96 N.Y.S. 609 | N.Y. App. Div. | 1905
Lead Opinion
The matter in contest between the ■ parties to this record is brought before the court by two appeals,, one from a judgment in ah action ih which the relief was sought oí a perpetual injunction against the defendant to restrain it from interfering with or. obstructing the plaintiff in the maintenance of certain cables and electrical conductors located in subways or ducts in the city of New York, and the other from a final order dismissing and quashing an alternative, writ of mandamus, which had- been directed to the defendant, to enforce a right claimed by the appellant to lay or place other cables for electric lighting purposes in subways' in the city of New York. • ■
The single question involved in both the action and' the special proceeding relates to the existence of a right on the part of the appellant to use the subways as -claimed by it. It is conceded that it has what may be called an- apparent authority (to use those subways ; that is to say,, it" lias.,-received the consent and authority of the board of electrical control of the city of New-York, and it. insists that under the law that, consent and authority is all that -is required to enable it lawfully to lay, construct and maintain wirés and other appropriate appliances for conducting and' distributing electricity in subways under the streets, avenues and public places in - -the City of New York. The-defendant and respondent insists that the apparent consent and authority referred to is inadequate and insufficient to confer, upon the appellant the right it asserts, but, on the contrary* that the power to grant the .necessary consent and authority resided only in the board of aldermen of the city of New York. - .
The. situation, so far as the appellant is concerned, may be stated ' in a few words: It is an electrical company,, organized in October, 1896, under the Transportation Corporations "Law, which became operative on May 1, 1891.
The appellant, on October 30, 1896, procured from the board of electrical control of the city of Hew York an authority, permit or certificate which recited that the appellant had petitioned the board of electrical control for afranchise to do business in the city of Hew York and had filed a certificate of its incorporation with that board and it was, therefore, resolved, “ that the West Side Electrical Company having filed the necessary certificate with the Secretary of the State of Hew York and the Clerk of the City and County of Hew York permitting it to do business, be and it hereby is authorized and empowered to lay and construct suitable wires or other conductors in subways under streets, avenues, public parks and places in the City of Hew York for conducting and distributing electricity under the direction of the Board of Electrical Control, subject to all existing rules applicable thereto and to all regulations which the Board may hereafter impose by resolution or otherwise, provided always, and this consent is given on that express condition and not otherwise, that until the further order and resolution of this Board, the electrical conductors of said company shall be laid or constructed by the Consolidated Telegraph and Electrical Subway Company, under and in pursuance of .the statutes of the State of Hew York' and under the supervision of this Board.” Acting under the authority thus conferred, or sought to be conferred, the appellant procured permits to open the streets and to introducé its wires or cables in subway ducts.
What has been heretofore stated is sufficient to indicate the general aspect in which the controversy .now comes before us, and it will be seen that the real issue is whether the appellant acquired a franchise to do business in the city of Hew York under the provisions of the" Transportation Corporations Law. The court below determined that it had not, and we are coihpelled by authority to acquiesce in that determination. It is evident that the appellant and the respondent and the board of electrical control were all of opinion that the municipal authority referred to in subdivision 2 of section 61 of the Transportation Corporations Law was the last-mentioned board, a view which, would be now adopted by us were
In Ghee v. Northern Union Gas Co. (34 App. Div. 551) a taxpayer brought an action under chapter'531 of the Laws of 1881, as amended.by chapter' 301 of tlie Laws of 1892, to restrain the laying of gas mains in certain streets of. the city óf New York, upon the ground that that company had no franchise or right to do so, and that certain officials of the city, the commissioner of . highways . and the ¡deputy commissioner of highways of the borough of The Bronx, had illegally granted a permit for the laying of such-mains.' The Northern Union Gas Company was organized in 1897 under the Transportation Corporations Act for the purpose of manufactur- ' ing arid supplying gas and electricity to public and private buildings in the city of Hew York. The question arose in the case as to the power of the commissioners to issue the permit or grant the authority which was given' to the gas company. Upon a consideration "of the whole subject, it was determined by this court that the ' proper “ municipal authorities,” under the provisions of the Greater ‘ Hew York charter of -1897,
'We'are unable to see that the language of the act of 1887 con-' fers upon the. board .of electrical control any different power than was conferred upon the department of buildings, lighting and supplies and the department of highways by the tiharter of 1897. The points decided in the Ghee case, in ■ a few, words,. are these: That the, right and power to use the streets under the provisions of the Transportation Corporations Law is part of a franchise; the consent of the municipal authorities is necessary to the full acquisition of that franchise; it can be given only by municipal authority and that municipal authority is the body legislating for the city. There are some inaccuracies in the opinion of the Court of Appeals in the Ghee case concerning the history of the granting of consents to gas companies to lay gas pipes and mains in the city of New York. The power to grant consents was not always -exercised by the com- • mon council of the city of New'York, but express, legislative authority was at one time given to a board to grant -such consents. In 1886 (Chap. 321, § 15) an act was passed to authorize the formation of gas companies in the city of New York and to regulate the powers and duties of the same. By section 15 it was provided that < - any company’ subject to this act - may lay its mains or pipes and supply its gas through the same' without any further proceedings, '■ conditions or authority than those herein contained, save the consent thereto of -the mayor, comptroller and president of the department
Notwithstanding the very elaborate and learned argument of the counsel for the appellant, we feel constrained by the authority of the Ghee case to affirm the judgment and order appealed from.
