New-York tribune., 1911-01-10
BIG CITY TRAFFIC GROWTH
Greater in Proportion than In
crease in Population.
P. S. BOARD GIVES FIGURES
Preliminary Report to Legls-
lature Treats Subway Stu
alton Exhaustively.

The Public Service Commission for the
let District submitted to the Legislature
Yesterday preliminary chapter TO itS
fourth annual report, showing that u',l
are more than one thousand public serNi0e
companies under the jurisdiction Oh '''e
commission. OF which seventy-hve are opei
ating companies. -
The total gross capitalization OF all u,e
ocmpanies is Sl.l25,s5s0oO, divided as Aol-
lows: Street railways, S,5S,6SoVo' steam
railroads Staten Island), Sl2,7VV'eV' ea'
companies. 500. 900; electrical companies
Gncluding subways). 63,2l6,oo0; gas-eiec-
tric companies. S5424,Oo0. These hgures
represent securities issued and not forihaliy
retired
From 1895 TO 1910 the report says traIlc
on street and electric railroads more uiah
doubled. an increase which was Grea'er III
,roportion 10 the increase in populauoh'
for the number Of streetcar rides per capita
grew from 22s in 1898 to S9O.9 in lslO'
The report points out the effect OF CEN
.orship by the commission over the issue
OF securities by public service corporations
since July l. 1907. when the commission was
organized, 10 December 81, 1910. Apphca-
,ons amounting TO s2OSs29,SOO were dlsap-
proved and applications for SS2,45S4Oo were
approved. Applications for S69,i6l'-io are
eth pending.
An appropriation Of $4,000 for the elimi-
nation of four hundred grade crossings has
te,n sought in the Legislature. Ihe ma
.jority Of these crossings are in the Bor-
ough OF Queens. the elimination OF WHICH
The commission undertook last year at
cost Of more than SlOOo,00o. In three years
sixty persons have been killed at grade
lossin-s Of steam roads in greater Ne"
Yor,;
The portion Of the report covering RAPID
transit work is exhaustive The city mas
expended on subways up 10 December 81
1re. S55.7ll lS7 A. The improvements now
nearing completion are rehearsed' ana the
report says that they will increase the
subway capacity nearly p per cent A
summary Is also given Of the recent nego-
tia,ions for additional subways.
Under orders from the commission, the
Interborough Rapid Transit Company has
been installing side doors in cars used IN
sri vav cypress. service At the end of the
wear there were 6g9 cars so equipped
which. the report declares, makes possible
II have N operation seventy ten-car trains
entirely equipped with side doors. TINS
will hiring about q cutting down OF the
tain interval by about ten seconds, thus
allowing an S per cent increase in the
number of trains an hour during the rush
periods. The report further says:
The commission has been aware, as ex-
pressed in its previous reports, of the ex-
irene importance OF additional rapid tran
sit. and has devoted its energies TO secur-
irs the early undertaking Of construction
Of such lines as would best care for the
pyesent disgraceful congestion Of traffic
In defence Of its approval Of the Inter
bcrcugh proposition for new subways ana
of its desire first to secure the approval OF
the Board Of Estimate and Apportonment'
,be commission sen, 10 the board com
runication, of which the following is a
part:
The commission will press the present
NEGOTIATIONS with the Interborough com
pany 10 a conclusion, and embody them in
contracts and plans as rapidly as possible
unless your honorable board should consid-
or the proposition as generally outlined
oren 10 objections which would render
your consent impossible when the forms oi
contracts are finally submitted. If the
present propositions are disapproved, the
contracts for the construction Of the tri-
borough system, which are now awaiting
award. can promptly be acted upon and
construction work Immediately begun