The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-22
RAILROAD USES GIFT
TO DEFEAT TRANSIT
Station at Flushing, Grant of Adjoining
Owners Has Given L. I.'Road Power
to Defeat Bayside Extension.

The Flushing Baysfde extension OF 1he
dual subway system has received pau
setback in tho refusal of tho bong lsiailu
Railroad Company to give us consent
10 the construction OF tho line on ,no
arUind that 1t parallels existing fac'ii'ies
and In therefore not required.
The Flushing Baysids line extends from
Core ma TO Baysde Boulevard. Bayside,
distance OF about 10000 feet. me ran.
roads Consent IL only required on piot
having 400 feet frontage AT us broan-
syay STATION in Flushing. This relatively
ANAL tract Ia sufficient 10 offset the con
aents covering over eleven miles OF 'front.'
Tne circumstances which have given the
swoAiroad its great power In TINS ma Uer
hAws probably never occurred before III
M hlaory OF rapid transit construction
IN shtr city. The law provides that no
Irn,d transit line can be built without
.RS,e consent of a majority IN AssesSeo
Valuation OF tho abutting property on
isuSaAoh the road runs. The FluThlng-bay-
aDde ih,e processes BROADWAY AT an anse
r, %a,n consents Of tho sbuttins property
lese m obtained. The station plaza
lSe0lN n frontage OF only 200 feet runs back
V{SuUn broadway over 1900 feet lts as
t1eGusG valuation In greater than tnat Oh
yf1,o r1nree oticr plots fronting on Broad
wag, and this gives the rnirosa SUn-
Amy control Of the situation In other
Swdo. the law gives the Long lslaho
Hafjsuad Company the power to deteat
duS1 tye other property owners VINO nave
,u2yrr their consents. although the total
mont ase on the line Is 200 times NJ
uSess as The oornpany's plot
y<isIic sentiment in Flushing ana vlc"-
Nser ts very bitter because the plot on
eo,icaa the railroad company now with
holds its consent was given 90 II oy the
uryps.y owners in tho vicinity several
'ycars ago for a station plaza, and the
ueop,e feel that II is particularly haru
70 hsrc their gift used to defeat the'F
wli.
Tn assessed valuation Of the railroad
r,,ct A. only $4,000. while the assessed
Hvaiuaf,on OF the property for which con-
v,emts havn been given amounts 10 ~
Se7. 600 IN other words. although the
assessed valuation for the property Tor
which consents have been obtained 10
norty-three times as large az the assessed
r,aMet,on OF the railroad company's plot,
Tn relatively insignificant holdings or tho
noYnpony will defeat the enormous hold
insv Of the property owners unless the
oourtp intervene
The Flushing-Bayslde section n prac-
OoaSly the only built UP part OF Greater
Nvw YORK which was left out OF the dual
euDvay system, and the residents are
nov compelled 90 pay from 81 TO ~ cents
a day FOR transportation. including the
comsnutation on the Long Island Railroad
srA the extra oarfare 20 and from the
Pennsylvania Station. The burden OF
this high fare has driven many families
esv.y and practically stopped building.
for whiie every other section OF Greater
nav York Is now having or will soon have
the benedt OF a five cent fare, this sec
ton has no prospects whatever except
from the P1ushingBayside extension OF
the dual subway system
The Flushing -Bsyside nne has been
approved by the Board Of Estimate the
public Service Commission. tho Flushing
B,isiness Mems Association. tho Flushing
Association, the Third Ward Rapid Tran
a. League and the Chamber Of Commerce
OF the Borough OF Queens. and II IL not
probable that the railroad company will
epscceed IN holding up the building Of the
road for any considerable length OF time.
FOR the whole section Is aroused. and an
organized effort Is TO he made at once
70 have the railroad company withdraw
tte objection, or falling in that TO secure
favorable action by the courts.