Salt Lake Telegram | 1914-05-26 | Page 1 | Freight Route for U. L. & R. Co. Protested

I FREIGHT T ROUTE F-a F FOR R ILL UL R CUp CU p West Temple Street Owners Enter Objection to i di b 1 nance Before ComS Com Com- S mission c Vehement pr protest tel t was made by by y W Weil Temple TempI street property property owners owner before bool the tho city eity commission last night against t the passage e of el an ordinance ordinance- by wl ieh it is is proposed to grant ra t to th the tho Utah Ut-Sli li Light t and Railway company a a. fran franchise ra chise bise purporting to give Rive to that corporation corporation corpora corpora- ration ra- ra tion tho the right to operate freight in in that street The corporation has a asked k d for lor a franchise iran fran ehi chise chiso e to run nm for forty years earl to freight freJ ht express and mail mall ears cars c r in in- West Temple street and other streets of the company's rail system but bat cri critics of the proposed franchise franchiso say ay that tha a loophole loophole loop loop- hole has been left in tho the wording wordin of tho franchise which would make it possible pos pos possible sible upon tho the election of a commission th the tho majority of whoso whoM members are Bre friendly to the corporations corporation's s 's int interests r t to throw open the whole electric electrIc- c railroad railroad rail railS road system to freight haulage Those who object to the tho or ordinance and who purpose to con conduct a a. campaign n nto to defeat it it- it say they arc are at work to or organize anize a n general movement among property holders on tho the streets affected protesting against tho the granting grant of tho the franchise A meeting to effect thia thIs or- or will be c called for Thursday night at a time and place to fo bo be a designated deig- deig later The protest presented prese I to tho the city commission last night was signed b by sixty property owners and tt taxpayers 4 j in 1 West Temple street Those who cire tho the petition of protest say that their time was so limited that they wore were unable to call upon a majority of th the property holders They sa say that few if any of the tho pro property lertY holders holden ap approached approached ap- ap refused to 0 sign the protest and that had tho committee had bad r more mora re retime time timet hundreds of signatures could have hao been secured The The- meeting to bo be called d Thursday 1 ni nigHt t. t is for or the tho purpose of organizing for a. for for- systematic ati canvass a of bf- pf tho property prop arty erty owners in 10 tho the streets affected that thata a a. LulL full sentiment may mai be secured secured- S S Man Many objections objection are raised raiM b by those who oppose the granting ranting of t. t the franchiso frau fran chise ebbe They Ther say sa- that that- if this franchise b becomes omes effective it will give tho the com corn pan pan- the right to run solid trains of Fany frei freight ht cars ears in in West Temple streets When thUs this is done they say lIa with the freight track franchises w no-w now effective e in all tho the streets b between First W West st stand and Sixth West streets there thera will be i n. n solid mile of territory with a freight track at every crossing If the tho city 4 growth continues for a few Low years cars as DS it has in the last Jast decade they assert ns ert it will be nece necessary ary for tho lie city build viaducts for this mile on every cryl 8 street b by which safe access may be had hai to the western side of tho city from the tho east east- era ern This they assert will ruin rum a strip of property ono one milo mile in width through h virtually the whole north an and south Ien length th of the tho city Property in I that district they sa say will be ruined for homo home and residence purposes an ami will be available a only for warehouse archon o and other commercial purposes They contend too that virtually tho the whole western part of the city will b bp cut off from communication with thip eastern sido of tho city cit and that tho the growth and development dc of tho west westside westside si side e will be bo paralyzed paralyze That other property owners would bo be similarly effected is indicated b by route the proposed freight line Une franchise covers This route as set fiet forth in thu tho draft of ot the franchise franchi o submitted to th the tho commission last night is as follows Be Beginning w where the Utah Li Light ht and aid Railway tracks enter tho the northern limits o 01 or the cit city on its Us Bountiful Boun Bonn and ilIe line linc thence south ly 1 to Second West street south sonth on Sec See Second ond West street to First North street east on First North street to Wt West st Temple Tem Tern pIe street south on West Temple street to the company's s prop property between First South and anti Second South streets Another route indicated in the franchIse franchise fran fran- franchise chise draft is be beginning where the tho corn corn- pany's pan v's vs tracks track enter the so southern limits of the tho city eity on its Holliday and Cottonwood Cottonwood Cotton Cotton- wood lines thence in a northerly direction di direction di di- direction to Twelfth South str street et r north on Eleventh East trot street to Ninth South street west on Ninth South street to West Temple street and north on West Temple street to the company's property proper proper- I ty between First South and Sec Second nd South streets Still another route included d in n the franchise draft raft is j from th southern