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Show A RIGHTFUL EETTJBN. In tho consideration of tho street railway franchiso which is now before tho Council and its appropriate com-mittoo, com-mittoo, wo think that tho Councilmon who are iusisting that tho city shall have something in return for tho great privileges privi-leges it grants arc exactly right. The city should recover, first of all, its right j to use tho fall at tho mouth of Parley's canyon from tho conduit to the reservoir. reser-voir. It was a part of tho agreement with the taxpayers, whon they voted tho water and sewor bouds, that this power should bo available to tho municipality whenever it desired to use it. This agreement agree-ment with the taxpayers was sot aside by tho Council when it agrocd with tho street railway eompanj- that it would not use that fall for fifty years. This was a distinct repudiation of the agreement agree-ment with the taxpayors, and upon which tho bonds wero voted. Wo bo-licvo, bo-licvo, as a mattor of fact, that that clause in tho contract should bo invalidated in-validated on this ground; that is to Bay, because it repudiates the agreement agree-ment with tho taxpayers and the understanding un-derstanding upon which they voted this bond isuo. Then tho city should recoivo something some-thing better and in a different way from tho company than tho tax on cars in use. Tho twenty-five-dollar yearly tax on cars is an inadequate return to tho city for tho franchise; and then it has a tendency to diminish tho number of cars that the compnny will put at tho service of the public. Tho very roverso of this should be encouraged. Tho street railway company should bo encouraged en-couraged in every way to put on more cars than it does; and a sufficient number num-ber so that there will bo no such crowding crowd-ing and hanging on tho stops as we see so of ton in tho trips, not only, to tho bathing and other resort points, but to tho resident districts from time to time. Tho abandonmout of the car tax would in a way encourage tho company to put on more cars. Then in lieu of that there should be something in the naturo of tax on the gross income, or a stated and increasing increas-ing sum to bo paid by tho streot railway rail-way company on its business from year to year, or from period to period, after a few years to allow for tho large improvements im-provements which the company is putting put-ting in hero now. At tho expiration, 6ay of five years, the district tax upon tho income of the compa', either as a percentage on tho gross receipts, or, as a stated sum, increased in five-year periods, would bo a fair equivalent to tho city for the privileges as sought by tho compan Of course, all the company's operation should be made to conform to the ordinances and to tho requirements of the Council in every respect. When this is done, and there is a good understanding effected between, be-tween, tho city nud the company, everything every-thing will go along pleasantly. Then, in consideration of the largo benefits which the city confers upon tho company com-pany by allowing it tho uso of tho streets, the company could render tho city a fair return from tax on its business. busi-ness. Of course, all the time there is tho tax on tho visible property, which is valued and rated in the same wa3r as other property. But tho tax on gross receipts would be a special return for tho franchiso granted. This return would bo perfectly fair in whichever form it might be proposed. Wo trust that tho members of tho Council wo hope these may bo in tho majority who demand that tho city shall have something for what -it gives, will prevail in their views, and that tho company will seo tho justico of making a fair return to tho city for what it receives. |