The judgment and order should' be affirmed, with costs.
O’Brien, P. J., and McLaughlin, J., concurred; Laughlin, J., concurred in result; Ingraham, J., dissented.
See Laws .of 1890, chap. 566, § 163.— [Rep.
Laws of 1897, chap. 378.— [Rep,
Dissenting Opinion
(dissenting upon appeal from order):
The relator was denied'its right to use ducts in the subway in the streets of the city of New York for its wires to furnish electricity for light to its customers upon the sole ground that it had not lawful power to operate electrical conductors in any street, avenue or highway in the city of New York, and the only question presented upon this appeal is whether the relator is so authorized.
The relator was duly organized on October 21, 1896, under the Transportation Corporations Law (Laws of 1890, chap. 566)1 Article 6 of that act applies to gas and electric light" corporations; section 60 of the statute, which is in said article, provides for the incorporation of the company, and subdivision 2 of section 61 of said act, which is in the same article, provides that every such corporation shall have the power “ if incorporated for the purpose of using electricity for light, heat or power, to carry on the business of lighting by electricity or using it for heai or power in cities, towns and villages within this State, and the streets, avenues, public parks and places
The provisions of this section were taken from chapter' 512 of the Laws of 1879, section 2 of that act giving to any gaslight company organized Under chapter 37 of the Laws of 1848, and the acts' amendatory thereof, the authority to generate and supply electricity, with the power to lay, erect and Construct suitable wires or other conductors, with the necessary poles, pipes or other fixtures, in, on, over and under the streets, avenues, public parks and places of the cities, towns or villages within this State, for conducting and distributing electricity, with the consent of the municipal authorities thereof, and under such reasonable regulationsas they may prescribe. The 1st section of this latter act was amended by chapter 73 of the Laws of 1882.
Upon the incorporatión of the relator it thus became vested with a franchise to lay, erect and construct suitable wires, or other conductors, with the necessary poles, pipes or other fixtures in, on, over and under the streets, avenues, public parks and places of the city of New York for conducting and distributing electricity when the consent of the municipal authorities of that city ,was obtained. I think it must be conceded that, the' Legislature having power to grant this franchise absolutely, without the consent of ..the municipal authorities, had power to impose a condition requiring the consent of the municipal authorities • of the city of New York before the franchise should be exercised, and having power to thus impose a condition, it could designate the officers who should give that consent. Whether, we call this conferring a franchise, or a condition required by the sovereign power before the franchise should be used, it- was for the Legislature to say what officer or board of the municipality should be required to give his or its consent before the grant of the franchise became operative. The statute requires the consent of the municipal authorities, and
The claim - of the relator is that section 1 of chapter 716 of the .Laws of 1887 (as amd. by Laws of 1890, chap. 550), which was extended by chapter 383 of the Laws of 1891/ chapter 263 of the Laws of 1892, chapter 396 of the Laws of 1893, and chapter 207 of the Laws of 1894, .vested the power to give the consent required by section 2.of chapter 512 of thd Laws of 1879, or by subdivision 2 of section 61 of the Transportation Corporations Law, in the board of electrical control, and that that board having given its consent in October, 1896, to the -relator’s using the streets of the city of New York, the condition imposed by subdivision 2 of section 61 of the Transportation Corporations Law was complied with, and it became a corporation having lawful power to operate electrical -conductors in the streets, avenues or highways in the city of New York. Prior to the passage of this act of 1887, gas companies organized under the general law, whose right to do business was also subject to tbe consent of the municipal authorities, had, by section 15 of chapter 321 of the Laws of 1386, to obtain the consent, not of the board of aldermen, but of the mayor, comptroller and president of the department of taxes and assessments of the city of New York, but the consent of the board of aldermen was required before a corporation organized under the general act could use the streets for supplying electricity. Prior to the year 1887 the condition in the streets of the city of New York, in consequence of the overhead wires used by the telegraph, telephone and electric light companies, had become the subject of complaint, and for some years attempts had been made to compel the companies using the streets for such" purposes to place their wires under ground. The first attempt seems to have been the enactment of chapter 534 of the Laws of 1884. This act directed the corporations, associations or individuals so using the streets in cities having a population of 500,000 or over to remove the overhead wires before the 1st of November, 1885, and if the provisions
