New-York tribune., 1909-01-15

The commission also began proceedingS 10 e SeCuIe
system and Of the Central Park comPaIhS' ""io'
at the end of the year, are undetermined
sTEINwAY TUNNEL DECISION.
On the offer OF the Interborough Rapid Transit
Coupany 10 sell the Steiuway Tunnel TO the city
and the commissions refusal TO authorize the pur-
chase the report says
On February o. 1893. the commission received ,r
cit Company suggesting that the commission Al'
prove OF the purchase. on DeI5 pi oi 43d street
known as the SteinWay tunnel, constructed by me
pany The commission took action on this ap,
plication because 1t was OF the opinion JhaI II a
Under amendment TO the rapid transit aft nov
the company on May %. 1905 renewed 'he P''P'-
The company proposed that the commission au,
thorize the purchase of the tunnel at the coSt & pa
construction and hen lease It PaeE RsGa 70 rTans 9 it sys
TEN for period twenty-five years, with the rIslIt
of renewal for period of twenty-fye years rs uer n
half the OF operation and receive all OF e me
fares from passengers riding through the tu1les
only. and the company TO receive all OF the lae b m
passengers riding through the tunnel ana Oh 'He
surface lines in Queens County ~. ..;.+;oS
The commission caused its bureau OF staIsucs rs f
cost OF construction and its chief engineer 10 d
AIMING and report upon IT'S pqyslG; G fItes The
commission concluded from the facts oeoe"pTtu 2't
that it inadvisabie to recommend the aCfSpL bt
ance of the offer Besides numerous other @ opJee-
ons appeared that such contTaGt for 9Per
would cost the city some s350,0H a year
COMPLAINTS AND ORDERS
The report says that the gas and electrical COM
panies have always accepted the suggestions OF lie
commission without making it necessary for the
commission to Issue order. The report adds:
The commission has received during the year up
ward OF three thousand complaints from residents
bI S me s6ortatio GT c6rapanies The commission
adopted the practice of handling mary of theSe j
ter !onpjained Of has related to the physical condi-
he eQutpme0t, Inspection iIdS peSii
made and informal suggestion sent TO me ne CON CON
pany to Improvements. This method OF haa4mrE
such complaints has proved generaly satisfactory,
In other the commission has made the com
plants basis of formal proceedings terlha'-
ing in orders TO the companies
thousand complaints eStn gas TO- a o9SracG aeG
adjusted without any formal hearing TO the satlS.
has been necessary to hold an Informal hearing be
fore of the commissioners TO arrive at a 9eiei @
it been necessary to issue an order The eompa. 1a
MES have. IN every instance, accepted the hndhss
and given the relief suggested
sToCK. AND BOND APPLICATIONS.
The report says that ten applications were made
TO the commission IN 1908 for the issue OF stocks
amounting S30in0no. bonds to the value Of Ss2 =
204 and notes and evidence of Indebtedness
amounting TO s5OOM0n0 OF these applications the
commission approved 100000 stock. s4l7+200
bonds and SIS oOoOO0 notes. follows: Brooklyn
Union Gas COMPANY 100000 stock; Coney Island
| & Brooklyn Railroad Company $4,000 bondS'
! Interborough Rapid Transit Company. s30o00.G0
bonds and s25.OO0O00 gold notes; Manhattan Rail
way Company sil. 12GoO bonds: The application
| Of the Longacre Electric Light and Power Com
pany to issue $4,000 COO stock and S0"oo0O bonds
denied.
The commission prescribed. the system of &C
counts TO kept ny the various classes OF pubic
service corporations. we'll the forms OF PERIOD
cal reports 1t is OF great Importance. says the
| renort that there shall be uniformity in ac-
counts among all corporations Of the same class
and that accounts shall show clearly and accu-
rately the specific sources of income ana the pui
pose Of every expenditure.
INCREASE IN SERVICE.
| The renort shows that the commission has found
the subject of increase in service on the Iocai
transportation lines knotty problem to deal with
| 1t says:
| The commission may require by order @ increases eases
In service under the provisions Of the act That CON-
panies shall fuTnlsh aoeqQfate qf Zrer fo meet any
requirements of transportation that may De reason reason
defining wnat will be regarded as aeeqaare ,eo- Sg
disreeariiue th. number transfers, there were
| carried on the roads Of New York CITY 6oVoo'OUO
| average this means that there were 10000 more
| passengers each day during the year than IN the
It not be wondered at that With the he Ps in
growth a city, any increase IN car service
to 5b iTgaveiijng pubc yet relatively greater
amount Of the lime Of The commissioners is taken %
up with consideration OF increases IN service 'l'
with any Of their other imRoran imp 3 duties
Teiatfve It differs from presented in the case
| conpanies there is a well understood unit OF ser
| vice and a unit price In transportation there is
| upon a payment of q fare is entitled 70 a ride:
What this mean where 70 per cent OF tle toLal
limits TO The humber OF tracks a leading street
| aud to the number Of that can run over the
The Commission has endeavored 10 increase the
efficiency Of service by requiring improvements u
eouipment. II has studied street congestion aIG
after ted
the limiting points OF capacity II, II mas ha, as ,i IN
and be eontirued later than has been custonaaTy.
There is period in New York City durtng @ @ %haGI i
but the companies had fallen into the practice Of
limiting the maximum service they provide 10 Z
short time in the height of the rush hour period
thus providing Inadequate service when they coqlc
have operated more yarI nrostabIe anG
| there is a constant struggle to prevent the com
| their passengers during non-rush hours.
The commission has decided that tTansportatloT
comnanies should run as many cars 1t is physi-
| calIv possible to operate during rush hours that
the number should equal II not exceed the
| nurnf,er Of passengers in a short period of time
| and that the only excuse for not providing such
service shall he insuPerabe physical condltlonS OF
| standard of what adequate service is has already
apnIied by orders of the commission TO seVera
| lines and Investigations are being made pre-
paratory fits application to other lines, surface
subway and elevated
| UNDERGROUND RAPID TRANSIT.
The report says that more than 80 0oo0Go has al
| ready been expended by the city 10 build subways
i The proposed Fourth avenue subway, the Broad
| way-Lexington avenue system the loop lines and
| the Canal street extension. planned by the com
mission involve additional expenditure OF over
sOOOO0O0o. These routes are considered imperative
bv the commission which feels that the congestion
now existing will not be fully relieved thereby, not
| TO mention future increase in traffic.
| The report refers TO the Investigations into the