New-York tribune., 1903-11-27
SrREET RAILROAD QUESTIONS.

There is little danger that the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company's application for au-
thority to install overhead trolley in West
St will be granted in a hurry. The present ad-
minstration is virtually certain to object, if il
takes the scheme into consideration at all and
the probability is that public opinion will be so
strongly declared by the time Tammany returns
to power as TO insure at least a cautious treat
ment of the company's request. Experience
has taught the necessity of ScrutiniZing with
the utmost care every direct application Of the
Metropolitan company for an extension of its
privileges. as well as every measure relating to
transportation in this city which is submitted
to the legislature. 1t is the business of that
corporation to go for what it wants, and its
habit is to employ as many subterfuges as the
circumstances in each case suggest to its
astute managers. Moreover, a seemingly frauk
avowal of its desires. as in this instance, does
not disarm suspicion for the hypothesis that
something else is being kept in concealment is
always reasonable. We cannot say that Mr..
King Of the Merchants Association, is justi-
fed in believing that behind this application
for new privileges in West-st. turks q scheme
for surface freight lines around the waterfront,
but there would be no occasion for astonish-
ment if that should prove to be the real design.
There are great objections TO the overhead
trolley system in city streets. Thanks TO public
opinion and the legal obstacles which public
opinion created, the Borough of Manhattan has
escaped that curse, and there is, we believe a
wellniCh universal determination to prevent the
slightest rela xation of the restrictions which
have saved this part Of the city from sharing
Brooklyn's fate Mr.. Vreeland's chief argu-
ment is that West-st ought to be excepted from
the general rule, inasmuch as the surface there
i Il
the highest tides and excessively heavy storms.
IT probably would be, but such tides apd storms
are not of very frequent occurrence, and an oc-
casional interruption of traffic might be much
more tolerable than the constant and manifold
evils OF overhead wires. Mr.. Vreeland has a
difficult case on his hands, and we don't be-
lieve he can prove it, Fortunately, the rights
of the public are strongly protected by the cityS
ownership of all the abutting property on the
river side of the street
In considering this subject we are reminded
of the effort TO procure through the legislature
the appointment of a local commission to deal
with all matters relating to street railroad
transportation within the city limits That plan,
which was respectfully pressed at Albany last
winter, has been revived by representatives of
the various organizations. forty or more in num-
Der, which were committed to il at that time.
They include many citizens whose intelligence
and good faith are undisputed, and we are in
formed that they are hopeful of success at the
coming session. With perfect respect for their
motives anf~~Sue regard for the value of their
opinion, we musS say that we are not quite sure
they ought TO succeed. There are great defects
and abuses in the operation OF the city rail
roads which the companies will probably never
remedy except under compulsiOn. But it is not
clear that the necessary pressure can best he
applied by duplicating for local purposes the
machinery Of the State Railroad Commission.
1t IS pretty generally conceded that the pro-
ceedngs OF that commission have not conferred
many benefits upon this city hitherto, and
there is force in the argument that, partly be-
cause Of the manner in which II is constituted
and partly because Of the variety OF other claims
upon its attention il is not well adapted TO the
task Of dealing with the transportation prob
lens Of the metropolis. But we are by 10
means convinced that another commission, ap-
pointed for that special purpose, would be able
to make reluctant corporations, with unlimited
resources for litigation, do the things it wanted
them to do, even If it were easy to determine in
every instance what the public welfare re-
quired.
Ikowever, the need Of a larger measure of Of
fetal authority and supervision over the street
railroad service is obvious. and il might be we'll
10 make some such experiment as the forty al
lied associations recommend But while the
subject is under consideration. il is pertinent TO
ask whether il is really necessary TO go outside
Of our deliberately equipped city government for
the attainment OF that object simple amend
ment 10 the charter. imposing on certain mu-
nicipal oficers-tbe borough presidents, for ex-