The 1st section of that act provides that “ From and after the passage of this act and until the first day of November, eighteen hundred and ninety, the board of commissioners of electrical subways in and fob the- city and county, of New York, heretofore appointed under authority of the act,, chapter four hundred and ninety-nine of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-five, together with the mayor of said, city for the time being, are hereby constituted the board of electrical control in -and for the city of New York. * * * All the powers and duties conferred or imposed by the said act, chapter' four hundred and ninety-nine -of the laws of eighteen hundred and eighty-five^ upon the commissioners appointed thereunder in and for the city of New York, and all the powers and duties, heretofore by any law-conferred or imposed upon the local authorities of said city, or any of them, ‘in respect to or affecting the placing, erecting, ■construction, suspension, maintenance, use,, regulation or control of electrical conductors or conduits or stibwaysffor electrical conductors in said city are hereby transferred to and conferred and imposed upoti, and shall hereafter be - exclusively exercised and performed by the said, board of electrical
It must be plain from a study of this act that it was the board of electrical control that was to have the absolute control over all
Consider the authority conferred upon the board by section 1 of the act-. All the powers and duties conferred or imposed upon the commissioners appointed under the act of 1885, and “ all the powers and duties heretofore by any law Conferred, or imposed upon the local, authorities of said city, or any of them, in respect to or affecting the placing,, erecting, construction, suspension, maintenance, use, regulation -or control of electrical conductors or conduits or subways for electrical conductors in said city are hereby transferred to and , conferred and imposed upon, and shall hereafter be exclusively exercised and performed by the said board of electrical control; consti-i tilted as provided in this act, and its successors as hereinafter provided.” Undoubtedly the hoard of aldermen, who prior, to that time had the- power to consent to the use of the streets by a corporation organized to furnish electricity in the city of Hew York, were
This board of electrical control was continued in existence by various acts of the Legislature up to and beyond the year 1896, arid during that year continued to exercise all the powers and authority conferred upon it by the act of 1887. . (See Laws of 1890, chap. ■ 550; Laws of 1891, chap. 383; Laws of 1892, chap. 263; Laws of 1893, chap. 396; Laws of 1894, chap. 207; Laws of 1897, chap_ 710 ; Laws of 1897, chap. 378, §§ 588, 1611.) In the year 1890 the Transportation Corporations Law was passed, to take effect on May 1,1891 (Laws of 1890, chap. 566, § 163), and there was incorporated in subdivision 2 of section 61 of that act substantially the same provisions that were contained in section 2 of chapter 512 of the Laws of 1879. The relator having been incorporated under the Transportation Corporations Law, ^was required to obtain the consent of the municipal authorities before it was authorized to use the streets of the city óf New York; but those municipal authorities were, I
It is said,, however, that the decision of the Court of Appeals in Ghee v. Northern Union Gas Co. (158 N. Y. 510) is a controlling authority upon' this question,, and that under it we are bound to hold that the municipal authorities Whose consent was required ‘ under subdivision 2 of section 61 of the Transporatipn Corporations Law were the board of aldermen; but it seems to me. that in that case an entirely different question was presented,, which had no relation to the act of 1887 or. the' authority conferred thereby upon the ■ board of electrical' control. The question. in that'case arose under the charter of 1897 (Laws of 1897, chap. 378), and the question certified to the Court of Appeals was: “Are the municipal authorities of the city of New-York, whose consent is required to lay conductors for conducting gas through the streets of such city,, under the Transportation Corporations Law,, the head ,of the department of public buildings, lighting and supplies, and the head of the department of highways, under the powers conferred by the charter of the city of New York, Or are the municipal authorities ’ referred to in the said Transportation 'Corporations Law. the municipal assembly, or' any. other officer or body in the city of New York ? ” The charter of 1897 united under one munidipal government the cities of New York and Brooklyn and other territory, creating a new city of New : York. It provided for a municipal assembly, giving to it broad legislative powers and created heads of the departments upon whom ■ were imposed administrative duties ; and .the question there was whether, under the charter, the power to consent was vested in the ' legislative body or in one of the administrative departments of the city of New York. Section 573 of the charter gave to the commissioner of the department -of public buildings-, lighting and supplies cognizance and control of the making, and performance of , contracts in the matter of furnishing the city, or any part thereof, with gas,. electricity or any other illtiminant, and of the use and transmission of gas, electricity, pneumatic power and steam for all "purposes in, upón, across, over and under all streets, avenues, etc., and
It seems to me that a determination of a question as between the municipal assembly ¡and a strictly administrative officer, in considering the construction' to be given .to the provisions of the charter of
My conclusion is that thé relator was entitled to. the mandamus asked for, and that the order "appealed from should be reversed and the mandamus granted. ' , -
Judgment and order affirmed, with costs.