New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-13

haitian Company could give the people what they
want il the commissioners did not place obstacles
in the Way. If we carried out the plans as pro-
posed by the commissioners We would not increase
our revenue in proportion 10 the money eXpehue'.
Our stock. instead Of increasing IN value, wonli
decrease, and the dividends would be smaller
than ever len years ago the people of New
York would have thought man was insane II he
had said that some day the Manhattan Company
would carry passengers from the Battery to one
hundrcd-and-hfty sevcnth-st. for cents But
now the commissioners would like the Manhattan
Company TO carry passengers about twice that
distance for Scent fare. Such an ARRANGEMENT
is altogether too onc-sdcd The commissioners, in
other words want us to make vast improvements
and they do not propose TO give anything IN
% return
GOOD ENOUGH AS FAR AS 1T GOES. SAYS MIR.
SAGE.
Russell Sage said that he had thoroughly
studied the proposition Of the commissioners. and
In his opinion the plans Were good enough as
far as they bad gone. but they had not gone far
enough Continuing, he said: 81 think IT
would have been better had the Commissioners
adopted our plans But the question Is now
whether the Manhattan Company can afford to
accept the commissioners plans. The commis
sion proposes thai ) cents shall be the fare
between any two points within the city limits
According to this a passenger could ride from
One.hundred- d-twcnty-ifth-st and Eighth
ave down to the Battery, and from there TO
observation-disclosures fti-st. and Third-avc.
I think the fare ought to be double for this dis
tance. However, | haven't given the matter
close consideration and cannot say yet whether
we will accept the proposition. 1t Will depend
altogether upon the cost.
"Thc Manhattan Elevated Railway does not
70 mako costly improve
ments because there is no positive assurance that
even the present rate of traffic will be kept up
The unsettled financial situation may possibly
lead to great changes in Ncw-lork within hVe
or ten years 1t is not at all improbable. ana
think it quite possible that many things Will
occur in that time to decrease the passenger
traffic on our lines. If times become hard many
people will walk where they now ride or Will
move into the country where rents are cheaper.
III there were a big boom and rents went sKywaru
there would he Il scramble among the people TO
get away, and this would, of course affect our
business. which ten years hence may be less then
now What we want, and what We must have
before we make any improvements along the
line are extensions, which the commission has
not given us. If we are permitted TO tap ne"
territory and secure more traffic, then we can
afford to make the improvements which we are
asked 10 make Ii Just comes to this then,
that the Manhattan Railway Company does not
believe that its traffic would be COMMENSURATE
with the cost of the Improvements which we are
asked to make without being able to make
extensions.
.-. THE UPTOWN COMMITTING LINK.
"The clause Of the commissioners resolutions
reoniring us to make uptown connection
between the Third and Eighth Avenue hAeS
through Observation-Disclosures ninth-st is bal.
hat * unleVplODnl. II VIII DO
mich moro costly than il would have been had
our propostion been accepted. We wanted 10 60
through Observation-Disclosures and
portion Of LenoX-avc. and as the propcr'y-ownerS
along that route pettioncd for the line. 'he cN-
pnnsn would have been comparatively small
sti:i better plan would have been to follow tn"
Harlem River up to -hundrtdand-liliy-hlth-st.
and connect with the Eighth Avenue line there
"The commissioners laboring under "a ms
apprehension when they say that the loop az inc
Battery can be made without any extra "Npense
to speak of to this company 1t would re lure
great outlay of money and more room to run thr
downtown Sixth Avenue trains up over the Ihifl
Avenue line and vice versa. With the exception
of the points that have mentioned can see no
objection to the proposcl plan but the pan We
submitted was better The suburban rapid transit |
extension of the Second Avenue line. which they
propose to still further develop, has bcea run Tor
two years at n loss, and soc no prospect tha'
our condition will be bcttercd by the acceptance
of their plans in this res:ect. The three 'racks
that they are willing to give us on the Second
and Ninth Avenue lines, and on certain sections OIL
the Sixth Avenue line, can be made 70 10 1ls' as
the two tracks have been made TO do in the past
They will not be sufficient, however.
TIE MANHATTAN CoMPANY'S POLICY.
"Tbe directors Of the Manhattan Railway viii
meet the commission next Wednesday. as re-
ouested by them hut it would be impossible for
me to tell what action will take untll we
can find ont the plan of the commissioners mat
will take time. According TO their resolutions we
shall have TO purchase property at One-hundrch-
and-twenty -nnth-st. and Third-ave. and in the
vicinity of the City Hall for the accommodation OF
cars at slack periods during the day. An In.
g. vestigation only tell what this will cost
While do not think that the proposition, on
the whole is as good as the we made. II
would unqucstionabfy provide fer better accommo-
daticns than exist az present. our policy i.
however, not 10 spend money unless we can get
some return for il. and we certainly couldn't ne
expected TO make costly additions to our lines
when the receipts would not warrant such en-
. pendture"
Robert NJ Galloway said that he could rot
exrress himself on Sunday in detail regarding tn"
commissions proposition hut he sail he thought
il would he better for the people OF New, ofk
if the plans of the company had Been accepted
SAMUEL sLOAN'S ATTITUDE.
Samuel Sloan. president Of the Delaware Lack
awanna I'D Western Railroad and a director
Of the Manhattan Railway. when seen ycstnr lay
at his home No. East Thirtyciehth-s' seemed
to regard Saturdays decision Of the RAPID iran
sit Commission as an encouraging step toward
the solution of the problem. There was now
something definite to start with. ami the com
mission did not ignore the facilities for rapid
transit already existing. To be sure it did not
,irant all the Manhattan Railway had asked for