New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
RUSSELL SAGE'S PARROT.
TT EXPRESSES APPROVAL OF ITS OWNERS
REMARKS ABOUT THE BEAUTIES OF
THE ELEVATED ROADS AND
OTHER THINGS.

Russell Sage was seen At his home, No. 5O6
Fifth-ave, last night by a Tribune reporter
about the yarn again revived. that the Man.
haitian elevated and Metropolitan Traction sys-
tens were to be consolidated and he said: Ihe
story is all fudge. The statement printed this
morning was entirely unauthorized"
When he was asked II he thought any beneft
would be derived from the two systems being
operated by company. Mr.. Sage replied as
follows: II am not sure that there wouid De-
There might be some. but am not at liberty
to talk on that subject now. 1t Is this way Inc
Manhattan elevated road is the one and only
system of rapid transit in the city, and 1t Is the
only one possible and they may all talk as they
like about the underground tunnel scheme ana
all other schemes Of rapid transit. L road
system is the only possible one and the only
feasible one"
Mr. Sage was interrupted at this point by
parrot, which swinging in his cage hard
by and which ut this juncture cried out:
Its all right. Its all right"
In reply to the question If there had been any
talk of consolidation of the two railroad sys-
TENS Mr.. Sage said "Not that have heard or
OF course, there has been lots Of talk on the
Street among the bulls for speculative purposes.
"Why should they talk Of it, Mr.. Sage?" asked
the reporter
"Why, to make commissions, Of course" re-
piled Mr.. Sage laughing. IF the brokers can
boost the stock four or five points. they can
make a good thing out Of 1t. l guess the Trac-
ton people would like TO ge' control Of the L
system. but neither Mr.. Gould nor myself has
ever been approached the subject I refused
to sell my stock when it was 150 and so did
Mr.. Gould. The only who sold stock was
| I Hp the
old Northern road He wanted to sell the
| Northern road to me- but wouldn't buy 1t. /
am not buying stock OF such roads 1t has
| never paid. and it don't pay now. I would not
| invest money in stock which don't pay. would
| your"
The reporter said that he would not. Mr.
| Sage chuckled and poked the reporter In the
ribs. while the parrot shouted: It's all right
| It's all right
| H. H. Vreeand president Of the Metropolitan
| Traction Company. was seen at his home. NO
21S West Eighty -sixth-st, and he laughed al
the story. He said that such stories had been
| circulated frequently for three years. he salo
| that the scheme had never been even considered
by the controlling spirits of either road, so far
as he knew. and. as president OF the Metro
| politan Traction Company. he was sure tnat ii
| 1t had, he certainly would have heard or IT,
| 1t was reported in Wall Street yesterday tha'
| the Metropolitan Traction Company was 10 DE,
clare n scrip dividend of 20 per cent bearing :
per cent and convertible into stock at par IN
| two years. II also reported that the Met
| ropolitan Traction system was to be consoli-
| dated under n company, to be called the
| metropolitan Passenger Railway Company.
| one of the chief men In the Metropolitan Trac-
tion syndicate said there was nothing In the
story Of proposed consolidation OF the Metro
| politan and Manhattan systems There was
| at orc time proposition by outside interests
| 70 form a company to acquire both the Metro
politan and the Manhattan systems. This
! scheme was lever seriously considered. The
Metropolitan would not have Joined in It.