The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-29
CAU'TRECONCILESUBWAYDIDS
TRANSIT COMMITTEE DECIDES
on ALTERNATE ROUTES.

InterbOfOugh and Metropolitan Must both
Hid, and the Better OneT Wins the
Prize-BeimOnt Talks Of moral
ObIlgatiOn" 10 LEI His Roads Extend
The Rapid Transit COMMISSIONS com
mittee on plans practically finished yester-
day its work OF deciding on the routes II
will recommend the commission to lay
out The committee has been unable to
reconcile the plans Of the rival marlborough
and Metropolitan companies, and II has
decided 10 recommend the laying out OF
alternate plans for competitors to bid
upon.
The committee will recommend that for
Seventh avenue specifications be drawn
for the construction Of q four track sub
way THE Metropolitan plan), or az an al
Tentative for a two track subway from Forty
second street to Twenty street, thence
TO Broadway, and from Forty-seoond street
under Broadway to Twenty-ffth street
(the Interborough route) Concerning the
Lexington avenue stretch, whcro the two
companies come into conflict, the com
mittee will advise the planning Of alternate
routes also.
The effect OF the committees proposals,
Comptroller Grout said yesterday, would
be to leave It to the two corporations to
fRht out between themselves their intended
stF1iRRle for the new subways. In other
words. what the commission will do, II II
adopts the report OF the committee, VIII
be 10 lay out the two sets Of routes sug-
gested by the marlborough and Metro
politan systems and advertise them. As
those routes will overlap, only one franchise
can be awarded and that franchise will 60
10 the company which can Offer the greater
inducements in the way Of free transfers
transfer facilities and cheap fares for inter-
borough traffic.
Some people have got into their heads,
said Mr.. Grout Yesterday. that the COM
mission intends to favor the Metropolitan
in the LAYING out Of the new routes. There
IL no such Intention. The committee will
report in favor OF alternate routes being ad-
vertised so az 20 give the companies
chance TO compete with each other IL ~
impossible for the committee 70 decide at
this time that the new subway system
shall 20 to the Metropolitan. All we can
do now is to lay out routes, II VIII not he
until the bids are opened probably year
from now that the commission will pass
on the question AZ to which company 1t
would be more advantageous to give the
contract to-
From the Office Of August Belmont a
statement was issued yesterday asserting
that the commission was under a moral
obligation 70 permit the marlborough to
complete it's subway system according TO
the plans originally drawn by William
Barclay Parsons. which provided for East
and West Side branches Of the present
subway such as the company now wishes
to build, because when the company offered
to construct the Brooklyn extension, almost
entirely at its own expense, assurance was
= hot hn mis- " hen
the time came would permit the company
to extend the subway system in Manhattan
and The Bronx. Part OF Mr.. Belmont =
statement contained an extract from a
letter written by him TO the commission,
thus declaring
Capital ventnred in this undertaking with
the well founded belief that II WAS both in
the public mind and that Of the COMM sion
that, the, rapid transit system would tie p,
was deemed merely the first step toward the
building OF rapid transit underground
and elevated railroad 10 connect all parts OF
Greater New York. II was recognized az the
outset h1t t9 5e Rre1ss afg but 9e
sIon from The civ Hall to Whitehall street
wac omitted from the original plans for lack
OF means, The section raversed by this
short piece OF road, not more than mile
long serves a business territory with ONCE
buildings containing a daily transient popu-
IN tion many times that OF several uptown
and Brooklyn borough wards put together.
which gives the elevated railroad stations in
that small strip Of territory some twenty
millions OF passengers year.
The object Of my company in bidding but
% ono 900 for the construction Of the Brooklyn
extension using for the balance funds out Of
tie own treasury. was that the city might
be left in sufficient funds to proceed with the
extension Of the rapid transit road from
Broadway and Forty-second street 70 mon
Square this extension being absolutely in
dis pensable to the successful operation OF the
road and the serving Of the most important
shopping district In the city, and with view
TO giving q connection with the projected
Penns ylvania terminal az Thirty-third street
and Broad way. TO furnish an equal facility
90 that now provided at the.Grand Central
station.
There was a report yesterday in Wall
Street that unless Mr. Belmont was allowed
q build the subway extensions he would
refuse 20 bid for the Brooklyn suhways
As the Metropolitan plans do not propose
the building Of subways TO Brooklyn the
carrying out OF such a threst would leave
that borough in a bad predicament mas
much as il would delay the carrying out
Of the comprehensive plans which have
been prepared for inteTborough tunnels
Commenting on this. Mr. Grout said
The city IL not under a moral obliga-
ton 10 Mr.. Belmont to allow him TO con-
strict new subwavs under his own terms.
Both the spirit and letter OF the law require
that where competitive bidding can be
had the commission shall do all il can to
obtain competition. ] hardly think that
Mr.. Belmont will refuse to extend his sys-
tenn to Brooklyn. That would be like