Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-06
INNING GETS
NEW LEASE BACK
<ntative Transit Draft Re-
tl1rned by Mayor for Minor
Revisions and Additions
B1G PHASES UNAFFECTED
Changes Not Due to Any Dis
agreement With P. R. T., 1t
Is Made Plain


Mayor Smith today IL will probably take
the director until the first OF next week to
make the changes necessary and accord
ingly the lease cannot be sent to city So
Iicitor Connolly to be put in the form of an
otdlnance until some time next week.
.q The return of the rough draft was made
~ the request of the transit director, VINO
called at the Office of the Mayor this morn
fnf almost as soon as the latter had ar
rived from Atlantic City. Mr.. Twlning
told the Mayor that in looking over his own
copy of the lease draft he had discovered
several omissions and minor errors which
would have to be corrected.
s.. The return of the draft, II was made
clear does not indicate any difference be.
tween the city and the Philadelphia RAPID
Transit Company The revised draft WILL
IN all probability, be submitted to a. H.
Drum. consulting eigneer for the company
and to william Draper Lewis, the admin
fstration's legal adviser on transit matters.
before II is returned to the Mayor next
week
The conference between the city authori-
tics and the three contractors who SUD
mitted the low bids for the SIX SUBWAY
contracts on the Broad street subway ana
the subway delivery loop, scheduled for
today, was postponed until tomorrow, ana
: II is now likely that representatives Of each
drm will be seen alone. instead or meetlng
al together.
yesterday IL was dTrdnetu lpi tHt Nio'N'
and City Solicitor Connolly to come up
from Atlantic City today, in order to confer
with the contractors. Following the confer
ence the Mayor was to sign the SIX con-
tracts awarded informally by Director
Twining two weeks ago This action like
wise will be postponed until after the con-
ference.
The conferences with the contractors were
arranged to discuss the difficulties which
the latter are facing as a result of the in
creased cost Of labor and materials since
the bids for the work were submitted some
six months ago.
The six contracts total close to s15,000,000
and, according to President Louchhelm, or
the Keystone State Construction Company
which holds four of the six, IL bids were
being asked at this time the cost to the city
would be probably above s20,000,O0O
ASKED FOR CONCESSIONS
As a result of the changed conditions
since the bids for the work were submit
ted. the Keystone company, which is Sem
ator McNichol's concern, requested the city
authorities for Concessions" Mayor Smith
announced a week ago that he favored
granting these concessions. but the City
Solicitor was asked to give an opinion upon
their legality.
= Neither of the other two firms has
given the city any notice of their inten-
tions regarding their contracts.
M The work on the subway delivery loop Is
divided as follows Keystone State Con-
Otruction Company two Contracts totalng
S3,289,475, and Smith, Hauser Maclsaac,
Inc, New York, one contract, S2,494,142
The Broad street subway work between
South and Stiles streets, excepting the Sec
tion under City Hall already under con-
tract. is divided as follows: The Keystone
State Construction Company, two contracts.
t6.151,640: the Philadelphia Subway Con-
struction Company (Senator Wares con-
cern). one contract s2,ss5,941.
WONT CONSIDER 56TH STREET LINE
The Mayor fatty refused today to give
any consideration to the claims of the six
West Philadelphia wards who are demand
fng through the Allied Business Mems AS
Eociation that there be written into the lease
a provision for the immediate construction
and operation of the muchmooted Fifty
sixth street cross-town line Between Lam
caster and Elmwood avenues.
The demands Of the business men were
made known by John N. McGarvey, chair
man of the transportation committee of the
Allied Association, on Saturday when he
made an unsuccessful attempt TO meet the
Mayor in Atlantic City II their demands
y are not granted Mr.McGarvey said the con-
structon of this line would be made a po-
htical issue in the election of score Of
councilmen from the six West Philadelphis
wards
Further he declared that unless the
Mayor will give a specific promise that this
line will be built in the immediate future
y and write such provision into the new
lease an attempt would be made on the
floor Of Councils to amend the lease to
include such a provision.
WILL MAKE NO CHARGES
"All l have to say TO Mr.. McGarveys
proposition" observed the Mayor today,
''is that will write nothing into the lease
or nothing out of it, The lease Is written
and 1t will go to Councils containing just
4 the provisions 1t now contains without any
changes You may make this as emphatic
as you wish.
IF an attempt to amend 1t is made on
the floor of Councils that is not concern
of mine. The councilmen are responsible
TO their constituents and not to me. Mr.,
( McGarvey, 1t seems, is prompted by some
snimus in this matter and will not give
It serious consideration.
"It does seem strange though, that he
was unable to find me in my office. II he
was there, as he says, ! never knew 1t.
Z Other people who came to see me saw me,
and II Mr.. McGarvey comes In today he
can see me-"
When told that the Mayor was not dis
posed to give any consideration to the de-
y mands of the West Philadelphia business
men Mr.. McGarvey declared that II the
Z Mayor would rather fight than make an
: effort to settle the matter amicably the
voters Of West Philadelphia were in II with
both feet and ready for fight"
TIME TO ASSERT RIGHTS
I'VE were appealing to the Mayor" he
eontinued. because he is the city's chief
executive and supposed to care for the in
torests OF the citizens. We have supported
Z him and his administration out here we
B voted for the $114.oOo,o00 loan bills al
though we did not get improvements worth
n widows mite in comparison with the
Y other sections Of the city, and now we think
4 Il is time that we may Justly assert our
4 rights.
I'VE feel that the letter written by Mr.
& Gtotesbury in 1914 promising us this line as
4 eoon as the company had a surplus reserve
\ ~ . moral obligation upon him and upon the
z Fhiiadelphia Rapid Transit Company tc
'HutId this lipe Immediately In view Of the
<<6pzplus OF nearly $s.ooo,ooo now reported
~ the company.
S.; AZ business men we cannot see how
~ Stotesbury can regardd his lettei
&UWise than as a moral obligation u
1M this line now. What we asking
Mayor In simply TO use his infuenc'
his position as chief executive to i'm
" this upon Mr.. Stotesbury and TO hell
wtn what we have been unjustly deniet