New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-07-22
THE NEW TUNNEL BIDS.


There is nothing in the Brooklyn tunnel bids
which were opened yesterday requiring a re-
vision of the opinion that the plan which would
preserve the principle of unification in that and
all subsequent rapid transit extensions is the
plan to adopt. On the contrary, the terms pro-
posed by the competitors for the franchise con-
firm the judgment which we have heretofore
expressed that the line from the City Hall under
the East River should be an integral part of the
system now under construction in Manhattan
and The Bronx. 1t may be well TO say at the
outset that the sharp letter of Mr.. Swanstrom,
President of the Borough of Brooklyn, de-
nouncing the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company
for its failure to keep its agreements with the
city and protesting against any new grants 70 n
company so fiagrantly delinquent, cannot very
well be ignored in the official consideration or
the bids The answer TO that arraignment-
namely. that the company awaits a further jul
dicial determination OF it's Obligations-is not
complete and satisfactory. But without regard
10 Mr. Swanstroms contention. which raises an
unexpected issue. the proposal of the Brooklyn
people seems TO us 10 furnish sufficient reason
for its rejection so as ii is compared with
either of the bids submitted by the BelmontMc-
Donald company.
All bids include S1O00OO0 for terminals. and
that condition may therefore be left out of the
comparison. The mont-McDonald offer is TO
build the Brooklyn extension for 81, 100000, and
it is accompanied by the alternative proposal 10
build for 100000 not only the Brooklyn eX-
tension. but a line from Forty -second-st. down
Broadway TO Union Square. which would CON
meet with the projected Pennsylvania cross
town tunnel 10 Long Island, and in manifold
ways increase the usefulness Of the original
rapid transit roads now under construction
ahl Ia
assurance of preference in future undertakings
in furtherance of the unified system policy.
This is not compliance il must be admitted,
with the offer which Mr.. Belmont made last
spring 10 build additional tunnel roads entirely
with his company's own money-an offer Of
which nothing was heard yesterday. But be-
yond a doubt the work bid for at 100000
would cost several times that amount. so that
its resources will be heavily drawn on I'm case
its proposals are accepted. The Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company, the other hand offers to
build the Brooklyn extension, and only that. for
the sum OF S7O00O00-or more than double the
amount named by its competitor for the Brook
Ign extension plus the Forty-second st.-Union
Square line. From the financial point Of view.
therefore, there can be no question where the
city's advantage lies.
But, of course. another point Of view Is ear
:
, mission and the public by the Brooklyn COM
pany-namely the facilities which II possesses
for connecting the transportation system OF that
borough with the East River tunnel and which
| It is prepared to furnish for a single fare, en-
tering also into traffic arrangement with the
Manhattan Bronx system Some immediate adj
Vantages Of that nature il doubtless cnn offer
but cannot admit for moment that they
are controlling. To begin with, they are I'm n
measure offset by the Belmont-McDOnald offer
10 supply certain connections in Brooklyn and
10 a much greater extent by the projected in
clusion of the Long Island Railroad through the
Pennsylvania tunnel But without those offsets
the Brooklyn company's scheme would still. n
our opinion, be intrinsicaly objectionable. The
thing required in the interest not merely Of
the bOrOughs on this side Of the East River hut
of the whole city. is not an arrangement for
transfers between two Independent systems ut
the City Hall, which would largely increase the
already intOerabe congestion IN this neighbOr-
hood, but a continuous route. Moreover there
is good reason TO believe that when the new
bridge connections have been made II will be
found that the calculations OF general con-
Yenience on which the Brooklyn company re-
lies are far astray.
The two propositions OF the Belmont-McDon
aid company involve questions Of municipal
finance and public advantage which command
careful consideration on the part Of the Rapid
Transit Commission; but we are convinced that
one of them ought TO be accepted. and our first
choice would he the one which provides on easy
terms for a link between Forty -second-st. and
Union Square.