New-York tribune., 1908-01-21
FOR NEW TRANSIT LAWS
OUTLINE BY COMMISoION'
First Report to Legislature Makes
I'm nortont Recommendations.

! Four important recommendations for ieslsa.io l.
/ .. haI, ,bs PutIie Service Commission carry % %ou'
its MANS for traffic extension here "3f0 pu' 49,
the LEGISLATURE last night in the report % 80
commission for the first six months OF us
They are:
f1rstA n cent debt limit bonds for the con-
structon of rapid transit lines Wien, he sef-
So iorg 4s such rapid transit lines s''0''
aspanspt to the saPd e rapid itha Transit
fines may be made terminate at the b@yins the
the Original Lease; H 1s the Board Of Estimate
and Apportionnent to fix tire terms anb twenty
comPensatiSp aRe Rears 70 FtheeTeafters Law.
asndmsn Ss oss, ts the hsutop9ies Essi ths
Commission the power to ,rsns aST lime. b. private
and oDrst9a bSon Of the sapS q part h
ngs to tsf sy ic the TT oy of
ehass at any time after certain pe,SSd bS thoS Gt oS
more 5nan rT1nsy for the franchise itself and
Fourth-An amendnent to the rap9h adp,11horities and
ths cemission to contracts for ~ maSe
longer period than twenty NV time after certain
period Of not thar twenty sssrf s fpurchased
provision fna INC nv the city on the termination OF
the a. lea.e a.ss p'''' y '
The report discusses the work OF extending uah
s,t facilities including what has been accomphsned
=, .x. 1rorr.b avenus subway and the Brooklyn
loon line. also OF the adoption of the Broad"ay-
Lexington avenue and Canal street SUBWAY lou'es
AS to the removal of the tracks OF the Ne" iolh @
Central from, Eleventh avenue. the report says tnaI
enc commission has requested the Board OF E-st-
mate 10 revoke permits 10 tne CoHphnS
,tcbes and connections In the street and tha' the
CORPORATION Counsel was directed TO oesin con
demnation proceedings under the terms Oh 'I7
So law This ends the duties of the commits
s,on under the act" says the report 1T has oeen
.o,o,,. however Of the fact that the public ex-
meet. a practical solution of this perplexfns prop
lem. and IL has therefore made a careful study OF
the entire problem but Is not ready as yet 70 maSe
definite recommendations
Showing the attitude OF the commission 'o"aru
the receivers of the traction lines In Manhattan.
the report says:
The financial condition of the New YORK Yo,r, S1ty
Railway Company. which resulted In .he sppo'ns ns
tarded To some extent the plans OF the conlmis-
sion for the n, int e Commission has issued
orders. and expects them to be obeyed-
OF the Brooklyn Bridge congestion the report
says:
The bridge structure including the Manhattan
Bridge Deparmen, Of the city and not Of the
operating company The result tneIst9rS 3 ibs ns5 ,a
require or even recommend. radical changes as to
bridge operation 1t has. however been able 70 re-
duire that defective shall not os operated on
the bridge
Little is said about the investigation Of the In
terborough ugh-Netropotan and the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit companies with the assistance OF William
hI. WINS. except that II was begun IN August ana
had not been completed at tho end OF the year.
After stating that the reports made by trans
portation companies to the accident bureau OF the
commission show for six months 24,Se accidents.
with 2Ss deaths, the report says
This is appalling! The commission believes that
tho tiD redHction Of this death list
committee. consisting of the electrical engilser i
the chief clerk of accidents has been directed 70
make a thorough Investigation 10 aSfertain ann
method that viii result in fewer persons. being
ed nai s@af,an aHd ey Suits for damages
TALLY because of the Length Sf m c9bt bp connanes
have not been adequate, and regulative REQUIRE
by public officials are all the more neceSsalS y
As showing the broad field over which the COM
mission has supervisory powers II IS stated that
in the first district there are sixteen gas COM
panies nine electric companies and three COM
panies furnishing both gas and electricity, with a
total Capitalization of 1858 s9 5S3 So in addition to
companies operating street railways elevated and
subway lines with capital stock OF SziooIi'SSo
Referring TO the report OF the old state Railroad
Commission for the year ended June 50. 1901.
showing an increase in the passengers carried on
the roads the first district of 15SSSsss over the
previous year, the report says:
very large proportion of this daily trafflc--con-
more than 2OOOOOo-raveis within the limits OF four
niSht nHIls' AZ III the time this eommission into
Sss these ,o the npber Of an
~ Ter cent of the entire population of the city
during some s,ssiY Below Ss that required for
Cent handling Of the trafnc offered
The commission has. the report says undertaken
70 deal with the problem In two ways nrst by ire
construction of rapid transit lines. and second by
directing companies now operating "itnin tne JUS
trict to increase their facilities
The procedure used obtain the latter relief by
complaints public hearings and orders. which has
become familiar all interested. Is gene into at
some length. Summing up this work. the report
states that 17s hearings held between July Is
and December 81, resulting in the Issuance of 1So
orders The commission has required an increase
In the service on the subway and elevated lines OF
between 90 and per cent and substantial increase
on the Madison avenue. Broadway and Eighth ave-
nue surface lines. Service has also been improved
in the other boroughs.
~" conservative estimate of the increases required
of all the operating companies" says the report,
indicates that over fifteen million additional seats
q year have been added to tho service in this city
under orders of the commission
Little has been heard of the work of the gas and
electric company bureau but 1t has accomplished
much according to the report. AT the inception CT
the work of testing gas meters II is said. "a
paratIyev large number of new and repaired meters
were found inaccurate and rejected AS the work
has progressed the companies have shown more
in the handling of meters. and the number of mac
curate meters has correspondingly decreased. or
the meters tested on complaints 13 per cent
found correct. ST. per cent average of
2ss slow" Some space is given 10 great service
the commission has rendered to consumers of gas
and electricity in settling differences between them
and the companies
For the frsatime all OF the gas companies of New
York City have filed their annual reports with
public commission. Reference is made to the fact
that the commission u handicapped by ths iuiunc-