New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-01-11
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
RAPID TRANSIT "FALLACrEs.y

| RAI'lD IhANSlI fAbiIANlEo.'
OBJECTIONS TO A PUBLIC RAILROAD REFUTED
TO TIC EdfNOr OF Ths Trtbans
SIR A few days since The TRIBUNE pub
llshed full the proposed bill FOR eitectins rapa 'fan
in NewYore ~ a city work, and accompanied the pup
LEGATION with short summary Of the facts and figures
reiedtupon T., s1ran tAts BILL Among these it was
stated that the freight and mai service OF the road Vas
set of against It's running expenses aone' leaving rs
earnings for passenger carriage Whatever they mgh'
be- constitute the Of IT, net profit IL was theh
stated that the road could nude 20 carry 10000 pas
sengers daily and that these, at I'VE cents eacD'
amounted s2oeper day or pee year, S7SnOoo From
this interest on $40 O0gOJ bonds ISSUED for CON
strucon at per 81 lOooOo, nd there remains
net profit Of S5,9OOOO9.
A Sunday morning Journal in an article OF two col
umns with most forbidding heading about new ring
OF thieves. attacks these figures with great Violence
and goes TO point out .two "ailaeiss which sbew
them utterly worthless. First that there Is no such
number OF passengers To be carried f0G0 daily and
secondly. that II there were impossible for
want Of capacity for the road TO carry theE an glad
that this article has appeared for affords another op-
portunity for letting our people see how strung IS the
ground for demanding a city railroad a city work,
and how greatly their interests involved IT, Let
us examine these " faIlaeies."
First what is the number Of passengers that viii re-
qure carried by the city road The referred
to produces table showing that tho whole number Of
only 1856 T93965. Well this not 10000 day, Int is
very near it, it is J7T77. These went on the borse
cars alone. II will look at the crowded omnibuses
Of which this table makes no mention. and also tie
throngs Of people who I'LL the sidewalks night and morn
ing going foot rather than take their chances m
either omnbuses, OF whom also the table makes
omention, think it win be easy 10 that the total
given in the table requires be multiplied by two-
order give the real number requiring transit But to
year does the table refer It does not state but
will state for tit the year 1870. Nowt is 1879
city railroad cannot possibly be completed before 1916
what will be the passenger travel al that time For
tuuatey not left TO conjecture, but may rely on
official statistics The annual reports OF she State Eng
the actual passenger circulation OF this city,
by alone excluding all Omnl0uses private
1885, the rates OF ami the average number Of
times each inhabant OF the city Travelled during the
year From these reports extract the toowlng taOe
Year P9gsson Pn'Hsi5 , 8, ss each V9q p''I'
iSS5 .: 49,: ?5sS s5sso5 atSi
lsD.....g26.El l87gJg65 LJOt
This table exhibits an increase years since 1850 or
per cent and tnis increase gOiOg on at an ac
CELEBRATED rate by II the same rate OF increase
passenger circulation in 1875 Of 2O5I9lel OF nearly
6OOOOO day and IN $780, nO3slS95 OF over one million
day. need not say that Is TAR beyond tne carrying
capacity Of all city railroads and would be n they
three times as great, and llY explains why even
now one-laf our citizens apparently are cOmpeled 20
trudge business foot 80 much then for the aacY
that claims Tor steam railroad built Oy the city
And now for falacy number two. The article under
double track railroad and goes INTO curious state
ment OF figures prove it. All this IL granted aud let
those figures be perfect answer 70 any pretense here
after that any double track road will ever meet the
wants " rapid transit II New YORK But TX JAls HAtus
NAUTICAL writer had looked at the bill he was crtclslng
he would have seen that it provides for fOur-tFack
railroad and the two extra tracks are for express
fast trains making few stops they nave double the
capacity Of the Others and this journal VIII therefore
multiply it, figures By three, It will get at the true capae
ity this road, and get rid at the same time u It's
second talacy.
built by the city with two tracks, and carrying
only G2OOOOO will earn frOMfares AZ nVe
cents, more than 100000 year ana YET insists II VIII
bring the city IN debt Ils, III snort IL us SLAOelen
DE- Int per s20OOOoo SIe9S1
Sinking fund 1871
Ranning expenses. ~
ss 300 90 |
CT Passenger passengers cats each. O7
R,,,,. Ia, 3. 81 5s7 2l8
AS this statement predcated upon two-track road
and this bill provides for four tracks II WIZ DE seen
Add the EARNINGS or the Two ad
dOna and shall have TINS balance OF ndeDt-
wiped out and clean balance left 10 the city OF
4055l after paying the interest on she cost creating
sinking fund OF $4,000, and allowing SiOJOOV Ior run
freight aud mail earnings OF the road In report made
the Legislature four years these earnings are es-
timated az SOOOOoO but IN the pamphlet alluded 70
these allowed " balance simply tile running ex-
penses Of the road and nothing more so as 70 leave tne
fares net profit ana then the true statement
cs Earnings q iour tracks, carrying Is6 10000 paa'en
Dr. Interest On s20SCoo0 coustrucioa bonds 900
suElpg fnnd ..................... 40 0D-5l 1900
iFreisst earnings and running expenses 5sllnoedl
Balance to City Cr......,.............'.'s e2''OOo
Let us not deceived. The building OF tins road will
immense profit % the city ana OF the deep
est interest It's citizens, both IN It's direct revenues
and It's influence upon property ana IL Il simpy /
civ with cheap fares people, IN the interest
of mOnOpoes who will grind The people 70 powder with
their 20 Der cent dividend exacti0ns for all time 70 come