New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-30
His Deciding Vote in P.S. C. Put
Borough at Mercy of Trust,
Candidate Declares.
COMPANY CONTROLS WIRES
Has Lighting Monopoly in Terri.
tory Many Times the Size of
Manhattan Plan to
Keep Prices Up.

a
Of the people Of Queens?"
This was the question asked by John
Purroy Mitchell at the end of a state
ment issued yesterday In II he charged
Edward L. Mccall and McCalrs Tam
many colleagues in the Public Service
Commission with being responsible for
turning Queens over to the monopolistic
grasp Of the Consolidated Gas Company
not only In regard TO gas, but also electric
service.
Il don't imagine" said Mr.. Mitchell
that the people of Queens know yet that
the Murphy candidate for Mayor has
placed them at the mercy of a monopo-
lied control of their supply Of gas and
electricity for light, heat and power"
Mr.. Mitchell said Mccall, as chairman,
cast the deciding vote, Commissioners
Cram and Williams, the Tammany men,
voting for the proposition and Commits
soners Eustis and Maltbie against IT,
He said
Tho Consolidated Gas Company asked
Chairman Mccall and his Tammany coll
leagues, Messrs. Cram and Williams, TO
authorize that company TO purchase all
Of the capital stock of the New York &,
Queens Gas Company and all Of the
common and preferred stock OF the New
York & Queens Electric Light and Power
Company. Both We're local companies.
supplying gas and electricity, respectively,
in Queens Borough
The Queens Gas Company was in pos
session OF the gas business and franchises
in the former villages Of Flushing, Col
lege Point and Whitestone and the town
of Flushing outside the incorporated VII
lagos. 1t had also been in possession OF
unused franchises covering Newtown and
most Of Jamaica The College Point.
Flushing Village Newtown and Jamaica
franchises are without time limit; the
others run until l9i7. II was the only
company supplying gas in the Sd Ward
of Queens. an area of 345 square miles, or
more than 80 per cent larger than the
entire area of the Borough of Manhattan
and 60 per cent larger than all the terri
tory previously controlled by Consolidated
Gas
The Queens Electric Company held
franchises, or rights, for Long Island
City. Jamaica, Newtown and Flushing
four wards of the Borough OF Queens.
Its Long Island City, Newtown, College
Point, Whtestone and Flushing fran
chises are without time limit. 1t is the
only company supplying electric current
under public franchises in the entire Bor-
ough Of Queens, excepting the Rock
Always. The area OF its exclusive supply
was approximately l22 square miles, an
area four and one-half times as large as
all OF Manhattan and almost two and
one-half times as large as the area pre-
viously controlled by Consolidated Gas
for the supply of electric current.
What was the attitude OF Mr.. Mccall
and his Tammany colleagues toward the
proposition to put both the gas and cleo
trio supply in Queens under the control Of
Consolidated Gas? What did Tsmmany
think about permitting Con. Gas TO come
over from Manhattan and absorb these
prosperous local companies? Commissioner
Maltbie, a Democrat. not OF the Murphy
variety. held the hearings. investigated
the matter and reported that Con. Gas
should not be permitted 10 monopolze
both electricity and gas supply in Queens.
Commissioner Eustis, a Hughes Repub-
lican, agreed with him. But Messrs,
Mccall. Williams and Cram ootvoted
them and gave Con. Gas control over
these perpetual franchises.
When the population OF these great
areas OF Queens has increased MANIFOLD
the control OF Con. Gas over unlimited
franchises for both gas and electric sup.
ply will be a privilege OF enormous value.
THE action OF the Tammany commits.
sion involves more than the passing OF
control Of these local companies. II
probably means the abandonment and dis
mantlng OF the local plants in Queens
and the supply OF Queens from the main
plant of Con. Cas- In Astoria. From
the opinions handed down that much
appears to have been stated on the hear
ings before the Commission.
Moreover, the method to be followed
will be the sale OF gas by Con. Gas 10
the Queens Gas Company at price fixed
by contract entered into by Con. Gas
and a company whose stock II owns.
Then the claim will he made that the
pany to it's consumers should be based on
the price winch the queens bdS SOllihdlis
has to pay the parent monopoly for the
supply of gas which the former sells.
Con. Gas can charge high price
TO the Queens Gas Company and this
will be- urged TO prevent any reduction in
the rates charged TO consumers. Whether
such a clam would be sustained may be
an open question, but. as Commissioner
Maltbie pointed out, the existence Of such
an arrangement would undoubtedly oe
used TO resist a reduction.
Perhaps the most serious aspect OF
this Tammany job is the elimination Of
competition between gas and electric
service in Queens. This is a direct effort
TO keep up the high cost of living
When Mccall was told of the charge
he was about to address the meeting at
the Brooklyn Academy of Music on
Mtchels explanation OF his dealings with
the greensboro Corporation. The eandi-
date laughed
"Oh. Mitchell has come out with that
has he?" he said. well. don't care to
answer il just now. | don't care to say
anything about IL"