New-York tribune., 1903-04-09
MAYOR MODIFIES BILL.
Restores Public Letting Feature
Calls 1t Sham.
FIFTY YEAR LEASES THE LONGEST.


Mayor Low. after a conference yesterday
afternoon with President Orr Of the Rapid
Transit Commission. issued the following state
ment with reference to the Bostwick bill.
amending the Rapid Transit act:
The amendments to the Rapid Transit law in
troduced by Assemblyman Bostwick at my
quest, were prepared for the purpose of carrying
into effect the general suggestions made in my
public letter to Mr.. Orr. dated March r. 1903.
After the first draft Of the amendments had
been made public my attention was called to the
fact that the bill did not give the city power to
act for itself. If those with whom 1t might seek
TO contract showed a disposition not to deal
fairly by it. and to the further fact that the
taxing clause proposed TO exempt from taxa
tfon rolling stock and other personal property
which could only become the property of the
city at the end of the lease by being paid for.
l Immediately arranged for conference with
Mr.. Orr, the Controller and MIR. r. Fulton Cut
ting, and at that conference amendments were
agreed upon covering satisfactorily both or
these points.
Since then my attention has been called to
two other clauses Of the bill which. as drawn.
seem open to criticism. The first is the clause
apparently allowing the Rapid Transit Comnis-
sfoners to make contract for any piece or
road without public letting Practically the m
tention Of this clause. and, suppose. actually
Its effect, is to enable the commission to deal
with the contractor for the subway precisely as
1T did recently with the Pennsylvania Railroad
Company. This. certainly is what 1t was in
tended to do The motive for 1t was the fact
that public letting where there is only one pos
sible competitor is q good deal Of a sham ON
the other hand. in view OF the general misunder-
standing that this clause has caused. have
given instructions to have 1T stricken from tne
bill. l have taken the same course as TO the
clause permitting the Rapid Transit Comrnls-
sion to make a lease with the contractor Tor the
present subway for longer term than nifty
years This clause was intended to apply only
to branches extensions of the present SUD
way; but, as drawn, it evidently needs amend
ment, and the simplest way of dealing with IL
seems to to leave 1t out altogether.
I ms L
vantage of the careful review of the pending
bill. resulting from the criticisms which nave
been called to my attention, to reduce the mini
mum term of any lease that can be made from
thrty-five years, as 1T has heretofore been. 70
twenty-five. thus assimtlating the Rapld IransIl @
law to the provisions of the charter, and of sec
tion 81 of the Rapid Transit act ITSELF whlch
relates to extensions built by private corpora
tiOns. Provision for periodic revision or tne
terms of every franchise hereafter let, after the
first period OF twenty-five years has expired, mas
also been made.
bers of the Rapid Transit Board favor this
measure. The changes alluded to in TINS state
ment have been specifically cOncurred IN oy
Mr. Orr and the Controller. The bill represents
in some particulars compromise between op-
posing opinions; but this is true or almost every
measure that deals with great subjects No law
Is self-operating, and the Rapid Transit law
like any other will produce good results or
bad according to the way in which 1t is ad-
1ninistered The proposed amendments OF the
law If adopted, will equip the city better than
ever before to secure good results through the
work of the Rapid Transit Commission
The ar.endment relating to revaluations reads
as follows: Every such lease or contract TOT
operation If made for period OF more tnan
TWENTY-FIVE wears, shall further provide that the
rental therein reserved shall, at intervals OF
not more than twenty-five years, be read1usted
on the basis of fair valuation, 10 De mace III
such manner as the said lease or contract shall
provide"
Mayor Low telegraphed to Charles ;. whit
man the Assistant Corporation Counsel IN Al
bany last night that the Mayors amendments
would be in Albany early this morning.