New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-27
P. R. R. GIVES WARNING.
VICE PRESIDENT GREEN SETS
4 THE LIMIT,
TELLS ALDERMEN IF FRANCHISE is NOT
GRANTED IN \ YEAR TUNNEL PLAN
WILL BE ABANDONED.

of
accept a contract with clauses providing
Cor the prevailing rate wages and an
eight hour Iaw.''-Ntce- President JOHN P. GREEN
n The Pennsylvania Railroad Company. the Rail
road Committee Of the Board of Aldermen yesterday
How much elasticity is there to the word
SOON" Mr Green was asked by a Tribune re-
porter Immediately after the close of the hear
ing. DO you mean six months or year?"
To this inquiry Mr.. Green replied:
If don't get permission within the next
twelve months to build the tunnel we will aban-
don the whole enterprise and sell the real estate
We have already bought We can do that with
out any trouble We have received offers for it,"
1t was al the close of a heating in the City
Hall yesterday that Mr.. Green gave the rail-
road committee the warning.
There is a strong suspicion that back of high
sounding words there is a clique in the Board of
Aldermen determined to extort from the Penn
sylvania company round sum for the tunnel
franchise. Ugly rumors are circulated against
some Of the members who have suddenly de-
veloped love for the cause of labor.
Representatives of labor organizations were
out in force at the hearing. Alderman John
Diemer. chairman of the committee. presided.
ALDERMAN sULLIVAN's ADDRESS
Alderman Sullivan. in opposition to the tunnel
contract in its present FORM said he in
favor Of tunnel, but he wanted the contract
10 have the railroad company's guarantee that
the tunnel should not be used for freight trans
portation and the compensation TO the city in
creased. as $4,000 year for the first ten years
was Inadequate. he declared. He asserted that
passenger traffic alone would not yield return
Of ; per cent investment OF $50,Ooo,On-
The contract at present permitted freight, as
well passenger, transportation, and this
freight transportation should be paid for by the
company. Third. he demanded that the eight
hour clause should be made a condition of the
franchise. The Iaboring element. Mr.. Sullivan
said. had been entirely overlooked. The rapid
transit Iaborers were a disgrace TO the city
Not one thousand OF them were residents of the
city.
Philip Kelly. Of the Central Federated Union,
said the Pennsylvania paid its unskilled work
men from 80 cents to 81 10 a day He wanted
10 provide against the Pennsylvania company
bringing twenty-five thousand thirty thou
sand tramps to this city. and employing them
al from 60 cents 70 81 10 day
William H. Farley. of the United Board Of
Building Trades, said that the Pennsylvania
company had ten engineers making soundings
working from ten thirteen hours a day and
receiving only S15 week. while the union scale
was S21 a week for eight hours work
HUGE PLOT AGAINST CITY!
Parr1ck McCann. OF the American Antitrust
League. who said he was a shipmaster, declared
that ! Pierpont Morgan was behind scheme to
ship grain from the West clean through this
city n Europe by way of Fresh Pond Bay. at
the eastern end Of Long Island. where free
port Of entry was TO be established. He said Mr.
Morgan's ship combination was a part Of the
gigantic project Mr.. McCann wanted a per
capita tax paid on every passenger and on every
ton of freight shipped through the tunnel.
Judge James NJ. Fitzsimons. who owns three
pieces Of real estate east Of Second-ave- on the
line Of the tunnel said the company should be
required 10 buy not only the easement, but all
Of the lot under which the tunnel runs He said
the tunnel would depreciate the value Of prop
erty under which il lay.
After buying its way across the state OF
PENNSYLVANIA since its inception, the Pennsyl-
vania Railroad" said Alderman Doull. comes TO
the city Of New-York TO find in the Board OF
Aldermen. for the first time in its life, body
nj honest men. If we who are opposed to this
franchise are waiting TO be seen, as the news
papers say how literally have those aldermen
who favor this franchise been SEEM?
AN ADVOCATING CLAUSE.
Mr.. Douu declared that there should be in
the contract a provision that in case the tun-
mel ever became a menace to the city the city
should have the privilege of abrogatng the
contract He asserted that the Merchants AS
sociation betrayed the interests Of the people
the real people-in sending around petitions
asking the aldermen to pass the franchise.
Gustav Il. Schwab representing the Chamber
Of Commerce. read a resolution adopted by the
Chamber indorsing the tunnel contract MT
schwab said the citys interests were fully pro-
tected also that the iaboring mems interests
were fully protected He referred to the Mon
tauk Point terminal scheme a venerable
bogy' He said that a company that did a
thing Ike that would be deemed TO have lost its
senses As a steamship man. he pointed out the
fallacy Of the Montauk Point scheme. The
cheapest way of transporting freight in and
around New-York he said by water, as
the Pennsylvania company knew full well
John Harsen Rhoades, also representing the
Chamber of Commerce, warmly advocated the
tunnel contract and declared it was the duty
Of every city official to support the proposed
contract
William F. King said that after the Penn
syvania had built its terminal the Merchants
Association wanted TO see brought in the Erle'
Lackawanna- Jersey Central and other roads.
President Orr Of the Rapid Transit Commits
sion, speaking of the price to be paid for the
part Of Thirty -second-st. which is 10 be closed,
said that the commission had referred the fg-
ures To the city authorities before the price was
liked upon. The price for the land taken repre-
sented the interest on the value OF the property
and IL per cent as a tax on the property.
Mr. Doull wanted to know who the citys ap-
pfalsers We're
Mr. Orr said they were appointed by Con-
troller Circuit
Edward n Shepard for the Rapid Transit
commission. said that there was nothing prac-
hcai In the eight hour contention, as the labor-
eis could not work eight consecutive hours IN
She tunnel. The Rapid Transit Commission ne
Declared had searched the statutes and found
.Hat a clause for the prevailing rate OF wages
you'd be Of no legal effect
a nTP l.