New-York tribune., 1902-02-21
BRIDGE RENTAL NOT FAIR.
atR. IINDENTHAI. SAYS B. r. T. SHOULD
PAY FOUR PER CENT OF THE
STRUCTURES COST.

In his study Of conditions on the Brooklyn
Bridge at the rush hours. Bridge Commissioner
Iindenthal has come to the conclusion that the
city did not get what 1t entitled TO receive
in the contract with the Brooklyn Rapid Tran
sit Company by which the company is able to
run bridge trains and trolley cars over the
bridge He has said that he considers the rental
received by the city TO be entirely inadequate
It should have been based he thinks, upon the
cost cf the bridge. or, at least. upon what the
bridge would have cost If it had been built by
q private corporation. The Commissioner takes
the ground that any contract for the running
Of elevated trains and trolley cars across the
New East River Bridge should take into ac-
count the cost of that bridge. and the rental to
be received by the city should be at least per
cent of the cost.
Suppose" Mr.. Lindenthal said yesterday.
that a private bridge company had built the
Brooklyn Bridge. II probably would have com
nleted the bridge for S16.O00O00 If the Brook
y Rapid Transit Company had gone to such
bridge company with a proposition to run cars
over the bridge and divert forty million pas
sengers a year from the ferries by taking pas
sengers over the bridge and into Brooklyn for
e continuous five cent fare. the bridge company
would have insisted getting an adequate
rental. either in a lump sum or by a division OF
T,ronts with the railroad company"
Mr. Lindenthal has figured out that II costs
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company Is cents
car for each mile to carry passengers. One OF
the cornpany's cars that crosses the bridge runs
g. average of four miles in Brooklyn. in add
fion to the mile the bridge. To run the car
five miles therefore costs 65 cents. In addi-
ton the company pays 10 cents for the right
TO run the car over the bridge. The total eX-
pense to the company for each care, therefore,
IS - cents The car carries fifty passengers at
five cents piece on the average. and the COM
pany gets 50 30 for each car. or a net proht or
ST - for each car While the city gets 10 cents
therefore. the company gets 81 70 for each car
crossing the bridge These figures. the Connls-
sioner says, show that the city is not getting a
fair return for divertng traffic from the terrles
and creating terrific crush Of traflc on the
bridge at rush hours. ,
NO proposition has been made by the Brook-
iyn Rapid Transit people for running cars over
the New East River Bridge when 1t 1s com
pleted" Mr.. Lindenthal said yesterday nut
am sure that if the bridge is completed ana liie
contract for running cars over II IS MADE "niIe
/ am Commissioner. the city VIII get an due-
ouate return for the permission TO let cars run run
over the bridge. | should think that per cent
of the cost of the bridge would not De an uh-
fair rental to he paid by the company ruhaiaS
cars Placing the cost of the bridge at Hocc H,occ-
100000 that would he a rental OF $I'-o"VVu,
If the company asking for the right TO run cars
over the bridge did not want to pay that IeIl.al'
7 should say let them build their own or'use''