New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-21
THE SUBWAY CONTRACTS.

pAllA bllt NiNt VI IT, NY VIZ
profitable TO the city, not in money Tor
the city does not go into this business
TO make money. but in the amount OF
rapid transit which they will furnish
TO the public
We can best Illustrate the advantage
of an extension of existing transit sIS'
tens over a new independent system as
means of increasing facilities 10y Il
reference to the situation with respect
TO the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Com
pany. This company owns now prac-
tically all the transit facilities oI
Brooklyn. Not in Il quarter of CEN
fury could the city build a system III
that borough rivalling the existing one.
If the plan OF constructing an inde-
pendent system had been preferred 10
extending the Brooklyn Rapid Transit
Company's system, Brooklyn would
have had two or three new lines ilke
the Brooklyn extension of the present
subway. But what would they amount
To as traction system for Brooklyn
The bulk of the population OF tha'
borough would for Il quarter OF a cen
fury 10 come he compelled 10 rely upon
the Brooklyn Rapid Transit system
and would have been dumped of at the
end of bridges in Manhattan and com
PEELED TO pay second fare to reach
any part Of it not within walking as
lance Of the bridge terminals. only
by additions 10 the Brooklyn Rapld
Transit system i'm Manhattan could lis
MESSENGERS he distributed through this
borough liz rational way and for a
single fare. and only through additions
10 that system I'm Brooklyn could RAPID
transit between different sections Of
that borough he increased at single
fare. It is as plain as anything can n"
that the people of Brooklyn Will get
MANY times as much actual rapid
transit ont of this plan of completing
the already existing system there rs
they could get out of the creation of a
new and independent one.
The same thing is true with regard
10 the completion of the present sub
way system. The bor0ughs of Man
haitian and The Bronx will benefit from
il vastly more than they would from
another Independent north and south
line. If such n line were built people
Of the east side of The Bronx using
the busy IenOX avenue expresses would
have to continue riding from the east
side of The Bronx 10 the west side of
Manhattan and then 10 the east side of
Manhattan i'm getting downtown. while
peOple on the west side of The Bronx
would have to ride first to the east
side Of Manhattan aud then to the west
side of Manhattan in getting down
town. Is that rapid transit? Is il even
economical railroad operation: And
the man starting down could not choose
whether he should reach the east side
Of the lower part of the island or the
west side. lIe.must 20 where the III
dependent subway line on which he
lived took him. whether he wanted TO
20 there or not, or he must pay sec
ond fare.
The city wanted the reality Of rapid
transit which only the companies in
the field with their existing facilities
could give II wanted the money which
they were willing 10 put into rapid
transit, supplementing its own. which
10 one else was willing to offer. 1t
wanted these things and ii has paid
for them. They are substantial things
and they could not be got without pay
ing for them. The terms which were
made were the best that could be
made, and the preferential payment to
which most objection is raised merely
secures to the companies the profits
they are getting now plus 6 per cent
interest on new capital. The com
panies insisted that they should be no
worse off from extending their systems
than they are now. The city granted
that and saw 10 it that they should
not be much better off either-that, in
a word. they should not make much
larger profits out of operating twice as
big systems than they now make out of
! their present systems. That is not a
bad bargain.
If there is million here and a
million there which the critics of these
vast contracts think the companies
! ought not TO get at any rate, the city
has made the best bargain that it could
| make and there are advantages TO the
city which we do not pretend to emu
merate In this short article. More
over, If the people do not like this
plan. which will take the most posi-
| BILE passengers where they want To %
for single nickel. they will be free
! in ten years to recapture the new lines
and set up an independent system The
disadvantages Of disunion and a double
| fare are not irretrievable.
All these considerations are so ob,
vious and familiar that we believe the
| present attempt to unsettle the whole
question and thrust the city back into
the state Of debate and negotiation OF
! two or three years ago will fail. Nc
responsible official, and surely not GOV
| ernor Sul2er should be fooled by it.
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