New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-11-09
THE RAPID TRANSIT REPORT.

The commissioners appointed by the Supreme
Court 10 take testimony and report upon the
advisablty Of carrying out the plan OF Inc
Rapid Transit Commission have unanimously
decided in it's favor. and their report will now
go the Appellate Division for acceptance or re-
lection. In the succession Of processes when
this momentous enterprise involves the com
munity is now brought again 10 the point OF
hope and expectation which it had reached more
than eighteen months ago. when the supreme
Court commissioners approved the former plan
In important respects. however, the situation IS
widely different. That plan was possibly SUI
perlor TO the plan now under consideration from
every point of view except the financial one,
though expert opinion Is not unanimous In so
regarding IT; but the estimates showed that It's
execution would be far more costly, and there
was no absolute certainty that the limit fixed
by the Rapid Transit act would suffice. The
Appellate Division believed that the cost would
exceed the estimate, and chiefly on that ground
rejected the report Of the commissioners. The
adoption OF the Elm-st and Fourth-ave. route
assured large saving, and brought the prospec-
tive expenditure many millions within the sum
which the city Is authorized to loan. 1t is con
fdently believed. therefore. that the Court will
interpose no further obstacle.
The prospect however, would be far less
hopeful than it is If there were no other reason
able certainty than the Courts approval. In
former years there has been considerable reason
70 doubt whether the franchise could be sold
TO a responsible bidder in accordance with the
rigid requirements Of the law. 1t is
derstOOd-in fact, We believe ii has been posi-
lively ascertained-that men Of ample resources
are ready TO take the contract. and in expecta
ton of obtaining it have made their arrange
ments 10 carry 1t out In quarters where q mis-
understanding was not In the least likely 10
exist 1t has been confidently predicted during
the last few weeks that the report OF the COM
missioners would be favorable, that the Court
would accept 1t and that a satisfactory bid for
the franchise would be made without delay
We confess that there have been bright pros
poets for rapid transit before. and that they
have been Unexpectedly extingulshed with great
regularity: but II all the available evidence Is
not strangely at fault, this community is now
actually within sight Of the promised land.
II this anticipation Is destined to be realized,
New-York will owe much to the Rapid Transit
Commissioners who In the face Of much unde-
served censure and ingenious opposition. due in
great part to selfish motives have steadily perse-
vered in the task committed TO them. Latterly
they have had the advantage Of favorng cir
cunstances, which have encouraged them to
persist. The general improvement In the Hnan-
clal situation has made capital willing to em-
bark IN enterprises from which 1t shrank dur
ing succession Of dreary years, and the IA
cilities for accomplishing a great work of con-
structon are constantly multiplying. More
over, the demonstration Of the necessity for