New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-09-10
M'CALL, GOADED
BY INVESTIGATOR,
DEFIANCE
Dares Any One to Show
Shady Subway Act by
His Commission.
DOUBTS POSSIBILITY
OF FIVE-CENT FARES
New System Too Long for That
Price, He Says-Unmoved by
81" Contract Variations.

Understand that this is defancel"
Edward +. Mccall chairman Of the
Public Service Commission, thumped
the table and his eyes snapped in re-
sentiment Of the efforts made by the
legislative committee which yesterday
resumed its investigation Of the Pub
lie Service Commission in this dis
trict, to "fasten something" on it.
All day Senator Thompson, chair
man, and ex-senator Merton f. Lewis,
counsel, had been boring away at the
head of the commission to discover
what truth there might be in allega-
tons that the interests of the public
had not been properly protected in the
subway contracts.
The committee, counsel and witness
were seated around table in the small
hearing room Of the New York County
Lawyers Association, at 165 Broadway
To keep cool they had shed their
coats. Smoking was permitted to soothe
the harassed feelings Of those who
had to toll in such torrid weather.
But the strain finally became too
great for the chairman. When SEN
ator Thompson asked why the Inter
borough Rapid Transit Company had
received certain privileges in connec-
ton with the third tracking and ex-
tension OF the elevated lines that had
not been given to the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit he leaned across the table and
with whack that Jared the whole
room said:
Liar" Cries the Chairman.
81 defy any living human being TO
place his finger on any act Of mine or
any act of my predecessors or any act
Of the commission at any time that is
open TO criticism"
The enraged chairman paused a
moment and then shot out the declara-
ton that he intended what he said
as q defiance.
We'll" said Senator Thompson, pa
officially. 1--WE won't 90 into that now,
guess"
But the witness was not to be so
easily Modified. He was aroused and
just had 10 say what was on his mind.
He continued:
"a member of my family the other
day read to me an editorial from a
New York paper that Travis II. Whit
ney, the secretary of the commission.
was going to resign because of poll
tics had injected into the commission
and the favoritism | had shown"
Again the chairman stopped in an
evident attempt TO hold his feelings
in check
81 don't know who wrote that edi-
torial," he resumed slowly, "but, who
ever he is, he is an infamous liar"
During the campaign when Chairman
Mccall was running for Mayor he fire.
quently INDUCED in harsh criticism Of
the newspapers.
When Senator Lewis asked Chair
man Mccall whether he thought it wise
to give the marlborough long term
contract with a minimum cent fare
the answer was broader than had been
expected. He said:
Mccall Questions Scent Fare.
81 will 20 further than that and say
that / doubt the feasibility Of a B.
cent fare. | do not believe it will be
ample. Please do not misunderstood
me as saying ! advocate an increase
fare, but am not as sanguine as most
men in the expectation that q 5-cent
fare will be the successful solution
Of the subway problem. judging it
simply as a financial problem"
do you know" said Senator Lewis,
with the air of man who had trapped
his witness, that the Interborouch
recently declared 20 per cent divi-
dend, all earned out of fve-ccnt
fares?"
yes" replied Chairman Mccall,
"but your conclusions in regard 10 the
new system are wrong, because the
haul there will be three times as long
as in the present system.
81 want to say, however, that II IL
can be demonstrated to me that any
corporation earns 20 per cent on its
invested capital | will declare that Il
is too much and that compensation
must be made TO the public in the re-
duction of rates"
Senator Lawson. of Brooklyn, want
ed to know why the city had not put
up all the money needed for the sub
way system rather than put itself in
the hands of private corporations. The
question was repeated by Senators
Lawson and Thompson in a little diff
ferent way.
"If ! believed for one instant that
the city was in a financial condition