The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-01-21
WHITRIDGE CALLS
STATE TAX BOARD
"IGNORAMUSES"
Objects to Sd Ave. Roads
Higher Assessment at
Thompson Inquiry.
DUAL SUBWAYS READY
SOON, SAYS CRAVEN

Frederick ". whitridge. president OF
me Third Avenue Railroad Company,
showered Wit n wisdom on the
Thompson Legislative committee yes
terday afternoon during All examination
that ran from q definition OF the BLACK
Horse Cavalry" to a de~nunciation Of the
State Board Of Tax commissioners IA
lot Of ''pighcaded ignoramuses' and
concluded with a bill Of health for the
present State Legislature and the Pub
lie Service Commission.
lie began by saying that some years
ago, when the Third Avenue Railway
Company was being reorganizcd after
going through bankruptcy. Joseph II.
Choate had eone to Albany as counsei
for the reorganization committee and
that Immediately certain journals pic
tured the BLACK Horse Cavalry In full
charge upon the Capitol with Mr..
Choatc at their head.
"You knew NJ course what tho 'Blacl;
Horse Cavalry was?" asked Senator
Thompson.
'Cbh, yes, I was counsel TO a legislative
committee once. The Black Horse cav
airy were volunteers and merccnarics
who were engaged to labor in the I.cgis-
lature on behalf Of certain corporations"
"You knew who they WERE
ayes. hut personally ! never had any
thing 10 do with white, black or any
other kind of cavalry"
How long is 1t since you met one of
them"
~ dom ihink 7 ever did. To accuse
MI. Thoate ~ beng one OF the number
was infamous
HAS Fun With Osborn.
Asked concerning a letter which he
may have written to William church
oshoiu while the later was counsel to
Gov. lis. Mr.. Whitridgc said he
couldn't remember Il ana tina, ~ there
were sutn a letter Osborn would be
more likely to have saved it thar he.
"Why So" asked Senator Thompson.
"Osborn takes such things more seri-
ously than I dc"
He said that Mr.. cilua.c went To Al
bany 20 oppose an amendmen; to the
Public Service Commissions law that
would have made u necessary - get the
approval uf the Public Service commits
sion to ;hc plan Of reorganization pro-
posed for the Third Avenue.
THE fact Is that the law was not so
amendcd. isn't it, asked Deputy At
torney-,;eneral Lewis.
II don't know"
We'll. II it hasn't been amended .that
condition must be due to Mr.. choate's
efforts, mustn't ~"
I'm sure he would be pleased to hear
o say 50. but ! should think IL was
rather due to an increase Of Intelligence
on the part of the Legislature"
Don't you think 1t desirable that the
Public Service Commission should regu-
hate public utility corporations"
Common sense Needed.
YES, 7 ,lo. Regulation Is one thing.
but management is another. The trouble
Is thai these Public Servic. COMMISSIONS
always want more power. when what
they need Is more common sense
The witness explained why he thought
that there was a big difference between
the necessity for the Public Service
Commissions approval Of the stock issue
Of a new company and its approval Of
the stock .ssuV OF u r~eorganizsd com
pany. His idea was ihat the capitalists
who undertake the reorganization Of a
bankrupt company are better qualified to
judge OF how the new should
be financed than Public Service Conn
missions possibly can be. lie said that
his theory and his experience led to the
belief that securities with the stamp Of
approval of bankers on them are much
better securities than those which have
the approval of Public Service commis-
sions.
Turning then to the increase in his
franchis. assessment. IN increase over
last year of 5000, VVo, Mr.. Whitridge
said;
II think it's the most monstrous mis-
take ever made"
shouldn't you pay a rental for the
use Of the public Streets"
. course. but the rent should not
be jumping all the time"
Isn't the increase in the assessment
because of the Increase in your earning
capacity and your return"
THE increase in the company's re.
turns doesn't Justify any such assess
ment as that. It's because the admins
traitors of The law are a lot OF plgheaded
ignoramuses."
Might il not he because your law.
yers are poorer and because the Taa
Commissioners are better informed thar
they were in years gone by"'
our lawyers are the same ones AM
VIC also have the same state Of mind al
Albany to deal with"
What was the basis for assessment
before
well, we had a hard time finding
out. Ono board told US 1t was {
guess"
You think, then, that the present
board may have some other basis FOL
assessments than a guess"
Yes"
Mr.. Whitridge concluded by saying
that he believed that conditions at Al
bany were better than they were year
ago. He didn't know Of anything, III
said. that would reflect or anybod,
there. He declared that financial an'
all other conditions except political con
ditions were all right.
What do you mean by that"
Il mean that We have a state o
affairs down in Washington that make
q man hang his head"
What about the Public Service Com
missions"
Well, | think the commissions a
Ahat. ur.rn annointnI Ia. nn,r II,rl,a