The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1894-09-27
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
They Are Guarded Zealously by
the Big Traction Syndicate
The Public Cannot Find Out What
the Profits Are.
Official Action, Not Argument, VIII
Bring About Reform.

The story OF one OF the main feeders
Of the Metropolitan Traction Company
has already been told by The Evening
World" 1t showed how enormously
the traffic of the Houston and West
street line, which now includes the
Broadway cable road. had increased
during the past three years, and that
the road had carried over lS,OOO,OOO more
passengers in 1858 than in 1892.
This represents an additional income
for the Company of more than $sOO,OOO
for that year alone, and 1t only brings
the record down to June 30. 1t is rea-
sonablc to suppose that the succeeding
year, ending June 80. 1894, will show "A
corresponding increase. but the state
mcnt has not yet been made public.
If IT is included in the report of the
Metropolitan Street Hallway, which now
controls and operates not only the
Houston and West street line, and its
leased lines, but the Broadway surface
road and South Ferry as well, the in
crease in the number Of passengers car
ried should show tremendous Increase.
The consolidation of all these lines un-
der the Metropolitan Street Railway
Company was effected in December last
shown in the forthcoming statement or
not Is "A question.
II is evident from the complicated and
/ confusing system in bookkeeping which
| has been adopted by the syndicate. that
managers of these lines have no dispo-
! sit ion to let the public know how much
money they are making. Up to the
present time their published account
would seem to indicate that they are
making only a very moderate proht
on the capital invested. and yet the
declared dividend of 5 per cent. must
seem ridiculously small to any one whS
! knows the tremendous Increase whlcf
has annually taken place In the earn
ings of the monopoly.
In addition to the 100000 passenger
street and it's allied lines, the other roads
controlled by the syndicate were als'
dong a huge business. the nv hwe en- n.y.
Forty-second street and Grand Stree
Ferry road S,WoWO passengers. aha In
Central Park, North and East Rive
road. for the first quarter OF the e sam
year, June 30 to oct IA. 1892, 1920, 900 pas
sengers, or an average of nearly 2o,oo'
! 900 passengers for the entire year. tn
given up to the time of It's lease TO IN
Metropolitan Crosstown Railroad Com
pany, Whlch was orGanlZeu III oeso t
and the Central Park, North and Eas
River roads with Il line OF Its own tire
. and a half miles in length.
The offices of all these companies ar
centered in the big Gable Building a
= Broadway and Houston street; ana N
= personnel of the directories of the dill
= ferent corporations Is almost identiea
-. Theofcers of the Traction Compan
d are Charles r. Henderson, of New YER
G President. Peter A. b. Wldmer, OF Pm
Warren, of New York, Secretary an
J. Treasurer Other directors are Villa
e L. Elkins and Thomas Dolan, OF Philt
- Hayes and Thomas +. Ryan, of Ne
e In the Metropolitan Street Railwa
S9mPahy ,,n ws''h the mas names Of H.
Is Vreeland, ID, b. Hasbrouck, Hans
e, Beatte and II. O., Robinson appear
the Metropohtan Crosstown Railroa
is i FlNlns t'i Il. II. VVreeland' ii. S. Beatti
W. F}s''WHer en- IS the "s sSme nam
I'd figure prominently in the list of dire
le tors of each of the. subordinate cor
10 panies. while the others represent Il
~ few surviving directors of the origin
IN corporations before the Traction Cor
he pany gathered them into It's clutch
re and who now represent only small !
~, ',s tcrests, as a rule. in the big ,centi
Tx company which controls them all.
No complete financial statement of
- operations OF the monopoly has eN
been made public. 1t has always work
ar in secret and kept Its affairs involved
ia mystery. Very little knowledge can
- gained from It's reports except that
o. controls Il prodigious traffic, and that
~ must be piiing mp millions In its cofft
II every year. Meanwhile, II Is gradua
of spreading out and gathering In OIL
properties, extending Its own lines
he ready acquired. and in time no dol
y. exnects to own or control every str,
Ie- railroad line in the metropolis and
"A vicinity
"a. II has already become so power
to that 1t has practically deted public st
mt timent, and has utterly ignored all ,
49, mands from the travelling public
So better and more comfortable accom-
ny dations So long as II can collect 4
nf cents apiece from lbO.OoO,OU or more pi
"a. sengers every year, and actually conn
Tvs them to pdtronize Its uyer-crowded ca
m herding them In like cattle or sw
without any Interference from the /
tho titles or any restraint by law, II
eu evident that there Is going to be no
lie proVement.
,as Moral suasion does not go with
-, greedy corporation like the Metrop'
IN tan Traction Company. If the pl
OF lie wants a remedy II must take
eth matter into Its own hands.