New-York tribune., 1907-10-01
TRAIL OF YELLOW DOG"
MORE RUMORS IN STREET.
Mach Erpected Of Three Witnesses
IN Traction TRUesi cation.

Testimony will probably be brought out day
when the Public Service Commission resumes its
probing Of the affairs of the traction system
which will show whether the countless accusa-
tions Of rottenness financial corruption and
bribery Of officials Of high and low degree which
have been voiced against those companies were
true Three witnesses will be put on the stand
bv William NJ WINS. from whose combined
knowledge should be obtained most Of the es-
sential facts concerning the general "construc-
lion account" which has been termed a genuine
yellow dog fund devoted to devious and vicious
uses
Wall Street men in general were agog with
reDorts Yesterday even more circumstantal than
those which spread through the district last
week, dragging into the affair names Of prom
fnent lawyers, business men and politicians
Marvin Scudder, the consulting accountant
Of the Public Service Commission, will be the
first witness called by Mr.. WINS this afternoon.
He. MT WINS and Chairman Wilcox of the COM
mission were closeted together yesterday fer
several hours going over the books of the Met
ropoitan Street Railway Company, to which the
DAYS business will be confined.
From Mr. Scudder Mr.. WINS expects to bring
out the groundwork for questions which he will
ask subsequent witnesses. According TO the
present plan he will explain the bookkeeping
system Of the company. going into analysis of
the details of the construction account so far as
possible
Even in Mr. Scudders testimony, If the gem
eral expectations be realized. there will be many
surprising and distinctly interesting bits of In
formation new TO the stockholders Of the COM
many. and facts never contained in the formal
reports 20 the state Railroad Commission. But
his testimony rnay be incomplete in many de-
tails because his examination OF the AFFAIRS or
the company has been sadly handicapped py the
lack of those books of the system which on the
recommendation Of D. c. MooTehead we're con-
verted into paper pulp. and the absence OF GER
tain vouchers.
II MI Scudder finishes his testimony at Ile
hearing to-day the following witness will be d
c, Moorehead. the secretary of the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company. who sent the books
% the scrapheap. Mr.. Moorehead will be asked
10 explain the services for which payments tes-
titled 70 by Mr. Scudder made.
What Mr. Moorehead may not tell may be OBJ
tained from Charles s. Ludlam, at present an
accountant with the firm of Haskns & Sells.
Mr. Ludlam formerly auditor Of the Metro
poIitan Street Railway Company at the time Of
the business transactions 10 which some Of the
missing vouchers related.
Chairman Wilcox declared emphatically yes
terday that this investigation would be pushed
through to its end, in spite OF any power
earth
Nothing eartll-nothing but death-can
stop this probe of the railway companies he
said I'VE shall continue the investigation
without fatering along every line laid out in
our previous work-both the investigation into
the companies financial affairs and into the
nature 0f the service furnished.
"Why. the street railway company has not
bought rev car in five years. continued Mr..
Wilcox; "ard with cars constantly going, into
the repair shops the number of cars running
lately actually has been less than the number
the company operated five years ago"
J. Lsnlan who was slated for the chair
1nanship of protective committee Of minority
Metropolitan Street Railway stockholders, said:
"As a minority stockholder. I thoroughly
in sympathy with the course taken by the Pub
lie Service Commission in this receivership.
The receivershp will mean reorganization.
which in turn will mean that some money will
be spent in improving the service. If the ser
vice actually is improved there will be more
fares collected, and that viii mean better pros
poets for the stockholders.
IF the companys management in the past
had been a little less of the public be damned
order there never would have been any need of
a receivership. If the company would treat the
public a little more decently the public always
would have been willing to cooperate with the
company in anything-even in the matter OF
cleaning the streets Of snow, instead Of throw
ing the snow all over the companys tracks
whenever possible"