New-York tribune., 1907-08-03

Of your intangible rights? Al think such in
formation could be supplied, but explain HoIo Ue
rltely what you -
Q-By your tangible rights 1 mean your ran "
chises and forth. BY intangible. mean rls1I'S
IN the streets that you have received A-,1es.
Q--Is your company prepared 10 sutp'y oa
information TO the commission? Al see no Fea-
son why it should not supply II.
Cravath-There IS not the information IN our OF
Q.-CouId you have It prepared within thirty
DAYS say? At IS hard 10 estimate the time that
Will he required. but it might be done IN inir'S
Chairman willcox-weII make estimate Of the
will do
CAPITALIZATION OF COMPANIES.
Mr.. Wins then took up the capitalization Of
the surface lines He asked MI Shonts II ne
had been over the line of the Dry Dock ROAD.
Mr.. Sh0uts replied that he had. but IN reply 10
another question said he could not make an
estimate Of what It would cost to replace the
road.
O-The Forty-second Street Railroad Company
cost for road and equipment $3.50 40 mile. Nhac
could Il be replaced for today Al don't know
Q.-The Fulton street road. having a mileage ot
Il. cost at the rate Of s2553."7 mile. That road
IS equipped with horsecaTs- Have you ever hEi heaEI
OF mile OF road for horsecars costing that nucht
Al not familiar with conditions In the city.
and really am not competent OF answering tlat
question.
Q-You ere familiar with the saith street cross
town road. which has electric power for mileage
Of ~ OF a mile. It cost over six millions a mile.
Is It possible do you TO say that II is pos
sible for one mile OF road and equipment 10 cost
that much? Al really do not know. am not
ra--riar enough with New York conditions. II
decline 70 answer from lack OF knowledge
IN that case said Mr.. WINS, Il VIII simply
read FOR entrance the record the cost
mia of road and equipment OF each OF the sur
face roads Of your system. II any Of the fig
ures are incorrect I viii ask your counsel 10
correct me-" Mr.. wins then read n table. II
was similar to the one printed IN The Tribune
OF Thursday
TAKES Up HORSECAR LINES
F-oIlozving his plan OF first taking up the phys
;cal or operating part OF the investigation. Mr.
wins began a series OF questions IN regard 10
lines in the city which horsecars are oper-
ated.
Q-How many miles of single track are operated
tv horse power? About eighty but this esti-
mate includes considerable track that IS not actl-
ally IN use -. =.
electrify any OF that track? A-1es.
0-Hov much and on what lines? About lf-
teen miles. Contracts have been made ana ti!e
contractors now at work
OIpo YOU propose to eIectrify moro Of that
trec1ago now operated by horsecarsf A-WeIl,
we had plans prepared for electrfynC the 2sth
cnJ 2ef1 street lines but TIE Commissioner OF
water supply. Gas and Electricity Mr. O'Hrien.
failed to give as permits in time to let the con-
O-Ars the contractors to be paid in cash or
securities? A--Cash.
N1r Shonts said that the cost would be about
100000. This was purely the cost or 'ohstruc-
ton and did not include equipment
Mr. WINS then asked if there was anything
being done by the merger so that each OF tho
three systems. subway, surface and elevated
would be made an aid TO the other in the reIlef
of congestion. Mr.. Shonts replied in the mega
tive There were no plans on foot by which tho
traveller might have an option of the use OF one
of two systems Such an arrangement. he said'
would be a novelty to him. An attempt by
means of transfers, he said, was being made to
divert traffic from some OF the most heavily
congested surface lines TO others. i uhdei-
stand" he said. that no efforts have been MADE
or will he made TO interfere with the Individual
working of the three systems our desire IS 10
1,aar the surface lines for short haul traffic
SYSTEM OPERATED AT \ PROFIT.
O-Is the elevated system operated at profit
or a loss? A--At profit.
o.-Is the New York city Railway COMPANY
beIrg operated at a profit at loss? A-At Il
profit, with the exception Of one line' the Third
Avenue line
what do you mean by a profit" asked Mr..
Cravath
Mr. Wins then repeated his question by sub
stituting the words at deficit or a surplus
Mr. Shonts then answered that the New York
City Railway system was being operated at a
deficit
Quoting the report of the system Of June 30.
1906 Mr. WINS showed that the deficit for the
year ended on that date amounted to S22S6.315-
f ''3v deficit" explained Mr. Cravath. 'is meant
that the earnings fall below the per cent guar
antee on Metropolitan Street Railway stock
In reply to questions Mr.. Shonts said that the
service on many of the lines of the merger
should be increased, but the company could not
get the men He said that he found 1t
difficult to get men for the surface than for
the elevated lines
O.-Are there any mental or physical standards
bv which the you employ measured?
A-There are but labor has been scarce the last
wear or two that have been forced to lower our
standards or TO relax them. both as TO mental and
/ nhvsical qualifications. We have been forced
! employ such men a6 we could get
! O-Then the men in your department neither
ne good mentally physically they were two
wears ago? Al am sorry to say they certainly
are not
? O-Does not that have an effect on the service on
all YOUR lines? Ayes
Mr. Shonts said that new employees were put
/ through a course of training for two or three
weeks before they were sent out on trains.
POLICE PROTECTION BY COMPANY.
"I understand" said Mr.. WINS, that the law
{ perrnits the employment of regular policemen
by companies, provided the companies deposit
the money for paying them with the cfty. If
I regular policemen were employed do you think.
Nr Shonts they would cause amelioration
I of what I do not hesitate to call the horror and
/ brutality of present conditions?''
Il believe the presence of regular policemen
would greatly assist in the handling of the
crowds But Commissioner Bingham is eX-
trenely set in bis convictions. He objects to
| having special policemen use the blue UNIFORM