Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-19
CROSS TOWN CAR LINE
ON FIFTY-SIXTH STREET
VIRTUALLY ASSURED
r. R. 7. Will Be Asked to Build
Road-1f Latter Refuses
Private Capital Will
Back Project
LOAN IGNORES SECTION
Councilmen, Business Men and Resi-
dents Organize to Sup
port Plan

The nuch-needed crosstown line on 56th
street. between Lancaster avenue on the
north and Paschal avenue on the south.
r. now virtually assured. Definite an
nouncement of Just what steps are to be
taken to obtain the line will be made on
Friday night. at meeting Of the Allied
Business Mems Association, OF West
Philadelphia, by John n. McGarvey. chair
man Of the associations Railway Com
n1ittee
West Philadelphia Councilmen. busi
ness men and residents of the section
which will be benefited by the line last
night organized the South Fifty-slNth and
Spruce Streets Business Association. i'm
order to lend their support to the project
az a body. The cooperation of all other
business organizations along the route
OF the proposed line has also been pledged.
Two alternate ways by which the line
may be built were explained today by Mr..
McGaryey. The irsr would be TO have
the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company
build the line upon the petition of Coun-
ellis and to operate II in conjunction with
its present system; the second would be
10 build the road with private capital and
lease Il to the transit company for an
amount Just sufficient TO pay the interest
on the bonds. depreciation and all fixed
charges
The business men and Councilmen from
West Philadelphia intend to try the first
method FIRST. and n that fails sufficient
money has already been pledged TO as
sure the construction OF the road. An
ordinance calling upon the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit Company to build the line
was introduced in Councils several weeks
ago by Select Councilman DR. William u.
Bacon, OF the 44th Ward. and was re-
ferred to the Committee on street Rail.
ways.
ASK PUBLIC HEARING. =
A public hearing on this ordinance has
been asked and Il Is expected that 1t viii
be granted within two or three weeks.
Aside from pointing out the need of the
limo. the West Philadelphia business men
will ask the passage of the ordinance IN
the ground that their section of the city
has been virtually ignored In the big
municipal loan bill. Favorable action IN
the ordinance by Councils will give the
Transit Company 80 days in which to de-
eide what course 1t will take. -
CONSTRUCTION ASSURED.
II the Transit Company fails to am
nounce its intention to build the road nj
the end of the 90-day period! private iir
ferests Mr. McGarvey explained today.NI
are ready to step in and organize the 5Sth
Street Crosstown Railway Company. The
line as planned will be little Inors'tha
three miles in length and it Is estimated
that It win cost about 100000.
According to statistics complied by the
Railway Committee OF, the Allied Business
Mems Association there are T., 900 houses
in the territory which the line Will serve,
Estimating that, the assessments on these
will increase by $500 on the average, the
city will derive revenue from an addi-
tional Se000.0O0 4ht real estate as a re-
suit OF the construetion OF the road.
II Tho movement TO have the line built
was begun. nearly seven years ago. After
Ave yeafs of Indifferent SUCCESS the men
back OF the project organized the Allied
Business Mems Association OF West Phil
sdelphia with the specific aim Of working
for the road. Negotiations with the tram |
sit company were begun and a verbal |
promise that the line would be built was |
secured from Z. t. Stotesbury. No steps |
were taken by the company, however, and
the present plans to secure the line were
then evolved. -.
CoUNCILMEN CRITICIZED
At the meeting OF the South Fifty-sixth
last night, Mr.. McGarvey criticised the
West Philadelphia Councllmen for their
failure TO have provision made for the
construction OF the line In the $50, 900 900
transit and port loan bill. He pointed out
that provision had been made for a line
through sparcely populated section to
Byberry, while thiclSly populated sec
tion had been neglected. The Councilmen
excused themselves on the ground that
West Philadelphia has only one repre-
sentative on the Finance Committee of
Councils.