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

prive the city of n large and much-needed
revenue, and would seriously disorganize
our municipal finances. II would be tax
ing the whole body of taxpayers for the
benefit Of small minority.
I'VE then recommended that the com
pany should be relieved for n period of
10 years from the payment of annual sink
ing Iund charges now payable to the
city. averaging about $4,000 a year.
"As have said however, we were un-
able to reach any agreement. Then
Director Taylor renewed negotiations, and
on May %, 1914, Re succeeded In reaching
an agreement with the Rapid Transit
Company. That agreement covered every
point that haC been in dispute and was
submitted by Director Taylor to the
Mayor and Councils under date Of May
"a, under the title. "A Program for Rapid
Transit Development, with universal free
transfers, resulting from conferences be-
tween the Director of the Department of
City Transit and the management OF the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
Under that agreement the only CO.
operation required of the Union Trac-
ton Company was that II should make
from year to year the extensions of ex-
isting surface lines necessary to keep up
with the growth of the city, and that its
stockholders should receive additional
dividends on their additional investments
1t seems incredible that the stockholders
OF the Union Traction Company should
iall 10 avail themselves promptly of an
arrangement so manifestly advantageous
TO them, but they have thus far held
back; and this holding back has been
cited by the Rapid Transit Company and
by its friends in Councils as reason
why the city should hold back-that the
mlIIlon and three-quarters of people of
the great city of Philadelphia should go
without proper transportation facilities
until such time as II might suit the Union
traction stockholders to accept most
favorable proposal.
In 1914 Taylor was through with plans
and studies, and Just when he was ready
TO make the dirt fly, the fur began to
fly. Connolly fired the first gun in Jam
uary, by introducing a resolution for the
appointment of a committee to confer
with the Transit Company with a view
to securing the abolition of exchange
tickets. The purpose of this move was at
first obscure-it seemed as IL IL was per
haps just a cheap bid for popu arity. but
his purpose soon became evident when,
at the meeting of the committee on Feb
ruary 2, 1914, he made the proposition that
exchange tickets should be abolished. and
that in return the city should relieve the
company from its annual contribution of
$5OOOOO, toward keeping the paving of
the streets 1t occupies in repair; from
s1150oO tax on dividends it now PAYS and
from the annual sinking fund payment
of $4,000. He added that he was pre-
pared to go the limit to carry this
through Immediately
81 have neither time nor inclination to
go over the long Councilmanic ecord of
1914 You will remember how it was nee
essary to build bonfres under them to
get them TO move; how they held back
and paltered, and quibbled and DELAYED;
how it took all the influence of public
opinion as expressed by all the newspa-
pers and trades-bodies to secure the pas
sage of the various ordinances that were