New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-30
ALDERMEN AND FRANCHISES.

Nobody who reviews the history of franchises
~ tho BOARD of Aldermen is likely TO have the
least doubt that whatever may be sala Oh i.s
honesty. that body is utterly incompetent 10
discharge properly the important duty no" ue
volved upon it with respect to the oeVeiopiieu.
of this great city and the meetlng OIL A's u
needs For seven years now the boafu VI az
dermen or its predecessor, the MUNICIPAL as
sembly has been the franchise Srahllhs oous
of the city government, and the experience VI
that period has been one, if not of dehberate
holduns of DELAYS and political intrigues so in
furious to the general welfare as 10 snow the
need of yesting this great power in some re-
sponsble and businesslike body. 1t is lntoier'
able that the great public interests lnVolVeu III
franchises at this time of rapid development
and practical reconstruction Of the metroponS
should be at the mercy of officials who cannot
be made to attend to their duties or to transact
business according to the statutes and their own
rules
Since January 1, 1899. the city legislature has
had before it twenty eight applications for fran
chises exclusive of those sent to it for approval
by the Rapid Transit Commission. Though
bound to act promptly one way or the otner
upon them, it has in only twelve cases out or
the twenty-eight acted at ALL After delays
aggregating one year and seven months 1T hnal-
~ rejected two applications After delays aggre-
gazing elgnC years ana Two MOuths II SIduecu
six applications, while it granted with rea-
enable promptness four others. The other
sixteen were held up way or another,
and died or were withdrawn after being rem
dered hopeless by delay without any action
having been taken upon them. The four ap-
plications promptly granted were: The Fort
George and 11th-ave. franchise for a surface
railroad in December, 1899; the Kingsbridge
Railroad Company's franchise for surface
railroad at the same time; the Lehigh Valley
Railroad Company's franchise to lay tracks
| across 13th-ave.. in January 1900 and the New
York, Westchester and Boston Railway Com
pany's franchise, in July, 1904, the granting of
which was as peculiar the inexplicable de-
lays in some other cases. In view of the prompt
action on the Lehigh Valley franchise, it is curl
Gus that it took the Erie six months to get
| franchise to do precisely the same thing
Three years and nine months were spent by the
legislators upon the Elm Street Connecting Rail-
road Company's application, finally granted in
August, 1908; one year and eight months on the
Union Railway application TO cross Macombs
Dam Bridge; one year and five months on the
application for extension of the system of the
Mineola Hampstead and Freeport Traction Com
pany, in Queens; ten months on the application
of the Bush Terminal Railroad Company to lay
tracks in 41st-st., Brooklyn and two months on
the application of the New York City INTERIOR
The Bronx. These were the delays in the cases
of franchises granted. The delays on appIica-
tons simply hung up, some of them since 1899,
are much greater. Now, nobody suggests that
all these applications are mertorious. The point
is that they should have been disposed Off
good, allowed to proceed; If bad, cleared away
so as not to menace other enterprises.
1t may be thought that many of these requests
We're i'll considered and not worthy of better
treatment, in spite of the rules; but certainly
when the Rapid Transit Commission has care
fuliy planned an enterprise and asked the for
NAL approval required by the charter prompt
acton might have been expected. There have
been nine such plans presented since January /.
1900 proposal for a spur of the subway to Fort
Lee Terry, under an agreement of the ferry com.
pany to carry subway passengers across the
river without additional fare, plan highly adj
Vantageous to the travelling public is still I'M
acted upon after seventeen months. The New
York Connecting Railway application. already
much discussed, has been pending nine months
There was five months delay over the Penn
sylvania tunnel 1t took seven months to change
the subway route at Fort George and rand
transit for the people of that section is so much
delayed. necessary but tri1ing change in
LenoX-ave. was held up for five months and
the advantageous connection of the elevated and
subway in The Bronx for two months The
McAdoo tunnel franchise was held I'D for FIVE
months Only three Rapid Transit Commission
franchises were adopted promptly and the ac
ton on them showed that the excuse about
needed information in the other cases was nom
sense, for these franchises were some of them
as much open to difference of opinion and IN
need of study as those which were neglected.
Clearly the aldermen are not the persons -
be trusted with a power which they NAV x,ith
in such fashion.