The sun., 1907-04-14
tS CITY ACRES And NO RENT.
REPORT TO BOARD OF ESTIMATE
on NEW YORK CENTRAL.
CHIEF Engineer Nichols Finds the Conditions
on Eleventh Avenue Hard TO Under.
stand-He Also Finds City Archives
Missing Hut In the LenOx Library.

on Eleventh Avenue Hard TO Under.
stand-He Also Finds City Archives
Missing Hut In the LenOx Library.
Some weeks ago the Eleventh Avenue
Track Removal Association sent a COM
m0-i. alton to the Board Of Estimate ask
ing why the New York Central railroad
was not compelled to pay taxes on it's
freight yard on the west side Of the city
Chief Engineer Nichols of the Bureau Of
Franchises was directed to look into the
matter, and as a result OF Investigations
he has made he has reported to the board
that in his opinion the company has prac-
tically confscated land. The property
occupied by the company for its freight
yard extends from Sixteenth street near
Eleventh avenue to Seventy-second street
near Twelfth avenue, with the Hudson
River as the western boundry. For a
tract OF land running alongside the water
the company pays a rental OF sS2, 600 year
TO the Dock Department, but according
TO Mr.. Nichols IL pays nothing for the prop
erty lying within the closed streets.
When Mr.. Nichols began his inquiry he
learned that when the streets were closed,
in 1887. an agreement was entered into
between the company and the city. but
when he looked for the agreement in the
city archives he was unable to find It. Then
he obtained i2kRrmation. the source Of
which he will not disclose. that the agree
ment was stored in the Lenox Library
Mr.. Nichols, sure enough, discovered it
there, but why the library should have
become the custodian of city records he
is unable to explain In this agreement
~ I'D IN oLrr Rms \
lust co mpensation to the city for the
lands within the limits Of the closed streets
and also 70 cooperate with the city in OBJ
tanning the passage of a bill permitting
the city to open the streets again, If such
a course should at any time be deemed
advisable, without compensation to the
company.
Il can find no such law on the statute
books" Mr.. Nichols says in his report
-and, therefore / assume that IL was never
carried out. II would also appear that
the provision in the agreement 10 COM
pensate the city has never been complied
with" Mr. Nichols finds that the area
occupied by the company IL I ,474 ,45O square
feet tabout thirty-four acresl. OF this area
the company leases from the Dock Depart
7l2, $40 square feet, for which II pays rental;
but for the occupancy Of the remainder
Of the property eighteen acresl the COM
pany does not pay a cent to the city. Ac-
cordihg to estimates which have been made
In the Bureau OF Franchises the value OF
the ground il not less than 81 100000.
IL " the intention of the city authorities
TO determine what rights the city has in
this property and whether or not back
taxes OF back rents can be collected. Il
seems that in 1905 there was an attempt
TO make the company pay for the use Of
the ground, but that the then Corporation
Counsel decided that while an act was
passed compelling the city 20 close the
streets, the title to the land did not pass
from the city and that the railroad could
not be taSed on the property 80 long a.
the title remained in the city. just what
the Board Of Estimate will do in the matter
will probably be determined at next Fridays
meeting.