New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-26
Albany Highway Claims
Aired Before Committee
of Legislature.
STATE CONTROL FOR
ROUTE IS PROPOSED
Automobiles and Others Fear
Trolley Encroachment on
Historic Trunk Line.
fRy rel.rranh 70 Tho Trihun.

Albany. Feb o The long fight 20 fore
| stall encroachment on the historic Aiban,
post road and incidentally. 10 lessen IN,
burden Of its upkeep on the property
owners along the Westchester end Of the
highway. was continued here to-day with
hearing on the Herrlck-Fish bill before
the Committee on Internal Affairs. Favor
ing the bill. which is designed TO have
the post road placed under state control.
were representatives, OF the Broadway
Protective Association, the Greystone AS
ISOLATION. of Yonkers. the Sleepy Hollow
Country club and various automobile or
ganizations.
Opposing the proposed law were dele
cations from Tarrytown and Ossining. as
well as Assembyman Walter W Law.
( jr Back Of tho effort to make the post
road a state highway could be discerned
the shadow OF the Healey bill. on which a
hearing will be held on March IS. which
would repeal the Burns bill preventing
the laying of trolley tracks on the his
toric road.
| For the committee before hitch the
hearing was held Senator Wife said
/ that Governor Glynn had requested that
/
while the present Investigations into the
conduct Of the Highway Department are
under way.
Frank r. Pierson. president Of the VII
! lage Of Tarrytown. was the first OF the
opponents Of the bill 70 be heard. lie de-
clared there was no good reason FOR a
change from present conditions, that the
! Post Road to-day. at least in the vicinity
of Tarrytown. is as good as the majority
I of state controlled highways. and that
! the 1917 foot pavement called for under
the state law would be OF little value on
the two miles of Broadway lying within
the village limits. {. S. Davidson. coun-
sci for Tarrytown. spoke along the same
| lines, making especial reference TO the
poor quality OF roads built by the state
! T. G.. Barnes counsel for Ossinng, de-
/ clared the bill a subterfuge 10 prevent
/ the laying Of trolley tracks along the
! Post Road, an Improvement which he de-
cared was needed and desired by ma
jority of the people living along the route
! in question.
! For the proponents of the bill Cortland
Smith spoke at length, declaring that as
60 per cent OF the Post Road is already
a state highway the residents along the
remaining section, lying principally in
! Westchester County. are entitled to the
same benefits. He pointed out that
! trolley line may be placed on a state road
and that Mr.. Barnes's argument bore lit
tie weight for the reason that Broad
way at Ossining Is already a part Of the
state system.
The Post Road, Alr. Smith contended.
/ should have been one OF the first OF the
! main lines to be put under state control.
| as II is the only important one east Of
the Hudson River and the only link that
! New York can Furnish i'm one OF the pro-
posed transcontnental routes. in addition
| 10 connecting directly with the great up
state lines to the Adirondacks, Niagara
| Falls and Montreal.
| Mr.. Hayes gave figures of count made
i'm front of the Sleepy Hollow Country
Club some time ago. showing that IL 900
motor cars had passed a given point on
the Post Road on one day. Broadway.
he said. needs all the width il has for
the automobile traffic.
Before the hearing finished the COM
mttee was asked to defer reporting one
way or the other on the bill until March
Il. when "A referendum vote on the exist
ing Burns law is TO be taken in two local
tiles.