The San Francisco call., 1909-12-31
NEW MUNICIPAL LINE
WILL BE MOST MODERN
OF TRACTION SYSTEM S

City Engineer Marsden Manson and
members of the board Of public works
who could be seen last night declared
that it was impossible until thorough
Investigations had been made to state
what method of construction would be
adopted in the building of the Geary
street road or under what general
method of operation it would be con-
Quoted.
Manson said that because of the un-
certainty of the outcome of Yesterday s
election no plans had been discussed,
and that until the probable litigation
which will result had been cleared
away no definite plans of construction
would be decided upon.
J. D. McGilvray of the board of pub
lie works said that the question of oper-
alton had not received consideration by
the board for the same reason, and that
this question of organization and con-
duct of the road would wait upon the
settlement of preliminary matters
That the actual building of the road
viii begin as soon as the sale of bonds
and the settlement of litigation will
permit is assured, however, as is also
the fact that the road itself will be one
of the most modern and up to date in
both construction and equipment of
any road in the country.
The matter of the kind of road TO be
built was left an open question so far
as the bond election was concerned, but
the individual members of both the
outgoing and incoming boards of su-
pervisors have declared themselves in
favor of an underground electric con-
duit road of the most advanced type,
and this is undoubtedly the kind that
will eventually be determined upon.
nnNn ICCTrE CTrEEUfTLNNn
The amount of the bond issue. voted
yesterday, was made sufficient to pro-
vide for the cost of such system ex-
tending from the ferries to the ocean
with the park line in Tenth avenue.
The size was determined on estimates
OF competent engineers for the con :
struction and equipment of the under
ground conduit system, as the most ex :
pensive TO build, and includes the esti-
mated cost of the installation of an en-
tirely new roadbed and track for the
entire road from Market street west,
No formal discussion of the type Of
road and no formal vote on this oues-
tion has been taken by the old boa rd
of supervisors, but the majority of men,
bers of both the old and new boa rd q
have put themselves on record in pub
lie statements as favoring the under
ground conduit.
IHe INSTALLATION OF new branch of
the civil service will undoubtedly solve
the question of operation of the road.
The chief responsibility of operation
and management will be vested either
in the board of public works; or nut
into the hands of railway engineer
having somewhat the same scope of
action in his department as the chief
of police or the chief engineer of the
fire department in theirs.
SELECTION BY MERIT
Under this bureau of management
the employees of the road will be se-
lected on the merit basis by competitive
civil service examinations in all
branches. No organization will he
planned, however. until every method
has been carefully examined into bv
the officials of the city government.
The right of the city to force the
United Railroads into transfer agree
ment will be thrashed out in connec-
ton with the preliminary litigation
but even if no such arrangement can