The sun., 1903-01-06
CARSENOUGH, CAN'T MOVE EN-
MAKE TRUCKS GO ON WHEN TOLD
TO, SAYS VREELAND.


President Vreeland re piled to cr1ticisns
of congestion and poor service on the SER
face lines controlled by him at the inquiry
held Yesterday afternoon by the State
Railroad Board into the conditions on
theee lines. The meeting was held In par
ior DR. Of the Fifth Avenue Hotel and at It
the committee OF the Merchants Associa-
ton submitted to the commission It's sug-
ves.ions as to the manner in which Mr..
Vreeland could improve his street car
system.
There were just seventeen OF these sus-
restions which the association would like
the board TO incorporate in an ordRe on the
METROPOLITAN similar to that issued In the
case Of the elevated.
Principal Of these suggestions are: The
running OF a full and continuous service
to be given by adding more cars on all oil
the lines save Broadway; the extension oi
the Eighty-sixth street crosstown line and
the improvement Of all downtown cross
town lines: two conductors on cars In the
rush hours; the vestibuling Of cars and the
diversion from their present routes OF sew
eral lines Of cars.
Besides the members of the Merchants
Association there were a good many Others
present to offer suggestions. One OF these,
L. j. Callahan, said he thought he could
relieve the congestion on Br oadway.
Chairman Cole Of the commission said that
il he ever did he'd be the biggest man in
New York by long odds and would have
Mr.. Vreelands job.
Mr.. Callahan promptly dsavowed any
hankering after MIR Vreeland's job. to the
great amusement Of Mr. Vreeland, VINO was
present, with Harry Macedonia, Of counsel
for the road.
After william F, King. Theron G.Strong
and Mr.. Callahan had asked the commission
to ascertain at an open hearing instead OF
a secret hearing why Mr.. Vreeland didn't
give transfers at different points. why he
stopped cars and turned them back at
others, and why he didn't run moro cars,
anyway. the commission asked Mr.. Nree-
land IL he had anything TO say.
Mr.. Vreeland said that he hadn't come
prepared to say anything because he hadn't
known that any such inquiry was going to
be held and added that he didn't have with
him a single operating man TO help him out.
Mr.. Vreeland said that the only question
brought up which he had not already dis
cussed with the commission was the Eighty
sixth street lines extension.
Everyone knows" sad Mr.. Vreelsnd,
that We have been trying TO get the con-
sent Of properly owners for five years TO
extend that line to Amsterdam avenue,
and il any civic body will get it for US ii
qua rantee 10 build the road in a month.
so far as the crosstown lines down
town are concerned we have got permissio n
TO install electricity Oh them and are ready
to spend eight millions Of dollars in doir q
it. but We can't get the material, We have
q whole lot of work laid out contingent on
material being procured. but every con-
tractor knows you cant get IL.
Commissioner Cole said he would like
Mr.. vreeland to give the commission an
answer to the first suggestion Of the asso-
ciation that more cars b, run and full
and continuous service IN kept up all
day.
MY answer to that" said Mr.. vreeland.
lis that our statistics and the statistics
have already supplied the board with show
that there is only three hours in the day
when there are not ample cars run to carry
all the business offered, They also show
that the physical condition Of the street,
to-day IL such as 10 make it absolutely
the rush hours
IF fifty cars werc blocked on Broadway .
Mr.. Vr eeland said. by a truck unloading
iron, as happened yesterday morning south
Of Fulton street. there would De no better
facilities il there were 100 cars. There
was absolutely no schedule for running
cars, he said, that was not elastic and cars
were standing in the barns waiting at all
times 10 he rushed ont 10 fll up gaps caused
by blocks
AN our lines to-day" Mr.. Vreeland
went on, 1T must lie remembered, are al
fected by the subway operations. Three
OF our lines are practically out Oi our con-
troll for that reason The Fourth avenue
line, one Of our most important lines. has
not been In our control for two years. but
in that OF the subway contractors. The
same is true Of other lines
The other morning three lines of cars
were tied up for one hour and a half by
horses falling into the subway at Sixty
fifth street and Columbus avenue. There
is Information in the hands Of this board
presented by me which shows that out Of
ninety-seven calls in one day for our efner-
gency wagon there was not a single call
FOR any inefficiency of a car, but all We're
for trucks breaking down or accidents in
the subway.
sThe lines downtown are frequently
tied up. What does il? Look az the sta
tistics Of the trucking on Broadway al
Canal. Fulton and the important cross
streets uptown Our Broadway line,
for instance, is criticised. T is morning
il was at a staudstill because Seventh
avenue was closed from Forty-second
TO Forty-fifth streets and all the trucks
turned into Broadway. II took me just
twelve minutes tine other night 10 20 from
the New York Theatre to the Empire
Theatre, and there was a line Of cars up
TO Fiftieth street.
.Our service is 1919 per cent less in tn,
past year and a half t,an in previous year.
and our earnings, which have always
advanced on a basis OF 10 per cent. have
been reduced 0 per cent.
sThe change from horses and the eN-
pendture Of $so.0OO,o0o have almost been
thrown away. The speed OF electric carr
to-day u only two and half miles al hour
faster than horses cars. We have abso-
lutely no control over present conditions
There Is absolutely no enforcement of the
ordinances relative TO the movement of
vehicles on our streets.
Il submit right now that until an ordi-
nance Ia passed and properly enforced
and the movement Of million and a half
Of people Is considered more important
than the delivery Of a ton Of coal or a box
OF dry goods, these same conditions will
exist. We have ample cars and ample
power. Fix the streets aud we'll Iu1 the
cars. I'm not saying drive the trucks
out OF New York or even keep them %.
Broadway. All We ask is to have this
matter regulated and when a policeman
tells a truckman 10 move on. TO have him