The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-26
Public Service Board Wants
 Them Fixed Ten a Day
COMPANY WANTS MORE TIME
New York City Railway Company Re- plies To Citys Demand With Admission That Rolling
 Stock Is Defective.

New York, December 25-(Special.)- The public service commission held public hearing yesterday on it's order to the New York City Railway company to better the physical condition of it's rolling stock The tentative order directed that all cars in which even the least imper- factions were found should be put through the repair shops and that they should not be put into operation again until they had been practically turned into new cars. The made over cars were to be turned out at the rate of 10 day.
 At yesterdays hearing A. w. Me Limont, an electrical engineering expert employed by the commission to examine the cars of the company, said that he had inspected 1900 out of the 1900 cars op- erated by the company, and that he had found 401 cars with flat wheels, 7S6 cars were in such inferior condition that they ''rattled'', and 1006 cars with gear noises" MT. McLimont added that there was broken glass in 192 cars and that 249 cars were being operated without head lights MT. McLimont said further that there were 105 cars which he could only
 
 In statement summing up the condi- tions he found, MT. MeLimont said.
 The company's excuse for the recent fires which they have been so unfortun- ate as to experience is not sufficient to account for the present condition of their equipment and intellectual manner in which they maintain the rolling stock. The inexcusably long time elapsing before the burned car barns are rebuilt should not prevail, nor what they have lost through these fires cause them to neglect the cars, as has been the case. find sufficient cars available in the car houses for overhauling purposes, so that with a competent and universal method of working In their shops they could per- fectly well maintain their rolling stock m an efficient and reliable condition.
 It evidently meets the company's re- quirements if the car body Is sent through the paint shop and painted, then put out again without proper overhauling of the truck and motor equipment. In fact the investigation shows instances where car bodies that have just come through the paint shop have equipments underneath that are in such a neglected condition as to be hardly fit for service. What organization they have at the various
 
 troubles so that the car will keep in service rather than in watching for and removing defects and worn parts, which if left alone cannot help but be respon- sible for the numerous dead cars and unnecessary emergency repairing.
 There are from 30 to 50 of the cars kept in each car house that are taken in every day for emergency repairs. This is excessive. If the equipment were main- tained in proper condition 25 of the cars requiring emergency repairs would be correct. In many cases the same car has come in more than once the same day and in several instances three times for different defects
 My investigation of this property leads . to. the conclusion that the rolling stock equipment, car house repair facilities and lack of an effective system of repair and maintenance departments is responsible flor the undesirable service being given by the railway company inasmuch as the rolling stock affects it.
 The company was not represented at the hearing but Adrian H. Joline and Douglas Robinson. the receivers of the Metropolitan system, submitted a state ment in which they frankly confessed that the condition of the rolling stock was deplorable. The cause of these con ditions they stated jvet as bluntly, was the neglect of the officials of the com pany to keep the stock in first lass con dition. The commissioners declared that they fully realized the need of improv- ing the standard of the equipment, but that 1t would be impossible to put cars through thie repair shops at the daily rate demanded by the commission until the shops at One Hundred and Forty sixth street, which were burned down last April, had been repaired. It was added by the receivers that they had contract ed for the rebuilding of the shops and that they would establish a policy of ex- peditng repair work on the cars. Atten- ton was also drawn by the receivers to the fact that If the commission insisted pn sending as many as ten cars. day to the repair shops so many cars would be taken out of service that it would be Impossible to maintain the existing run ming schedules.
 No decision was announced by the com mission yesterday. but the probability is that the board will modify its order to five rars a day.