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Show , In drawing up tho frnnchlso which ., tho city council Is contemplating Bp ! ' ) to glvo.tho Ptah Llghjt & Railway com- flffjifj . "' , puny, great care should bo taken to HU: '. ' V safeguard tho interests of tho city. Hh .. v Soveral things apparently havo been flHRl' . overlooked. For Instanco, .It is pro- jNjjji ' ' vldod'tlmt "reasonable" rules and reg- HH c illations govern; that "roasonnblo" HHjf ' u ' rates bo charged. These phrases nro HC practically meaningless. Tho word Hmk i "reasonable" Is too indefinite and H9L simply provides a loopholo for tho Hfjr benefit of tho company. In another Hiilj placo tho francliiso gives tho company tno rlslit to abandon any strcot car Rui'!- lino which it deems to bo -a non-profit- Btffi'J ' nblo lino and still hold tho franchise JTOi'j ' on tlioso particular streets. That Is Bi, all wrong. Tho company should bo Hgj compellod to run cars at regular, short HB Intervals on all oxltlng linos. To abandon an existing street car lino would bo a great Injustice to thoso people who 'havo bought property and built their homes on that line. Sup-poso Sup-poso the company should decldo to abandon tho First street car lino, what would become of tho people at tho Darlington end of tho lino? Tho phraseology of the franchise is very peculiar in some parts. It almost al-most seems as If tho company was given a francliiso to heat tho city by steam, a franchise within a franchise, as it were. Tho company is allowed to uso tho streets and to put In wires, conduits and steam pipes. For what does It want to run steam pipes through tho city? There "Is something strango about such a provision. If tho utmost care is not exercised it will bo found, when It Is too late, that tho city has given away much more than peoplo expect. |