Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-10-27

Smith an available candidate by appoint
ing him to the Public Service Commits
sion. is one OF the two trustees of that
estate. Charles Seger, leader OF Coun-
ellis, was the lifelong friend and lieu
tenant of Durham, and Is his political
legatee. having been bequeathed the lead
ership of Councils
"3. John p. Connolly, chairman OF the
all-powerful Finance Committee of Coun-
ellis, and candidate for the important
Office of City Solicitor, was until very
recently, and probably still is, an attor-
ney Of the Rapid Transit Company, un-
der annual salary.
"a. James =. McNichol has, for many
years, either directly, or through one or
more of the construction companies which
he operates, done a large part of the
company's contract work"
Bearing in mind these four personal
and preliminary facts. let us review the
developments in the transit situation dur
ing the last three years. Philadelphia
had population of about 100000, spread
over 1923 square miles of territory; II had
only 10 track miles of subway and ele-
waited, against SO in Boston, 215 I'm Chicago
and 633 in New York 0ncluding that now
under construction); 1t took half an hour
to go southwest from City Hall to 65th
and Woodland avenue; three-quarters OF
an hour to go north to Olney avenue,
ford. 1t was generally agreed that these
conditions were intolerable, and A. Mer-
ritt Taylor first as Transit Commissioner
and then as Director of the new Depart
ment of City Transit, was commissioned
to find a means of correcting them. lie
studied the situation with the most palms.
taking and minute thoroughness, and
finally announced plans which have been
approved by every newspaper in the city,
by practically every trade organization
and business club, and have been taVor-
ably commented on by technical and en-
gineering journals and experts all over
the country. AS long as his activities
were confined to plans and studies, he
met no opposition, but when those plans
and studies had been completed. and 1t
came to making an agreement with the
Transit Company, and getting legislation
in Councils and in the state Legislature
there was a different story"
Mr. Norris then told in detail the story
of the negotiations between the city and
the Rapid Transit Company. The pr1n-
cipal points upon which an agreement
could not be reached, he said, were:
First. Whether the frankfort and the
Darby lines should be connected by the
use of the Market Street Subway, or py
the construction of a new subway unoer
Chestnut street. Two. Whether the COM
pany should be compensated only for loss
of net income caused by diversion OF traf-
6c from the surface to the new subway
lines, or whether 1t should be guaran-
teed against any decrease in net earnings
resulting from any cause whatever.
Third When and how exchange tickets
should be abolished, and what compensa-
| tion, if any, should be allowed the COM
| many as a return for their abolition
Directors Taylor, Cooke and himself
who had been delegated by Mayor
Blankenburg to conduct negotiations with
| the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
| he said. recommended in March, 1914, the
| Rapid Transit Company should be given
| the opportunity to cooperate with the
| city by equipping and operating the
rapii transit lines II it is willing to do
so upon any fair terms.
p. r. t. COULD COOPERATE.
The three Directors, he continued
recommended that exchange tickets be
abolished gradually over n term Of years
| Concerning the compensation to the COM
! pany for the abolition, he said they re-
| ported:
1--WE wholly disapprove of the sugges-
ton which has been made that in return
for the surrender by the company of this
! precarious source of revenue 1t should be
relieved of an almost equal amount OF
obligatory fixed charges now payable tC
the city. Such an arrangement would de-