New-York tribune., 1909-07-21
TAXING PEOPLE OUT OF THE CITY.

Acting Mayor MCGOWAN depores the fact that
the new McAdoo tunnels will take people out of
Manhattan 10 New Jersey. while the city IS
doing nothing 70 open up Brooklyn, Queens ana
Richmond for residence. 1t is an outrage, ne
says, that it should be so Who IS responsive
however. hut the present administration? II has
spent $500 100000 borrowed on the citys credit
and has supplied rapid transit facilities. II
il had kept It's promise 10 Brooklyn the Fourth
avenue subway would have been half constructed
nv this time and that would have proved, to
some extent at least, rival to the hudson
River tunnels If the present administration
had been alive to the city's needs, II would have
built the bridge loop both on this side and on the
BROOKLYN side of the river, and that would have
given Brooklyn q large measure of rapid transit
Mr. MCGOWAN refers to the idleneSs of the BEL
mont tunnel. But the citys suit concerning the
franchise for that tunnel, which 1t has every
prospect of losing is responsible for tying up
that transit facility In general. If the city ad
ministration had done its duty, Mr. McAdooS
tunnels and the Pennsylvania tunnels under the
Hudson would have been matched by lines To
the east which would have done as much as
rapid transit lines can TO keep the people OF
New York within the city
Other considerations besides superior transit
facilities however make men commuters III
deed. up TO the present time, at least, the COM
muter has preferred 10 endure inferior means OF
getting 10 and from home for the sake Of GER
tain advantages to be gained from living IN
suburban towns. No commuter has such an e1
cellent service as has the resident Of upper
Washington Heights that part OF The Bronx
which is reached by the West Farms branch OF
the subway Yet the movement to the suburbs
Is unchecked by these possibilities The man
who seeks the suburbs goes where land aues
are not so high as 10 preclude his occupying a
detached single family house. Subways open
up no such areas in New York As soon as Il
raDfd transit line is built land along il is i'm
mediat6Iv held at value based upon its pro
sDective Use as sites for six-story apartments.
Detached houses there become, generally speak
ing impossible and even If they were not I'M
possible because Of the high cost Of land the
building of them would be discouraged by the
prospect Of the erection Of apartment houses in
the neighborhood. Thus most desirable part of
the citizenship Of the city is being forced outside
metropolitan limits by the fact that no pro-
vision is made for 1t within those limits. The
city thus loses not merely the taxpayers whose
departure Mr.. MCGOWAN deplores, but a good
part of its most intelligent electorate.
The German cities are meeting this situation
by setting apart different areas for different
classes of dwellings Thus il is possible 70 find
within the limits of Berlin, for example, areas
OF detacncd houses WHICH ndNe an lle h'''"N
tions of the ordinary suburban town. No apart
ment may intrude upon them, and the resrric-
tions imposed by the city doubtless have their
effect in keeping down speculative land values.
If 4 piece Of property cannot be used for the
building Of apartments, 1t cannot be held at
value based on its future use as an apartment
house site The German method Of treating this
land question is perhaps impossible here, but il
has its advantages in keeping the city fit for
occupation by others than the very rich and the