Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-21
DARBY T. HEARING
SET FOR TUESDAY,
Public Service Commission
Announces 1t Will Sit at
Harrisburg
NO REPLY BY TWINlNc
Director Refuses to Answer Tav.
lor's Declaration That Lease
Terms Are Good

Tho rualc Service Commisaon announesa
ut Harrisburg today that, next ruegdav
public hearing would he held thcrc .,n..
the cltys application for certificate .,
public convenience for the coustruct,o, .,
tho elevated line to Darby. Tho comm,,.
sion announced that only the Darby ~
would be considered ard Indicated TINT IN.
entire board might SIT
The application FOR the Darby line wa.
filed several weeks after the blanket aunt
cation covering all the other imoa, Thi,
may be reason for tho commissons dn,,ro
TO take up this limo Tor further consjder.'
ton. Since this spur of the hlgh.sna.a
system, however, was considered last weol
mt the hearing in this city with all tho
other lines, there Is considerable specula.
ton as To the purpose of the hearing
Transit Director Twining refused TODAY
to answer or to comment upon the ata,c.
mcnt issued by cX-Transit Director A. Mer.
ritt Taylor, In Florida, urging the citizens
TO stand by the proposed lease to the phila
delphia Rapid Transit Company and ask
that it be Tatined without delay.
40 ANSWER TO TAYLOR
"l refuse now, as did year ago" sad
tho Director, "tp enter into any personal
controversy with Mr.. Taylor I am inter.
ested now solely in tho analysis OF tba
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company's pro-
posed lease, and until have made my re-
port to the Mayor complete / will not dis.
cuss the matter publicly
After my report goes to Mayor Smith
and to Councils then It will be time 10 take
steps to work out of the present proposaI
some form of a lease which will be fair and
just TO all partieS".
What I am doing in my report is To
point out what terms tho city cannot accent
in the r. II. r. proposal | propose also
TO offer notifications and amendments
which will, | hope, straighten out the situ-
alton.
u do not have n countcrdrart of a.
lease TO offer. In fact, do not think that
any one person should draw up lease
TwINING'S EXPLANATION
The Director said there was another phase
of the Company's proposal to which he was
likely to object lie said that. as he saw IT,
The city under the present terms should
IT take over the company's property at the
expiration Of the hfty-ycar lease would have
TO pay twice for the equipment which has
been installed
Mr.. Twining said the lease provides that
to cover the cost of equipment and TO
lquidatc this cost at the end of the term
of tho lease sinking fund shall he estab-
lished. Tho payments TO the sinking fund
shall the lease provided, according to the
lNlIliB dNNlNSlS, constitute one OF the
fixed charges the payment of which the
city must guarantee. Therefore. the Direc-
tor holds. the city would have to guar
antcc the payments TO liquidato the first
cost of equipment aud at the termination
Of tho lease would have TO pay again for
this same equipment should II decide to take
over the comnany's property.
The first cost for equipment, il has been
estimated, will range anywhere from $lt,-
100000 to Sl9.O00.0OO In addition to this
however, now equipment will have TO be
Installed from time to time. with result
according TO the Director that at the time
of the expiration of the lease the equipment
item which tho city must pay double on
may amount to $5O.OO0,OO0.
It is expected that former Director Taylor
will make detailed answer to Director
| Twining's various criticisms as soon as these
| have been made public in the Directors re-
| port to the Mayor aud Councils. This report
! from Florida the last of this month, the
| Transit Department head has announced.
Frank r. Ford, of Ford, Bacon & Davis,
| New York experts employed by the Mayor
to analyZc the lease. had a conference with
| Director Twining today, in order To discuss
| the final details Of the experts report
| At o'clock this afternoon the Director
| will go over the provisions Of the lease to
! which he objects with tho law and trans
| portation committees of the United Busi-
| ness Mems Association. These committees
| have delayed their report TO the United
| Association upon the lease until they can
| hear the Directors views