New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-02

! YES. SIR. Possibly that IS true, re-
piled the ,ccretsry, measuring MS
words.
ION how many occasions did that
happen" ,.
Asked II il were not true that Vhe'
orders had been issued by the comm'In,.
sion official OF the roads would ga
TO the commissioners about them, the
secretary replied that IT might nave
And weren't the orders modified
after that" persisted counsel
"Not unless written reqneS' were
Sled" was the answer. ,. -.
At this point Mr. Whitney LETT me
stand for a moment and talked 70 NY
Office assistant.
Hints Arouse Examiner.
"I nave noticed some Of your asst ,',.,,
ants talking TO Commissioner W III,
inns and then tslNng to YOU Salo
Mr. HAYWARD. With q unge OF menace
IN his voice. Have they been giving
YOU any suggestions -,..
"Tuo or tIrec bright idess,' replied
Mr. Whitney with a laugh.
Did you act on any OF me suRse'
uons'" ..,,.
well Mr.. Williams will have his
chance" said Senator Thompson, ana
I instruct the witness 20 have no more
private conversations while ne is o"
the stand
A. his point Mr. Whitney was tenn
,crarrIv excused that George J. DaG-
GET might take the stand All iniorma'
Complaints came 10 him, he said
What influence did you understand
was being brought 20 bear on the com
plant department by the commission
ers o." asked Mr. Hayward.
practically none replied the VII,
ness. except as 20 the lnterences
drew from the way In which they nan
dled formal complaints and the infor,
MAJ ones i'm which ihey interested
themselves. -,
the commissioners more than SIN times
In two wears, DaCgett said. tie mao
bocr sent for only twice or three tunes.
Then Mr. HAYWARD pulled the record
n the Third Avenue case from ms
papers and began 70 ASK the witness
about II,
Road Deaf 20 Woes.
fret there was 2 letter from Dag
-e,t 10 Wilder nsrrstlne the complain
Of one Edward A. SpIllane, Of lobl "a
ev. In effect il was that switch blade
on The Third Avenue Railroad between
S-tb and SSth SITS ratified and snapped
every time car passed along. II was
such A nuisance that people we're NOV
ing away from the neIghborhood.
One bv one counsel then read every
document in the record, showing that
the company had continued TO put on
satisfying The complaint IN spite oil
repeated requests, and IN fact had not
done so yet.
Six DAYS after the first plea was
received Wilder reported that the
switch was badly worn and the com
rIsint was fully justified. That day
letter was sent 10 +. a. Maher, genera
manager Of the road. The latter &C
krowiedged the switch was In bad shape
On September "a DaGgett wrote the
memorandum about "Stringing along.
on November 10. when IN one OF
IS letters the company spoke o
the crossover as at seth St, Daggett
sen, this memorandum to Wilder:
The company sens to be pushing
.bis crossover north. II YOU don't looE
.n, they will have it over the city
limits and out Of our jurisdiction
The new cr6ssover was IN the store
house on January %. It may be there
yet.
Public Defied at Will.
Dacgett said the old switch could nav,
becn fxed so II would not rattle IL
one dav. If a formal complaint haC
been made about il the action mlGh'
have taken several years, witness &C
knowledged. 49,,
On questions from Senator MllIs. J
vas acknowledged by Daggett that II }
had been looked on as a problem o
safety TO traffic going over the sWltci
tho commission would have had undis
puted jurisdiction. He said so far
he knew, no commissioner had know
Of il. and he had not used good Judg
ment in falling TO report it to them 10
a test case.
Only few complaints filter through
10 the commissioners, the witness ad
mitted.
DagCett refused 10 answer Mr.. Hay
ward. who asked If IT were not tru
that for years the public service corpo
rations had been putting 1t over IN
commission. But he had found an "eX
IRENE unwilingness on the part OF IN
companies to obey orders
Since January. 1909. there have bee
SIG informal complaints. or tina
number 1898 were disposed OF 10 IN
satisfaction Of the compliments or tn
commission. no action was taken o.
2.3lO because they were known to b
frivolous. 1912, II was learned, wer
unfounded. and $50 were set aside be
cause the defendant did not give SUI
fcicnt data TO work on,
Late in the afternoon the commits
sion went 10 Albany 10 get IN Nv
legislative days, last night and to-day
The hearing will be resumed to-mor
row.
General Henry Appointed.
General Nelson H. Henry, Republican
was named as Water Register IN In
Department Of Water Supply, Gas an