shall take eF-
feet from its passage"
House Bill No. 21. proposed by
Harry Chase, Representative from
Benningtont reads thus:
IAN act to provide that public serv-
ice corporat ons may be relieved
from obligations relating to street i'm.
provements when the municipal ty so
yotee.
1t is hereby enacted by the Gener
al Assembly Of the State of Vermont
Sect on Whenever II is made a
term. cond tion or provis on by any
charter franchise act of incorporation
OF addition. thereto OF any "a lroad
street ralWay or electric company or
corporation or other public service
corporation that such company OF
corporation shall be srespons bic for
or hold liable or obligated to pay for
or perform any, part in repairing
grading, paving. or repay ng or i'm
proving or changing any street. road
bridge or other public highway In any
village, town or city n this State, OF
be in any manner liab'e or obligated
to assessment for any public or mum
cipal inproveent therein, such V llage
town or city in which such company's
or corporations track, rails, wires oi
plants are located or established
may release and d scharge any sucl
company or corporation from any
such duty. obligations or lab lity by
a majority vote of its citizens pres
ent at any regular meet ng or at any
special meeting thereof or elect OF
therein duly notified and held for cor
sidering such purpose.
Sect on 2-This act shall take ef
feet from its passage
am not antagon ste to any public
utility corporation rendering public
service to this community so long a
that corporation thru ts officials
shows a disposition to play fair il
performing a service and LIVING NJ
to the terms and conditions OF III
contract which it agreed to do whel
application was made to the Vernon
eg stature and franchise granted
limgtless as to duration Of time.
That not only the Berkshire Stree
Railway Company, but every othe
traction company operat ng in tn,
United States has been III hard
financially during the tpast two years
is a fact known to all who have mad
a careful stury Of the situation TIL
causes are we'll known.
Automobiles have furnished trans
poraticn to many who formally patrC
n zed the trolley, thus reducing tn
number OF passengers carried an
automatically reducing the source
income to the corporation. Increase
cost of operation thru increased pa
to employees, increased cost OF pow
er and every other item of eXpens
has frequently resulted in an oper'
ting deficit,
No business man can expect an
business to contiue indefinitely at
financial loss. How then may thi
tract on situation be remedied?
The State of Vermont in granting
franchise regulates and CONTROLS u
exercises OF this franchise throug
the Public Service Commiss on, s
called, a commiss on to whom an
public utility corporation may appe
for any relief desired, at any time o
can llkewse any community upo
written application of ten taxpayer
Why then, If the rate for the tran
portation Of passengers or freight
not sufficient to Justify the operate
of the line, does not the Berkshii
Street Railway make applicat on
the Commission for higher rat,
Again, If the Berkshire Street Ra
way Company really wanted bushes
why does 1t keep its express ca
which formerly operated betwe,
North Adams and Bennington, nice
housed" in the car barn, and perm
Vad's express heavily loaded tru
to successfully operate daily over {
h ghways between these two tow
doing, nobody knows, how much da
age to the roads. To illustrate:
j am told that the Traction Co
pany charged Ice per 100 lbs I
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