New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-03-20

which Is now building What preVen.eu slio
elevated railroad management nom giving Vus
its contracts earlier7 Now only the lack Oh
this short connection delays passengers rom
direct and speedy travel from the Battery 70
Brewster's. .,..,.
This bungling and hating are Characteristic
a, a management that seems often to take ht'le
thonobt Of ANYTHING but dividends South
BIooklyn and Staten Island ana tne ilnnen, ,1
excursion travel in the summer season Mouiu
have been largely benefited by the running u
the Sixth Avenue trains to the Battery last year.
Rut 40 simple and easy an Improvement was
neglected and put off. Now all the arrange
n,ents are perfected for that change, but tney
must wait on the completion OF the Harlem
pivar connection and the changes at Cnatnam
Sonare. The directors think it would be better
to make all the changes at once. But why
What sense is there in putting on one improve
ment because another is not readyt Inc
directory of the elevated lines has always Deen
ve,v conservative in the way OF making I'M
nrovements and concessions. 1t should take
broador VIEWS. The rapid transit companies
have been treated most generously by the COM
nunity. They have been granted privileges
which no great city ever gave to corporation
before. But too often they have displayed a
mean. and niggardly spirit in dealing WIN tne
public. They have shown themselves careless
of the safety of their passengers, ana theii
escape from terrible disasters during 1ne paS'
winter has been due to good luck rather than
eood management. Apparently they have been
foo narsiuopious or Indifferent to take proper
precautions against collisions in logs. NO
elective system of signals has been adopted
They have cut down the number OF employees
and the rates of pay to the lowest possible
,yorl,ino noint. II is now said that they are
| making more money than ever before. Inc
| statements of their earnings circulated In w AN
| Street show unprecedented prosperity. Inc
| extension of the fve-cent hours, which not a
few of the timid directors thought would result
in loss. has increased the receipts. BUT tnis
! concession was only made in the hope that
hostile LEGISLATION at Albany might thus be pre-
vented. The directors may yet find that they
have made serious mistake in not pursuing a
more liberal policy. An underground road may
nroye a formidable rival. If the elevated roads
with their enormous initiation OF capital can be
made profitable, capitalists will be apt to think
that tunnel under Broadway may give GOOD
returns on the actual investment. Inc dlfn'
entity In raising money for the present Broad
way tunnel scheme has probably been due to the
doubt concerning the validity of the charter.
Among the concessions which it would be vel
| for the elevated railroad management TO grant
| is the running of night trains at reasonable In
tetyals on the Sixth Avenue line. The number
of passengers would be considerable at the very
start, and it would steadily increase. The d.
rectors say that such trains would not pay. Blu
many of them thought the extension OF TIT
commission hours would not pay. 1t has pait
and paid we'll. Even if night trains should b.
run at loss for time, the management coulC
well afford TO put them on. Some OF the surfae'
lines run night cars at a loss. They admit tina
they owe something to the public for the us
OF the streets. That might be a novel view TO
director of the elevated lines to take, but
would be sound one. The people have thu
far got Indifferent service for the invaluabt
privileges which they have given away for tn
sake of rapid transit. There is bill now n
Albany to compel the running OF night trains O
ali the lines. This is unreasonable. Soc
trains are not needed on the Second and Nint
Avenue roads. But this bill should convince tb
directors that unless they cOncede night train
in Sixth-aye. q worse thing may befall them.