The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-05-21

New York, May 21-DelegationS of business men who commute on the lines of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad called upon Presi- dent c. s. Mellen in his office in the Grand Central Station yesterday aft ernoon and had a long conference with him in regard to the increase in com mutation rates to take effect on June 1.
 They plainly expressed their disap- proval Of the higher rate. but all their argument was unavailing. President Mellen told them that his road was carrying all commuters at a. loss: that 1t would be benefit to his road if they could be taken to New York in some other way; that all the business in the way of freight that commuters brought to the different suburbs did not aid the railroad. and as he ex- pressed it: '"The more you prosper. the worse off we are"
 All this was brought about said President Mellen, by the existence of Railroad, made before you or I were born and which lasts in perpetuity for all I know'
 He did give the delegation some hope for relief, however, by stating that with the construction of the new sub
 N, Hartford woold be able to land their New York passengers within easy reach of the new stations and thus avoid the terminal charges now inn posed by the landing of the passen- gers in the Grand Central Station. All this he told the protestants in the friendliest way. He treated them to good cigars before going in to open the discussion.
 The first delegation to go into MT. Mellen's office came from the West chester Chamber of Commerce and was headed by Walter Blackman. The question of allowing a delegation from New Rochelle to go in with this com mittee was put up to the committee, as was also the proposal to allow re- porters to attend. Both questions were answered in the negative, a1- though President Mellen was perfectly willing to have an open session. The Westchester committee had an hours session with MT. Mellen. Dur ing this time some of the New Ro- chelle men were getting signatures to this petition to be submitted to the Public Service Commission:
 "The undersigned. residents of New Rochelle, and patrons of the New
 York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road, hereby protest against the in crease of communication rates as unjust and unnecessary. and in behalf of the community and for themselves respect fully demand that the present commit tation rates be retained or reduced" Quite a number of signatures were obtained.
 When the first delegation came out
 the New Rochelle delegation went in. H. p. Colwell, Mayor of New Rochelle. opened the proceedings by telling Pres ident Mellen that when the announce ment was made of the increase in rates meeting was called and conn too fn1 fn inn fIno tests of the 30,000 people of New Ro- | chelle He then introduced Thomas | G. Hall, who has been committing | forty years on the road.
 ''When I went to New Rochelle three men could handle all the business for | the railroad in that place." he said. ''Now puffing engines disturb our sleep | at night with business that cannot be l handled in the day time. We are l foolish enough, MT. President to think l that the commuters are in some way responsible for this increase in buSi- ness. You might recall the words of ! another railroad president that the | best asset a railroad can have is a | pleased lot of passengers The com
 muters are at the bottom of the suc- cess of the road, and we can't see | after thirty-seven years, where we get l off after all the improvements in rail- l road facilities
 | MT. Mellen started in to reply to MT | Halls arguments by stating that the
 New Haven & Hartford Railroad does
 rot run to the Grand Central Station l The roads terminus is at Woodlawn
 said MT. Mellen. and an old contract
 made long ago in regard to the use ot the Centrars tracks into the station is | still in operation between the Centra and the New Haven & Hartford. This contract is the bar to a reduction o1 | the rates, he said.
 we pay out cents more than we
 receive,' he said. T haven't asked you for anything. We lose on you We carry you into New York for noth.
 ing and our blessing. We are not try. ing to rob you.'
 Benjamin Stearns said: ''But you vii lose by raising the rates' He sai6 that he was responsible for bringing quite a number of people to New Ro-
 chelle and he thought that the added business ought to compensate the rail road
 MT. Mellen said that he could afford to pay all New York passengers cent. if they would not travel on his road 1 and he added that the rates of tn,
 Long Island railroad were higher thar