New-York tribune., 1907-11-19
LIGHTING INQUIRY NOW
Merchants association Has Material
for Public Seruice Commission.

The Public Service Commission adopted yester-
day, under the Public Service Commissions law.
detailed specifications To the form in which
complaints of the service rendered by gas and eec
trio lighting companies shall be submitted Each
complaint must be signed by not less than one
hundred purchasers Of gas or electricity in the city
or such lesser territory is included the com
plant
Following the requirements of this rule tho Mer-
chants Association, which has had for several
months complaint as to the gas and electric ser
vice in this city filed with the commission, has
undertaken the work of getting the necessary sig
natures to u formal complaint This with its hum
drcd signatures. viii be sent to the commission by
the Merchants Association within day or two.
and will form the basis for the investigation Of
lighting conditions by the commission
This complaint will be based letters sent to
the Merchants Association by many business men
in this city setting forth their grievances in de
tail These grievances Will be coIated and analyzed
by the association, and. according to information
received yesterday. viii furnish broad and pro-
ductive field for the investigation by the commits
sion. Tho actual letters from tho electric and gas
consumers viii he sent 10 the commission. accom-
panyinr the Merchants Associations analysis Of
tho grievances.
These grievances faI into broad classes, con-
sisting of complaints TO overcharges. complaints
10 inefdcienCy of service, and complaints of re-
fusal the part OF the lighting companies give
service except on contracts for periods covering
a number Of years or on contracts FOR exclusive
service.
The question Of breakdown service-that is. ser
vice furnished by the electric companies I'm case
private lighting plants are put out OF business
win figure largely in the complaint. as this
service s conspicuous IN the business world chiefly
because the companies refuse 70 furnish Il at any
figure. On this subject the complaints sent 10 the
Merchants Association and also TO the Public Ser
vice Commission by customers would-be Gus
toners have been fun OF feeling-not by any means
good reelinG-toward the lighting companies.
If the material which the Merchants Association
had engaged 10 furnish IS before the commission by
tomorrow morning there is every probability that
the formal resolution for the inquiry will be adopted
then. II not the case will probably go over until
Friday. Commissioner MaItbie. who has made a
special study OF lighting conditions viii conduct
the hearings in this investigation.
As a result of numerous hearings before Commis-
sioner Bassett the commission issued yesterday q
final order to the Brooklyn Union Elevated and the
Brooklyn Heights railroad companies providing for
many large improvements In the Cypress Hls ser
vice The order TO the Brooklyn Union elevated
provides that the short line trains on the Lexington
avenue line be TO Manhattan Junction during
the evening rush hours and that each be a siX-car
train; all the trains on the Broadway line be
run through to Cypress Hills, and that during the
morning and evening rush hours they be hVe-car
trains and that the Lexington avenue trains now
run to and from Cypress Hills station be operated
at seven and one-haf minutes headway during the
period between rush hours and until midnight, ana
that they be least four-car trains.
The order to the Brooklyn Heights Railroad Com
many provides for an Increase of % per cent over
the present schedule in the number OF cars running
1etyyeen CYPRESS Hills and Jamaica. and in addition,
a car from Jamaica to Cypress Hills at 4:45 a m
Messrs Joline and Robinson. receivers for the
New York City Railway Company. sent to the com
mission a letter asking that body 10 approve an
ordinance proposed by President Shonts OF the
1nterborough- Metropolitan to limit the number OF
passengers to be carried on any Of the Montreal
tyne' of cars TO sixty-hve and to forbid thelr
standing on the rear platforms. THESE cars which
are TO be put into service on the Fourth ana Naol-
son avenue line have separate entrances and exits
and the passengers fares must be PAID on thelr
entering the cars.
George D. Miller OF the Whitestone Improvement
Association asked the commission to require inc
New York & Queens County Railroad Company to
extend its line from Flushing to Whitestone- Inc
letter was referred to Commissioner BassetI
The general investigation into traction aHairs
win be resumed tomorrow at II g. m William NJ
WINS special counsel the commission. VIII de-
o.a bnself for the rest of the week TO the analrs
oe the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company