New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-03-29

4 a~ffa
bov-evo- reear1s this entirely useless and
s-,,es t,-t fhe New-York CITY Railroad Company
osr relocate three lines all complying with the
49,. Of the law on three separate directions OF
Fln,-st. and thus grab new lin" rom Astor
~ 70 CIV Hall ParT. Their objection on this
Ground was follows:
tnGer VIC Gart Of us 49, or Centre-st.. and re-
locate them upon the upper part or EInl-Sl.' 1nay
1910 IFS unused tracks Upon Nooster-st-. ana
aD,II,, ,j3srr upon lafayette Place. may abandon
SIS unused tracks uL'q sr, f t,i-,st making
l.,HI5,Is line through LAFAYETTE Place and Elm
st; "hi-11 ttalinE Tor its own use without any
7rrausation 20 the cts ana WitheIt PtopeI SdIe-
Of the city st ~ ,,y,obSfTti,toI highway
= raszara of vehicles and 70 relieve the con
rrcstion o. traffic on Broadway and the Bowery-
prpNITs OCCUPYING ANY STREET.
= ae,sct IL permits the street railway companies
in certain portions OK ne t5sy desire TO- m6Dopoizs
and 10 do without any further restrlctions as 20
me S lc,v,cted at the discretion Of the city
tborities and without any limit OF time OF Is-
va fba mere statement Of it Is sufficient for is
ss Wr3x Beden bin attacking the transfer
-i-b+e Of IA szsngers by permitting the Railroad
Commission TO allow % rif,9ed s Follows
while it NAV be conceivable that the giving OF
transfers at certain junction points naE cd II
congestion Of trathc as 70 cause l,.t 80 -
Is sIfcIent to point out that these ccnditlos nGvS
h1n
!.,ts 10 restrict the rights Of passenger over
given route should ne adopted until IL Eas Oeeh
restTictior Nothing has been shown 70 make 1t
anrer that the provision proposed IS IN the inter-
ests OF public safety.
-,a wilcox HedelI bill changing the tdw with ref
zos ~ tba forfeiture Of franchises and suspected
~ bsing designed to give vitality to the Rip
>,av-York Westchcstor and Boston company Is
referred TO thus;
This bill Is intended to continue in the hands Of
can't corn GRAFT %
have been granted TO them under the express con-
don and only T ae R TSci s 9aS ba a d
10 10 II permits corporations TO defer slmost in
intended they shall exercise. and in he interval
90 make such unused powers the suojecff q sac t
and source Of private profit without Deneht 70 the
public The construction Of any part II a street
The purpose intended serves to keen alive the
franchise rights under which Il was constructed.
serve to keep alive the unused franchise rights OF
either o. both.
ANTI-TRANsFER BILL ASsAILED.
In addition to their attack on the Wilcox bill
grab. the committee bitterly assailed the Wallace
ant-trausfcr measure. taking from the passenger
20 whom IS refused a transfer tho right 10 bring
a suit and vesting IL In the Attorney General The
opponents OF this bill have steadily maintained that
this right Of the aSgrieved Individual TO sue and
collect so penalty was the only remedy the pub
lie had b. which could force street railroad cor
poratious 20 give transfers. The Merchants As
ISOLATION Representatives thus presented the case
to the Governor
Tho present process being swift, certain and a
I'm hts own hands hut II the remedy f. placed in
tho hands Of the state. the process becomes slow
trouble to the aeErieved party as 10 make 1t res-
sonably certain that no remedy VII! be tG4hS. -
shaped rs 10 prevent quick Justice as between the
PT 5 %dI 20 tb a re l FL cs th amend
mont provided FOR IN this b''l IS permitted
Strong objection was made to the Governor
against tho bill allowing city officers % compromise
claims against street railroads Nj De Bcrard told
Governor OdeIl. the authority OF Incorporation
Counsel Rives. that upward Of Soooo.ooo was In
volyod iu claims pending. most Of them near
Ing Adjudication IN the courts. that they covered
the special franchise tax. as well as claims for
pAylng between tracks aud for license fees, and
that x tho bill was passed the people might be de-
rr3ud~d - immense sums due from street railway
corporations. The protest this bill ir part fol-
lows.
D. IS monstrous proposition. that the deliberate
that corporations operating pubIi, utilities should
pay Jar tag upon ne value ~ me prvtleErs sS
"Sagon - that taX 70 the discretion OF eSecGtiSe
are under obligation 10 pay either a percentage %
gross receipts car license fees All 81 the original
holding company. The methods - accounting OF
that company are such as 70 minimizo and Tn some
entirely eVpunCe. the gross receipts of sub
fsg =, maze il .pp~sr ihat no cars are operated
bv some ~ the lines subject 10 license fees
This measure proposes 20 leave all these complex
question tho discretion OF CITY officials. who have
not hitherto shown themselves 70 D." jealous in the
protection Of the CITY interests I'm place OF leav
Ing their 90 the decision Of tho courts which. n
proper suits brought and pushed will determine
the relative rights of the companies and the public
These were the principal objections advanced By
the Merchants Associate representative and
while admitting that they had received as
sIrancc. the members 81 the committee left the
Governor with the evident confidence that when
Ic had examined both the bill and the protest. he
would veto them with the same merCieSsness with
which DC killed similar vicious legislation last ses-
sion.