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july 2~Lth > 1956.
<br />
<br /> At a regntar meeting of the City Council, held on July 24th, 1956, there were present:
<br /> Fred A.Duke, B. W. Baker, George L. Grimes, J. N~. Howard, E. W. Lawrence,
<br /> R. Irvine smith, E. R. Sturtevant, Pestle J. Wilson, I.G. Vass, City Manager,
<br /> and R. C. Barclay, City Attorney.
<br />
<br /> Minutes of previous meeting were read and approved.
<br /> 56-211 - The following report from the Transportation Connnittee was read:
<br /> "The petition ~f the Portsmouth Transit Company, dated April 19th, 1956, to the City
<br />Council of this City, for an increase in the rate of fare and a reduction in gross receipts ~xes, was referred
<br />to the Transportation Committee for study and recommendation to the City council. There has been some delay in
<br />rendering a report due to the many other pressing problems of the City Council in the past two months.
<br /> The Committee has given this request considerable thought-and time, and has discussed
<br />the problem with many of our citizens, and met and discussed the problem with the Transit Company. Finally, the
<br />Transportation Committee asked for a comp lete hearing and discussion on this question by the entire Council,
<br />which was held on July 19th, 1956, at 4:30 P.M. A majority of the Council, the City Manager and the City Attorney~
<br />were present. It was the consensus of opinio~ of those present 5hat the Portsmouth Transit Company had present-
<br />ed a very comprehensive, fair and impartial report of the operations of the Transit Company, which disclosed that
<br />due to the large increase in ownership of automobiles, causing a large reduction in passengers, and the great in-
<br />crease in the cost of operations, they cduld no~ operate u3~der the present rate strncture, 'snd were daily going
<br />behind financially. As an example of how~the great increase in automobile ownership has affected the revenue
<br />passengers on buses - in 1944 the buses o~ this company carried over twenty one million passengers, while in 1955
<br />there were only seven and one half million riders. During this period ~the number of privately owned automobiles
<br />increased over one hundred per cent. The rate of pay for operators in 1944 was 85 cents per hour, is ~now $1.64
<br />per hour, and beginning Septembe~'l, 1956~ this rate will be increased to $1.68 per hour. The number of revenue
<br />passengers being carried now is approximately the same as in .1940 when the operator's pay was about one-half
<br />the present rate. The Committee found that in a great many cities of our size, the rate is 20 cts.while
<br />
<br /> in many other cities there is a two zone fare charge.
<br /> The ~rausit Company requested new rates as follows:
<br />
<br />Cash Fares .17
<br />5 Tokens .85
<br />20 School Tokens 1.70
<br />
<br />Gross receipts Tax be reduced from 3% to ~:~
<br />
<br /> The Committee and the Council are very reluctant ~o recommend a fare increase, but under
<br />present conditions, we feel it is necessary 5o do so to keep a ~ransit company operating in our City. Therefore
<br />we recommend the following rates be put into effect:
<br />
<br />3% to 1½%.
<br />
<br />C0~h Fares .17
<br />5 Tokens .85
<br />20 School Tickets 1.50
<br />
<br />The Committee also recommends that the gross receipts ~ax zo the City be reduced from
<br />
<br />Signed -
<br />
<br />J.N. Howard, Chairman
<br />E.W. Lawrence I
<br />Barnabas Wm. Baker
<br />R. Irvine Smith - Transportation Committee."'
<br />
<br />Motion of Mr. Howard to place the following ordinance on first reading, was adopted:
<br />
<br />"AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND RE-ORDAIN SECTION 16-14 OF ARTICLE II OF CHAPTER 16
<br />OF THE CODE OF Tt~ CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, 195t~ AS ~MENDED, RELATING TO P~TES OF
<br />FARE FOR INTP~-UREAN BUSES"
<br />
<br />Motion of Mr. Howard ~o place the following ordinance on first reading, was adopted:
<br />
<br />"AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AND RE-ORDAIN SECTION 16-17 OF ARTICLE II OF CHAPTER 16
<br />OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, 1951, A~ AMENDED, P~ELATING TO PAYMENT
<br />OF PERCENTAGE OF GROSS REVENUE IN LIEU OF LICENSE TAXES."
<br />
<br />The following reports from the City Manager were read:
<br />
<br /> 56-212 - "I submit the attached amendment to the City Code (Permit Eo Install Phone
<br />Booths on Cify Property) and recommend that it be placed on first reading."
<br />
<br />Motion of Mr. Grimes ro place the following ordinance on first reading~was adopted:
<br />
<br />"AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE CODE OF THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, 1951, BY ADDING THERETO
<br />A NEW SECTION RELATING TO PUBLIC TELEPHONE BOOTHS"
<br />
<br /> 56-213 "I submit the attached amendment to the Code of the City of Portsmouth, 1951,
<br />and recommend that it be placed on first reading - Section 26-1~.1.
<br />
<br />Motion of Mr. Smith 5o place the following ordinance on first reading, was adopted:
<br />
<br />"AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND AIfD RE-ORDAIN SECTION 23-4 OF ARTICLE 1 OF CHAPTER 23
<br />OF THE' CODE OF THE CITY OF PORTSMOUTH, 1951, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO FEES
<br />FOR PLAYING GOLF"
<br />
<br /> 56-214 - "At your last meeting you referred to the City Manager and the City Attorney
<br />a Iet~er from the Junior Chamber of Commerce requesting that the person selected each year as "Miss Porzsmouth"
<br />
<br />
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