The New York herald., 1879-07-29
RAPID TRANSIT.
Public Opinion on the Rejected Re-
port of the Commissioners.
NO RECONSIDERATION POSSIBLE.
Meeting of Indignant Property Owners
in the Annexed District

volved. Notwithstanding the rejection of their re
port on the subject by the Board of Aldermen the
Rapid Transit Commissioners have gone on and
completed their labors. and the result, in the form
of supplementary report. in which the Fourth av-
enue tor vanderbilt scheme is omitted. has been
submitted to the Mayor The latter has stated that
nothing remains for him to do but send it to the
Board of Aldermen for their consideration.
petition has been put in circulation
asking for the appointment of a new commission.
The law requires that fifty reputable householders
and taxpayers shall make the necessary application
to the Mayor. The promoters of this movement
say that commission take up the lines
agreed upon in the rejected report. SO far as West
chester county is concerned, and pass upon them in
which case it is understood, the Board OF Aldermen
would give their assent to the scheme. This peti-
ton, it is expected. with the necessary number OF
signatures attached. will be submitted at meeting
OF property to be held at Central Hall, Tre-
mont, this evening.
Under the law the expenses incurred by the Com
missioners in the discharge of their duties paid
by the companies they may form. These expenses
are very heavy, including the S5 per day allowed
each Commissioner and items for engineering. sur
veying, legal work. personal expenditures. Office
rent. clerk hire and stationery Since roads have
been created by them it is obvious that the Commits
soners will have suffer this loss out of their per-
sonal pockets unless special act is passed by the
Legislature to reimburse them for their outlay. The
people of Westchester county have, however. sug-
gested way out of the difficulty. They propose to
themselves to assume these obligations and iqui-
date them through the roads to be organized under
the report of the new commission now asked for as
If they had been organized under the old commits
sion.
REVIEWED.
HERALD reporter yesterday conversed with q
number of members of the Common Council on the
question at issue. Alderman Morris said:-'I am
opposed to anything being adopted that the present
Rapid Transit Commission recommend. would be
afraid to do because of the great danger that they
would conceal trick in it, II we adopted any part
of their report they might be able to obn Judicial
opinion the effect that in agreeing to any part Of
the report we had given validity and life to the
whole. Another and decided why am op-
posed to receiving any communication on thaksub-
ject from the present commission iss Mat
they exceeded the powers that Mayor C60ber
conveyed or intended to convey to them. Fur
thermore the Commissioners said in printed
interviews that the Board of Aldermen possessed no
power and that in sending their report4a at all
they simply performing act of courtesy that
they could just well omit if they chose to do SO.
When the Board rejected the report it moved to
reconsider the vote by which 1t was lost and that
sualy killed the whole thing. We have power to
revive any part OF it. Moreover the original papers
have passed from the possession of the Board There
is another important objection to the last manifesto
of the commission, in which they withdrew the
Fourth avenue route / refer to the fact that
they fail to omit the very objectionable feature
which destroys portion of Central Park and Fifty
ninth street. have been called on by many OF the
residents OF the eastern half OF the annexed terri
fary wi a say AT a he
eastern connection, is not in the interest OF the
people OF that region but is entirely in the interest
OF the Hudson River and Harlem railroads and
few individuals who own immense tracts of land in
that neghborhood. The mass OF property owners
are in favor of a new commission. which shall be
created i'll the interest of the people affected
rather than that OF great trunk railway corpora
ton"
''Are you IN favor of giving rapid transit to the
upper djstrictf"
.'Certainy am. The majority of members of the
Board OF Aldermen in favor of giving the people
in the upper district all the rapid transit they
in order to connect with the four routes in OPP
Grafton in process OF construction. Both Alder
men Roberts and Haughton are in favor OF the same
a. know from recent conversations have had with
them on the subject Like mysef they are opposed
the whole report presented by the Rapid Transit
Commissioners which have rejected. know
that the majority of the Board agree with this
point"
Alderman Foster said that the whole report had
been rejected and could not in his judgment be
again revived. He was opposed TO u road in Fourth
avenue but would favor proper plan OF rapid tran
and Terence kiernan said that they coincided
with the views expressed by Mr.. Foster. Alderman
George Hall expressed similar sentiments. Deputy
Clerk of the Board Francis j. Twomey said that the
action OF that body in rejecting :he report and then
voting not to reconsider their action was final.
far as the Board is concerned.
Active among those who favor rapid transit
commission to lay out new routes in the upper dis
trlcts is Mr. James X. Angel. To the reporter he
said ut IL claimed by some that the provision in
regard to giving the consent of the local authorities
is directory and not mandatory, and their power to
lnr
mary manner is questioned. believe that the Com
missioners are good and honest men, and that they
meant to do the best for the people that they could
but they were hampered by the conflicting interests
OF different CORPORATIONS. do not believe that their
work is satisfactory to majority of the people OF
the annexed district The route proposed would
compel majority of them to walk from half to
whole mile to reach the Il road stations"
VIEWS PROPERTY OWNER.
There was fatal mistake made at the outset,
and shall have to begin work all over again.
said gentleman largely interested IN rapid transit
"By the commissioners" asked the reporter
"Yes; they had no business meddling with mat
tiers this side of the river
''rhey have endcavored to correct that by
submitting an amended application"
Eyes, but IL is doubtful whether the Board of Al
dermen will take that up. Their former action,
think. final. aud it is not likely that they will
return to the subject even presented in that form
II they should. however deem 1t wise to do So and
the Commissioners proceed with their work, the
diculy of getting capital interested will arise.
Moneycd men will have nothing To do with the
tcrprse unless the title is clear and it be so
such an arrangement"
..Thcn trouble is anticipated from outside
sourcesY
'.So; not exactly that but the whole matter would
be ut the mercy OF any fractious individual who de-
sired to throw obstacles in the way. Once in court
there ~ no knowing when you could get out. and
All sorts of auibbles would be brought up to Keen
the work back. The people in the annexed district
want quick transit AZ they get IL, but If
start in this cloudy way We may be held nghting
In the courts for the next five years That would
brighten capital away. Every dollar of the money
is ready now If we can proceed smoothly and the
title In clear but otherwise should not be able to
raise cent We ought to have had rapid transit
twenty years ago, ana IL don't get IL now may
have TO wait twenty more. so that we cannot be too
carei uf how we proceed.
'Do you think there will be now set of Commits
sioncrsY'
ut il most desirable that there should be- The
present Board has brought about complication 1t
cannot unrave and the best thing it do is to
tire leave the road smooth as possible for the
gentlemen coming in They not only burdened the
application of tile annexed district with the New
York milestone that dragged II to the bottom, but
they gave the right OF construction to four compa-
nh il "A no that inst been dscoye