New-York tribune., 1908-04-20
TO PROVIDE CAR SEATS
HOPE FOR STRAPHANGER.
Nezc p. S. &. Order on Three Man
haitian Surface Lines.
photographs by ]. W. Aide. }

In its desire for the extinction of the invoun-
tary straphanger, the Public Service Commits
sion has gone after the receivers of the New
York City Railway Company and given orders
that beginning April 81 there must be a de-
cided improvement in the service the 23d
street crosstown, the Lexington avenue AID the
Grand street lines.
For the new plan of providing seats for every
passenger that may want to ride any
of these lines. Commissioner Matbie is respon-
sible but the continuance of the scheme will
be largely dependent on the way it works out
in practice The most noteworthy point in the
plan is the order of the commission requiring
the receivers of the company to operate sur-
fcient number of cars passing given point
any of the three lines during each fifteen minute
period of the day and night to furnish seats 1t
least 10 per cent in excess of the number of
passengers that may want to board the cars at
that point For instance. if. during any fifteen
minute period of the day $50 passengers want to
board car going west in Odd street at Fourth
avenue the commission expects that the COM
pany will have enough in operation past
that point in that particular period to provide
seats for 100 passengers.
The determination of the proper number If
cars TO be operated at any particular point Of
the line during any particular fifteen minute
period of the twenty-four hours will be made by
inspectors. who will be stationed along the route
and make daily records of the number of pas
sengers boarding the cars
The preliminary order does not give the exact
number of cars to he operated except that at
any time it must not he less than six an hour
past any point in either direction The commits
sion allows. however. for the impossibility Of
operation of more than a certain number of cars
but orders that if the 10 per cent excess pro-
number of passing given point in one di-
recton in each fifteen minute period shall be
twenty-five.
While the purpose Of the order is to give every
one a seat. Commissioner Maltbe. in his opinion
accompanying the Introduction of the order be
fore the full commission. says this is physically
impossible under the conditions which obtain III
New York. The 10 per cent excess is not yet A
fixed figure. after experiment the commits
sion may determine that an increase or decrease
in percentage is necessary. In recognition of
this fact the order is made mandatory for two
years, unless the commission decides otherwise
To make the conditions as favorable as poss-
bic the commission has ordered the discon-
tinuance of the operation of cars between the
West 23d street ferries and the Grand Central
Station via 23d street and Fourth avenue The
same requirements of operation made in regard
TO the 23d street crosstown line apply also to the
Lexington avenue and Grand street lines
The order issued after consultation with
the opera ting officials of the railway COMPANY
who expressed the belief that the order for the
10 per cent excess arrangement would be much
more practicable than one stipulating any exact
number o'
Heretofore the form adopted i'm increase or
ders has been to require that a certain mini
mum number Of cars should pass a particular
point in the direction stated during specified
intervals of time.
The railroad men had objected 10 the Old
form on the ground that it was not elastic
enough inasmuch as it made allowance for
the great dmnution in The number of pas.
sengers to be carried some days owing 10
excessively bad weather other causes The
old orders provided a different schedule for
Sundays and in some instances for legal holi-
days But on such days as Good Friday and
last Saturday when the amount of travel down
town was greatly reduced, the ironClad order
required the number OF cars to be run as
on other days. In IA bad storm when there
would not be half the regular shipping traffic
such lines as those in Sixth avenue and in 23d
street were required to operate Just the same
number Of cars. Failure To do so. in fact would
subject the company TO the possible exacticn Of
q heavy fine, provided in the Public Service
commissions law.