The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-03-22
Objections to it Withdrawn
by the Rapid Transit
Commission Of
New York.
HEARING BEFORE MAYOR LOW
Concessions Made and a New
Bill Will Be Presented to
the Legislature.


The hitch in the matter Of the Penns
sylvania Railroads tunnel from this city
to the terminal at Seventh avenue and
Thirty-fourth street, New York, has been
settled, the Rapid Transit people having
withdrawn their opposition to the Bin.
This was done before Mayor Seth Low
yesterday who gave hearing on the
bill. which gives to the Board OF Alder
men power to grant perpetual franchises
to tunnel railroads without the authority
of the Rapid Transit Commission
The arguments for and against the bill
were confined to two distinct contentious.
On behalf of the Pennsylvania Railroad
it was maintained that the only terms
upon which the company would consent
to expend the $4,000, 600 necessary to bring
it's system to New York were that the
company should receive a perpetual fran
ehise. The Rapid Transit Commission. il
was urged, had not the power under the
act which created it to give this perpetual
right and therefore the aid Of the Legis-
lature had been sought and that in the
bill drawn up the interests of the city had
been conserved by relegating to the Board
of Estimate and to the Aldermen the de-
termining Of various details in connection
with the franchise, such as fixing the
compensation to be paid to the city BY
the company.
The objections Of the Rapid Transit
Commission and of the Rapid Transit
Subway Construction Company were
based mainly upon the contention that the
bill took from the Commission the au-
thority vested in it by the Legislature to
r,rosoors
the city. and gave over that authority to
the Board of Aldermen in direct contra-
vention of the principles Of the Rapid
Transit act.
On the part of neither Of the opposing
bodies was there any objection to the
plans of the Pennsylvania Company. The
whole basis of the arguments Of the op-
ponents Of the measure was that the pro-
posed bill would provide an opportunity
to nullify the plans Of the commission
and endanger the purpose of the COM
mission not only in providing adequate
transportation facilities for the city, but
in seeing that such facilities should be
ultimately owned by the municipality
Edward NJ Shepard, on behalf Of the
directors. said that he would be perfectly
content if the bill was so amended as fo
save to the Rapid Transit Compassion
a determining voice i'm the granting oil
transit franchises.
At the close of the hearing Mayor Low
said
think that much Of the criticism Of
this measure has proceeded from misap-
prehension. But it does seem to me thai
q very important and fundamental ques-
ton has been developed by the Rapid
Transit Commission, and that is whstner
or not oversight. in the fnal conduct Of
railroad matters in this city. should not
be handed to that body. I would like the
Rapid Transit Commission to submit tc
me an alternative to this bill, but as the
time of the legislative session IS short. Il
should be submitted by tomorrow. II
that is done l will give the whole question
my immediate consideration in its alter
nate form and will try TO give my decis-
ion on Monday. But unless ] hear from
the commission tomorrow, I shall have to
deal with the question before me as II Il
were without an alternative