The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-06-07
ONION WIRE TAPPED
FOR STRIKE PLANS,
LABOR MAN SAYS
Thompson's Committee Hears
New Complaint. hut Wants
70 Drop Subject.
EPRAGCE TELLS IDEAS
OF NEW SUBWAY ERRORS

PVter J Brady. secretary NJ me Allied
Printing Trades. told the Thompson
legislative committee yesterday that h"
had good reason for believing that the
police had been tapping wires running
TO headquarters OF labor union to get
advance Information on the conduct Of
strikes and other matters. lie asked the
committee to make an inv cstigatfOn.
Senator Thompson said that 1t was
not the intention Of the committee to go
into the wire tapping II further. and
he thought that this particular matter
committed. anyway. Mr.. Brady asked
that he be allowed to state In public his
reasons for thinking that the committee
should investigate and this privileee VIII
probably be accorded to him.
A suggestion was offered yesterday
that Senator Thompson might he named
. commissioned under the Moreland act
20 tina he could take up the wire tap
ping exclusively. The Senator quickly
put an end to the suggestion by citins
the State Constitution. which forbids
q Senator or Assemblyman from accept
Ing any office during the term for which
he vas elected. He said he didn't want
such . JOB. nyway
Mayer says "F1ddIestfcks."
When Mr.. Rrady's assertion concern
Ing the tapping OF labor union wires was
brought to the attention Of Mayor
Mitchell he said that 'hddlesticks" COM
pretended everything he wished 10 say
In reply.
Police Commissioner Woods. when
asked last night to comment on the as
ssrtion that certain labor organizations
wiree had been tapped. said
II cannot say anything about any
particular wires that the Police Depart
ment may have listened over because
tho Thompson committee and their couh-
sci and ] made m absolute agreement
that no one OF us would divulge infor-
nation on that score, which was brought
out at the executive session.
II do not know. OF course. what pr'-
yate detective agencies may have done.
Al far as the Police Department Is q n
cerned. however. ! can simply repeat
that no wires have been tapped except
for purposes Of getting formation
about crime or criminals. IL doesn I
necessarily follow that because a Ger
tain wire was listened over. the person
in whose name that wire was listed was
suspected of crime. II a policeman IS
listening on a wire for such a purpose
and other conversations go over H. ms
Instructions are to stop listening as
soon az he finds tn. conversation does
not relate TO the subject he is looking
for"
Sees Waste IN Subwnya.
Frank !. sprague. engineer and In
ventor. a member of the Navy Consult
lug Board, told the Thompson committee
yesterday that millions of dollars had
been wasted because of the general pam
adopted by the city and the Public
Service Commission for building the new
subways. lie said that no competent
engineer in the world. outside of those
concerned in this project. would attempt
a justification OF building the outlying
sections OF the system before the man
body of Il had been completed
Mr.. Sprague told the committee or an
OFFER which he made TO equip and operate
the new subways in 1910. According 10
his plan, the main arteries OF traiic IN
Manhattan would have been completed
first. thus saving enormous interest
charges OIL work in the outlying sections
now completed. hut not used because the
divisions are unfinished.
His proposal was that the Lexington
avenue subwa should be opened north
from Thirty-fourth street. and another
line across T~hirty-fourth street 70
Seventh avenue. The Seventh avenue
line would have been completed to Forty
second street, thus completing, Whef
these lines were connected with the pres
ent system, what MIR. Sprague described
an the III" lie said that under his
~~. A1- .tty va ~ htlilI these lines
frst. and they were to be operated by q
company which he proposed 10 form.
q. In Use Years Ago.
He said the system would have beer
built 70" SIS. 600 900 and would have
been In operation years ago Asked p'
Frank Moss II ne had sufficient financia
hacking. Mr.. spraeue said that he of
fered to put up "A certified check FOL
SiOO 900 as A preliminary to the hlint
OF a 81 1000, 900 bond guaranteeing goot
faith.
Mr.. Sprague's scheme contemplated al
expenditure of $40. 900 900 for equip
,nent and tho operating company WA
10 ave the first profits up to S2,OOO.O 900
This would have been equal to . pc
cent on the Investment. Then the cit!
was to have S3,ls7,5oo OF profits for IL
investment. Following this. all profit
IN CACSsS VI 'hS "''' 80
Ing fund, were to be divided by tn
city and the company In the proportions
Of two-thirds and one-third respectively
This offer, Mr.. Sprague said, wa.
backed Financially by J. q. White q
Co. and by the Roeblings. He sat
that he sent a letter TO the Publi
Service Commission outlining the plai
and thai he never received any acknowl
edgement Of it. Mr.. Moss said that HI
had been unable to find the letter II
the commissions files.
II am entirely confident" said MI
Sprague, that my offer would hav
seen the new Manhattan lines In opera
ton by this time and that there woul'
have been a much quicker partIcipa
ton In prohts by the city than It will
ever realize under the accepted con
tract"
statistician on stand.
Or. A. +. Weber. chief statisticiaH o
the Public Service Commission. wa
questioned at the afternoon session abou
tho prior determination account OF tn
New York Municipal Railways Corpora
ton. lie said that two years OF nego
tiation preceded the signing Of the con
tract under which The Brooklyn subwa,
4. Aln. h,ilt Iv,,lnr tIn ,nntrlrt I'll