limits of Salt Lake City where the Jho bo company company's tracks outer enter on State street tret thence hence north on on State Slate street to Ninth South wc west t on Ninth South street to West Vest Temple street treet soil and north orth on W West Vet t Temple street treet to the company company's s 's property between Fir First t tI South and Second South streets street I Those objecting to the franchise say ft that hat th the tho has tracks on in nil all tho th e e streets and that not n J dollar lollar would wo necessarily be hf spent by bythe bythe the ho company in nc th these c st streets to 0 make the to routs routes proposed effective t and md available a No nt now new tracks would be IC laid they thc p MV a and anti no tie great t amo amount of if labor would ouM he employed 1 in making Continued on page n c 13 la I FREIGHT ROUTE Continued from rage page J. J such trifling c chan changes cs a 3 as bo ba required The on only I i investment estment to which the company compan would be bc for forced breed cd to carry carryon ou on the freight haulage busin business ss would be for r rolling stock tock an and perhaps ps for or freight sheds It is claimed by bJ Opponents of the franchise that there is a loophole inthe in iu the tho draft raft as presented to the commission commis sion sion b by which tlc holo system tem teni ot 01 the Corporation ton might be to freight corpor traffic in trains of closed cars cas The clause clauso to which the they t follows the description of the routes upon which it it i is proposed to carry freight foight and is as follows And nd upon sich t routes as may my I bo be directed or authorized by the board of commissioners of Salt of-Salt Salt Lake Lale Cit City This tho the opponents sn say throws the I wide commissions commission's gates open to future I Ito to give i e the corporation tho the rj right ht to torn rn run I its freight trains trams in Main aiu street tt Brigham Brigham Brig Brig- Brg ham street or on every cn track in the citY if the they should d choose choos h os to do so There is n no specific provision pro in the ordinance its opponents s say bay a requiring the traction tracton company coman- comanto to haul th the freight trains b by electricity and if the franchise franchiso is pass passed in ini its is present form the company would have tho the legal legai rig right t to operate steam lo locomotives ga gas engines or an any other sort of motive power machinery it would choose upon any of the streets t specified ed in the franchise fran fran- chise While th there re is a a clause in the proposed proposed pro pro- posed ordinance which provides that the ri right ht is reserved by bj the city to tc regulate and control the tho speed of all an cars cars' of the Utah Li Light ht an and Railway company within the tho city limits and nothing in the tho grant rant shall hal be con conS to in nn any wise ige affect the exorcise exor exor- cise of the police power of the ct city for forthe forthe the tho safety and health of tho the n I and h while the tho ordinance f ara draft pr provides that no freight express or r mail mai cars shall be p to stand ou on any track or switch swich on any u street longer than five minutes nor shall au any freight express or mail mai matter mater be loaded or unloaded upon an any street within tho the cit city the tho opponents of ot tho measure measure 88 say that other clauses cl in tho the franchise I draft nullify any pun punitive portion orton of or orthe the franchise This argument Is raised b by a quotation from tram section P of or the draft which pro pro- pro provides vides that If the corporation shall full fail ful or orT T refuse to comply with any terms conditions con con- or agreements of the ordinance or the directions of the tine city commission the el city commission reserves reger the right pon thirty days days' notice notie to require le- le re require quire the company compan to comply with tho the conditions of th the franchise wi within thIn that period of or thirty days das If I the corpora corpora- lion tOI fails ails tais to comply within thirty da days daIs s 's the franchise shall shah be forfeited It I is pointed out b by opponents of at the franchise c rac crac draft that Dial the corporation might violate all al speed rules and limits fixed by the tho other elt city ordinances ordinance until twentynine twentynine twenty twenty- nine days twenty three hours and fifty fifty- minutes s after the tho written notice was vas re received received re- re b by the corporation and still be within the tIne law That the corporation might behave e for or a time and then re- re sumo its violations of ordinances nn and still have hare thirty ea less a low few be before be be- fore pre It would bo be required to operate it Its t trains at mit it limited mi c speed d. d The same contention con on tenton Is made concerning loading and unloading earn cam am upon the tho streets and con con- corning earning lea ln leaving cars standing at switches crossings or orIn in tho streets A vigorous campaign of protest has lias been jeen Inaugurated d by property owners on on the streets affected h by time the proposed d franchise fran tran- ran ran- chise and unc th they assert that when the draft of or the rr franchise c Is taken from the table b by jy the city commission next the thc they will wi bc bp a able to convince tho the commission that t the adoption of ot tim the ordinance would be detrimental to ti th best beat interests of the city and ruInous to property owners on th the streets street affected ted I