Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-09-27
PESsIMISM ON TRANSIT

To the Editor Of the Evening Ledger:
sir-In your esteemed paper of the 10th
is an article entitled, "The Mayor Stands
Pat" 1t is evident the editor never read
Director Twining's elaborate report from
a thorough business standpoint, going into
the minute details, accompanied with
drawings Of the complete Taylor system
and giving the approximate cost, showing
that II is absolutely impossible for the pas
senger receipts on a fve-cent basis to cover
the interest and cost of operation for many
years, to say nothing of a sinking fund
and that there are only two ways that this
system can be operated, namely. that the
passengers pay higher rate of fare or the
taxpayers make up the deficiency. A prop
erty owner may live 1000 miles away and
never even see this railroad. but as a tax
payer he is bound TO pay his share of my
carfare, which is a piece of rank injustice.
The Taylor system when completed and
equipped to run the first train from League
Island to Olney avenue, with the Frank
ford Roxborough and Darby branches and
all connections, will cost at the lowest es-
innate $4,000. 900, the interest at four per
cent would be $s.200,0o0 and would require
81, 900 900 nickel passengers annually, or
17b,342 daily, for the interest alone The
cost of operation would bring the entire pas
senger traffic to more than 100000 daily
Now. where are they to come from in ad-
dition to those carried by the present sys-
tenn? For II much traffic would be drawn
from the present system both would go
broke with nickel fares. Allow me to tell
that writer that II takes more than bonn
bastio talk to run q railroad successfully.
He Is mistaken when he says the Taylor
system can stand by itself. / will Just cite
one instance TO show how absurd that As
sertion Is Suppose a man is at Second and
Snyder avenue and wants to 20 TO Ger
mantown or Chestnut Hill. He must either
walk twelve squares or pay another fare
on Snyder avenue, and when he gets to
Olney avenue he Is still miles from the
center Of Germantown and more miles from
Chestnut Hill, thus requiring another sur
face carfare TO reach destination. Now does
IL not look reasonable that any man with
ordinary horse sense would promptly ex-
change on Snyder avenue with Chestnut
Hilr car, thus reaching destination not only
sooner, but for one-half the fare. especially
II the surface cars would only stop at al
ternate streets7 Hence II is clear that
virtually no one will patronize the Taylor
system except those in the Immediate neigh
borhood, and not even then unless their
destination IL also close by. The best proof
that this will not pay on its investment is
that have yet to hear of the first respon-
sible man or set Of men anywhere in the
United States willing to finance this stu
pendous job, hence there will be a load on
the taxpayers for a generation.
REAL ESTATE TAXPAYER.
Philadelphia. September 2e.
1.-The estimates OF cost and earnings of
the Taylor extension of the rapid transit
service In this letter do not agree with
those made by competent engineers. The
assumption that the new system would put
heavy load on the taxpayers for a gem
Grafton Is not justified by the results In
similar extensions OF transportation facill-
ties elsewhere. - Editor OF the EVENING
LEpoERl