The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-12-27
FUTILE SUBWAY CONFERENCE
But THERE rs STILL wren
HOPE or 4 COMPROMISE.
IndIca tions That the Intcrborough Must
Hurry -Prendergast Approves u
Lexington Avenue Contract, hut the
Board OF Estimate Has stu to Act.


board OF Estimate Has stlli to Act.
Another conference yesterday between
the representatives of the city and of the
Pennsylvania and Interborough com.
panies did not bring the two sides any
nearer together than they have been
since the meetings were begun in the hope
that an agreement could be reached which
would lead to the marlborough com
pany competing for the construction
and operation of the new subways.
The conference held yesterday took
place at the Union League Club and was
attended 10y Borough President McAneny
OF Manhattan. Chairman Wilcox of the
Public Service Commission. Henry =.
Dawson of j. p Morgan 4 Co., Vice
President Samuel Rea OF the Pennsyl-
vanta Railroad Company and A. j, County,
assistant to MIR. Rea
The talk centred about the insistence OF
the marlborough company that If it is
to help in developing the transit facilities
OF the city it will be only upon terms
that would leave the company a profit
commensurate with that which it is OBJ
tanning from the present subway. The
company thinks that it should have a
per cent. guarantee on the capital which
IT has already expended and which II
would be called upon to spend If it went
in for the development Of its present
system, for the reason that 5 per cent. of
this would go to pay the interest on its
bonds and per cent would have to be
act aside for the sinking fund for the re-
dan Af hA ia Urn az tod
yesterday on authority that the city
would probably consent to a compromise
between 81 and 81. per cent
But II the Interborough company is
to have hand in the opening Of new
lines il would seem from two develop
ments that happened yesterday that it
must come quickly 10 an understanding
with the city.
One Of these was the approval by
Comptroller Prendergast Of the contract
awarded by the Public Service Commits
sion for the construction OF section OF
the Lexington avenue subway. This
section runs from Fourteenth street
10 Twenty street II would be use-
less to the Interborough company. II
is well understood that the Interborough
company. if it bids at all for an oper-
ating contract on the West Side, will
bid only for that part of the Lexington
avenue subway north Of Forty-second
street Although Mr. Prender gast would
not comment yesterday on his action, il
was the opinion in his office that he had
approved of the contract because he
was convinced that there was little or
no chance Of coming to an understanding
with the lnterborough. The contract
for section D was awarded to the Metro
| politan Contracting Company Of Boston,
whose bid of s2.4l9.l?7 was the lowest
Before work can be begun the contract
must have the sanction Of the Board of
Estimate
! The second happening Of Importance
Yesterday WAS the announcement in the
| Office of tho Public Service Commission
| that the contract for operating the new
lines would be advertised within the
next week. This contract was drawn
for the most part by the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company. and il has been used
! by the commission except for moditiCa-
tions which would allow tho lnterborough
company to become Il competitor for the
operation Of the new subways
This statement was made last night by
one of the representatives of the CITY
who have been attending the confer.
ences
1T is impossible to predict as a resul,
of single one Of our meetings what the
lnterhorough company will agree 10. hu,
| think that as an outcome Of further
conferences 10 be held this week the
Interhorough company will modify its
guarantee demand that the II exten-
| sions of the present subway will be bull,
and that the lnterborough company viii
drop all opposition to the entrance into
Manhattan Of the b. X. 7 This would
mean that the Brooklyn company would
/ have the Broadway route from the Bat
terry to Fifty ninth street and then re-
turn 10 Brooklyn over greensboro Bridge
From what hear this arrangement would
be satisfactory To the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit Company There has also beer
laid out a route under Fourteenth street
to Brooklyn by means of tunnel under
the East River. and the operation Of thi:
line would be of great value to the Brook
lyn company"
Al the same time the informant from
whom this came admitted that while the
Public Service Commission had mapped
out the Fifty-ninth and Fourteenth stree,
lines they had not been approved by the
Mayor