New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-17
.BASSET DIFFERS AGAIN
Service Board DisagreeS al
Subway Contract Hearing.
AT ODDS OVER ASSESSMENT
But Majority Holds Money
Feature Not an Issue
Many Give Views.

,,zoa o1a,,,aoe of opinion among the
members of the Public Service Coiniii,'9-o.
was the most marked feature OIL 'he
I'M, Yesterday on the municipal construcloii
oF tho triborough subway system IN Man
haitian. Brooklyn and The Bronx. I'm
;ss,ooer Rsssett who at the time the coH-
tracts were first offered FOR public inspeC-
ton filed an opinion dissenting from INC
conclusions reached by his colleagues tooA
occasion Yesterday, on remark Dy JAIME
O,Rrien of the Queens County delesa-
ton concerning building subways Dy as
sessment to say: 1.-The present contract -
incompatible with building by assessment
The majority Of the commission ho"e'ei'
declared that the method OF raising nioA'0'
was not at all in question
There was large gathering IN the he'N
ing room. and It looked as il the dlscuSoloil
would be prolonged, for representatives VI
various civic and real estate assoclal'oi'
lad voIuminous briefs in full view Chali
man Wilcox cut off the supply OF ord'oi -
however by announcing at the outset tii"e
the discussion must be confined TO crlticisiii
and suggestions on the four forms Oh Gun
tract for municipal construction OF tne SUI
ways and other portions of the RAPID u On
sit system proposed. The question whether
capital plan was the better was not mat
ter for discussion at present, ne Salu
neither was the question of routes
Ernest Gilmore Garland, representing the
Eastern District League, of Williamsburg
suggested adding to the contract a clause
limiting rapid transit routes TO territory that
had seventv-fve persons to the acre WITHIN
half a mile on either side of the route. He
grew sarcastic in his references to the
westminster line in The Bronx and de-
scribed a sylvan scene along that route
where trees grew and the waterfalls spar
kled and the hunting and fishing were
good, while along another portion OF the
route dairy farming was in vogue.
He asked whether the Astor estate, which
had unirnproved property In The Bronx.
had greater influence with the Public Ser
vice Commission than the taxpayers. and
whether the New York. New Haven. q
Hartford Railroad had a hand In having
The Bronx lines laid out, so that the COM
panv could secure terminal at the Bat
tery at the expense of the city. Mr.. Gard
ner concluded with the declaration that ne
and his association reserved the right 10
take such further action as the circum-
stances might justly.
A E. Henschel was anxious about the
ventilation of the new subway. He wanted
a. provision made for compressed air.
James A. Allen, secretary of the INDIE
pendence League, asked for an opportunity
to discuss the relative merits of the two
forms of contract and was told he might
submit a brief. He expressed some doubt
whether private corporation could ever
be found to submit a proposition more
favorable than municipal construction
When the discussion on forms of contract
was closed those favoring the assessment
plan got an opportunity to speak. James
J. O'Brien and John W. Parks put up a
strenuous argument in favor of better treat
ment for Queens. If Queens had to pay
for rapid transit by the assessment plan, so
should The Bronx and South Brooklyn,
they said.
e. Plat Stratton, of College Point, advo-
Gated a subway from a point in West Ches-
ter to College Point or a point in that
ieighborhood-