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Show J i: The Electric Railway. m ' ' " j On another page will be found the H-: J, Commissioners' Resolution granting B f to I). R. Roberts a franchise for an H. electric toad through this county. It H , I will be noticed that there arc certain H' J J conditions embodied in the resolution B r j making the acceptance of the same In PB I its present wording of no little ad - vantage to the county. In fact, the B' commissioners have looked so care- HS ' fully after the county's Interests In Bl, ' the matter, that Mr. Iiobcits says the Hf j' ' resolution Is practically piohibltivc J;' ( i that the capitalists who arc backing ' . v him can not, will not go further with Br' the matter unless certain conditions PH arc set aside and otheis modlticd. H' The tlrst objection of Mr. Roberts B'l is to the time limit in clause 1 of V'J Section 1. He Insists that six months J Is notsulllclent time In which to "do- ' tcrmlnc the dcllnltc location of said S railway upon said highways" and the B 1 filing of a map designating same, etc. ? -Mr. Roberts wants one year. H Ills second objection is to the latter ft, half of clause :t of Section 1 where It ft . . provides that 10 miles of road shall bo ft ? completed In one year and the entire V ' lino in operation within three years, BS under penalty of a forfeiture of the B , franchise, If the commissioners deem ft j , It advisable. Mr. Roberts deems this B8'. an outrageous demand and one which BB ' cannot be acceded to. BB , j The third objection Is to Section :i, BBj j! which provides that the county may BB.j H placo gravel trains on said railroad BB i and run them , at tho county's con- Bfl i t vcuicncc, and free from cost to the BBV;- I ! county. Mr. Roberts feels that this BBh I is asking altogether too much and BB l wants the clause modllled, to say the B'l ! least. BB i H The fourth objection is to Section BBj '1 7, providing that passes shall be is- BBI' ; sued to county officers, etc. The pro 1 motor charactcrl7.es this as "small". Tho Ilfth and last objection Is to hi Section 10 which provides a forfeiture Bfltt of $100 for each falluro or tho com- BB ", pany to observe- cacli and every con- BB ,' dltlon In franchise. Mr. Roberts BB $ t can't stand for that. BB' (I ; Tin. RiifuiiMCAK stands unmiali- BB j lledly for an electric road through BBj;' -, this county because It believes that it BB' will be of almost untold bcncllt to the BB , county. We are for progress, and this BB ( is along the right line. Tho county BB needs tho road, and the installation BB of the same must necessarily proe a BB mutual bencllt to county and pro- BB motors. 45 miles of electric road BB , , would add $700,000 to the taxable BB ' property, and it Is not doubted that BB this would practically double in ten BBv years. It would be the means of con- PB nectlng the extremes of the valley In PB a commeivial, social, and Industrial BBJ? ' way so effectively that the concn- BB leucc and advantage could hardly be BBL estimated. The residents of the out- BB , side towns could come to Logan.trans- BB ( act business and get homo at coiivcn- BB, ' lent hours, and likewise Logan bust- BB,' ncss men could look after Interests In BB all parts of the valley without such BB' great Inconvenience as at present. BB; ' Residents and business men in out Hx side tow;ns could get frclglit from Lo- BHj gun to 'great advantage and could PB market tholr products here in the BBI same way. Farmers could get their j BBu mill; to tho creameries and condensed i Hj A milk factories, and beets to the sugar BK y factories. With such a road It would PBj j bo possible for student s of the valley PPJ ' I to attend the educational Institutions H liMBBBBBk Bbbbbbi bbbbbVbbbbbbbb BBBBBBBffPBBvlBBBBBBBBBBBBBK A " - BjBMBBS& BBBBBBBBBBBBBBb.-' here and live at home; In tho matter of theatres, socials, campaign rallies, paying of taxes the citizens of outside communities could come to Logan at little cost and great convenience. It would enable this people to do Temple work at all seasons, and greatest of all to our mind is the fact that It would give a general Impetus to business busi-ness and make It much easier to induce in-duce enterprises to be promulgated in tills valley For the above icasons, and many others that might bo advanced, Tub RupmiLiOAN believes that every lcasonablc encouragement should be offered for the construction of such a road. Although Mr. Roberts persists in Insisting that the names of the financiers finan-ciers backing him not be given to the general publlcat present, enough definite defi-nite accurato Information isathandto bellevo that If a satisfactory franchise can be secured, tho road will be built, for this reason, It may bo well to consider con-sider Mr. Roberts' objections to the resolution. To our mind Mr. Roberts' first objection objec-tion Is well founded, lie has not less than elghtor nine tow ns to secure franchises fran-chises from, mill this icqulrcs time. He must first know through which towns his line will go before ho can locate his loute definitely. Six months Is not long enough Inuhlcli to accomplish this. Objection two is not well founded, for the reason that the objectionable section docs not state that thefran-Ise thefran-Ise HiiAt.t. be declared forfeited In case the entire road Is not constructed In tlnee years, but Instead states that the commissioners siay declare the franchise forfeited In case the road Is not completed. This piovlslon Is to protect the county against a balk in the proposition, and even though the road be not completed at the expiration expira-tion of three years, If It Is demonstrated demonstrat-ed that the company Is working In good faith and really intends to complete com-plete the road within a reasonable length of time, no one can imagine for a single moment that the commissioners commis-sioners would declare the franchise forfeited. For the county's protection protec-tion we believe this section should stand as It Is. Objection three, that to the county's free use of the road for gravel trains, Isnot unreasonable. We believe there should be some provision that the connty be permitted to use the said track for such purpose, but believe that the section should give the company com-pany a little moie choice. The company com-pany is not building the road for the county altogether, but can well alfoid to make ttme isiicislctis and 1s willing to do so. As tho section now reads, there is no limit to the demands tho county might make. We can not concur in Mr. Roberts objection to the commissioners providing pro-viding that they and the other county olllcials shall have passes. It may lie "small" to place such a piovlslon in a fianchlse, but It makes the olllcers free from any obligation to the company. com-pany. Mr. Roberts says that "they would get the passes anyway and the company should have the privilege of disposing of them as they please." That Is exactly It the company would like to make the obligation felt and for the protection of the general public It Is well that its servants be under no obligations. This provision in the franchise says the passes bo Issued, and tho dobt is paid. However, How-ever, we understand that this contention conten-tion Isnot vital and would not stop affairs It not acceded to. Mr. Roberts' objections to section 10 aro entirely reasonable. As tho section now reads everything Is now open to a contention, and forfeit of $100. There is no way of telling wheie the forfeitures would end nor what circumstances might aviso to invoho litigation. It would seem that this section could be modlticd to fit the exigences of the situation. We bcllove the county olllceis I should be zealous In looking after the county's Inteicsts but feel, too, that there should bo reasonable- liberality in this matter. " The posslMe benellts can hardly be estimated, and while It may seem that something valuable Is being given away It must bo remembered that something valuable will bo received. |
