New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-12-30
Urges Defeat of Bill by
Congress in Letter to
Speaker Clark
MOTOR TRUCKS ADD
TO CITY'S DANGERS
Substitution for Pneumatic
Service Menace to Life
and Property"

In letter to Champ Clark, Speaker
of the House Of Representatives, Mayor
Mitchell yesterday urged the defeat OF
the bill. soon to come before Congress,
providing for the discontinuance OF the
pneumatic mail tube service IN this
city above Forty-second Street
Postmaster General Bureson is spon-
sor for the bill. The Mayor made his
appeal 10 Speaker Clark on humani-
tartan grounds, calling particular at
tention TO the increased danger 20 life
that would result by adding 10 the
present congestion OF traffic by the use
of mail automobile trucks in place OF
the discarded tube service.
81 wish TO impress upon you wrote
the Mayor, "the incalculable harm that
must inevitably be worked by such
measure in making more acute and
dangerous the traffic conditions, when
already present problem OF alarming
proportions. The present tube service
in this city covers all that part OF the
Borough Of Manhattan lying south OF
125th Street; connection between the
Manhattan and Brooklyn General post
Offices; an extension from the Brook
lyn General Postofiice 70 the Long
Island Railroad station at Atlantic
Avenue.
The bill calls for the renewal OF the
tube service only as 70 that part Of the
system which is located south OF
Forty-second Street and for the line
connecting the two general postoihces.
II is contended By the advocates OF the
bill that the continuance of the com
plete tube service in its present form is
not warranted BIZ the cost
Merchants Oppose Cut
The Mayor said that the many res-
sons against the proposed abridgment
Of the present system would be pre-
scented TO Congress convincingly and in
detail by the leading commercial or
CARNATIONS of this city, and therefore
he would not rehesrse the arguments
against il from a business standpoint.
but | do wish TO dwell particularly
upon one phase of the subject he
said, (which seems 70 me to over
shadow all others, vitality affecting, as
It does, every inhabitant of this city;
namely. the short-sightedness and folly
OF doing anything which must newt
ably add to the great congestion or
street traffic and the dangers resulting
therefrom. Impressed though the cas-
ual observer must be by the sight OF
automobile traffic through the chief
thorough ares OF this city, only those
who have given the subject some study
have any idea of the size Of the prob
lem now confronting the city govern
ment.'
The Mayor declared that the danger
was forcibly illustrated by the fatali-
ties and accidents which are Of duly
and hourly occurrence. He pointed out
that last year go persons were killed
and $4,000 injured in street accidents,
28l of those killed being children. This
meant that one person was killed every
fourteen hours and one injured every
twenty-three minutes OF each day IN
the year or those killed, 105 met
their death from motor trucks. De-
spite the fact that motor trucks num-
Der less than 2h per cent Of the total
vehicles they were responsible for over
Is per cent Of the fatalities.
Mail Trucks Most Dangerous
The Mayor declared that mail auto
trucks we're the most difficult and OBJ
structive factors in the whole problem.
By having the right of way. he said,
they constantly disrupted and inter
ferod with traffic regulation. They
force other vehicles to pull up short
and turn out of the way. They pro-
coed against the current of traffic in
one-way streets, and often, III not
haoitually, exceed the speed limit
in short" said the Mayor, "it may
be safely said that each mail truck on
the streets OF New York. in its aspect
as an ever present menace to life, limb
and property, is equivalent to at least
ten ordinary commercial vehicles. The
aiding Of one unavoidable mail truck
20 traffic conditions in New York Is the
creation of an unwarrantable add
tional hazard to life and limb.
"On behalf Of the City Of New York,
/ protest aga inst the enactment OF
measure which adopts a policy Of ma
terialism and economy where the
safety Of men. women and children is
concerned, which, in spite Of the fore
warnings of those who must suffer the
consequences, openly weighs the saw
Ing OF dollars and cents against the
greatly increased danger to human
life"