New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-07-01
Expenditure Of $350,0O0,-
900 Supervised and PEG.
pie Have Benefited
Other Cities in Line
Lighting Rates Reduced and
Lives Saved by Devices
Installed

The Public Service Commission is
ten years old to-day. The law creating
il went into effect on July |, 1907. In
all save one state Of the Union there
arc to-day regulative commissions,
many Of them founded upon the same
lines as those OF the New York COM
mission, but differing from II in that
they have no local rapid transit powers
such as are possessed by the Public
Service Commission Of the First Dis
triot.
Under its rapid transit powers the
commission is constructing the great
dual system Of rapid transit, involving
the expenditure of between S350,oOO,-
600 and SlOO,OO0,OOO, about half of
which is being contributed BY the City
Of New York.
Under its regulatory powers gen
orally, and partly as the laws have
been changed 20 broaden its scope 1t
has exercised jurisdiction over stock
and bond issues Of corporations, has
accomplished reductions IN rates
charged for gas and electricity, has
eliminated many dangerous grade
crossings. has improved the lnStalla-
ton and equipment Of the various
companies under It's control and mas
effected saving Of human life by the
enforcement Of safety precautions ana
the installation of safety devices
Many Complaints Settled
I. has handled many thousands of
complaints from the patrons Of pubic
utilitios. and has settled great por-
ton of those really justified TO the
satisfaction of the compliments.
Tho construction Of the new rapid
transit system has been described as the
greatest single municipal transporta-
lion achievement in America. AT the
tine of the creation of the commits
sion the old subway. then IN opera
tion three Years. and the elevated lines
both i'm Manhattan and Brooklyn were
ranidly becoming congeSted TO an eN-
,reme MONT and early relief was seen
70 he necessary. The old Board OF
RAND Transit Commissioners, prede-
cessors of the Public Service Commls E,
sion, left Office with some new rapid
transit work i'm course OF constructlOh'
Notably the Centre Street loop. me
commission took over the uncompleted
work. finished it and began the con
struction Of the Fourth avenue sup
way. IN Brooklyn. and OF the broau-
Lexington Avenue suo"a!, ~ 81,
Manhattan and The Bronx, previous 10
the signing Of the dual contracts.
The Dual System contracts were
s;,red on March 10, 1918, and cover
fftv-tbree miles Of new rapid transit
raiiroad to be operated by the inter-
horongh. with total length of line OF
1I5 niles Under the contract with
Tho New York Municipal Railway Cor
narration Of Brooklyn, the operating
company for the Brooklyn Rapid iran
sit. there will be in all about thirty-sISS
miles of new railroad TO be operated
BY that company, with a total lehg'h
Of line Of ninety-nine miles.
New Lines To BE Ready Soon
It is expected there will be in opera,
tion about cighty-one road miles OF
new rapid transit lines out OF total
NJ 100 road miles of new lines IN the
system BY the end Of 1917. There VIII
have been expended approximately
1925, 100000 up TO that time:
Including the third-tracking OF tnee
elevated lines, the new rapid trahS''
system will add 345 track miles 70 tnG
existing rapid transit mileage, ana VIII
give New York more than 600 miles OF
such lines more than is possessed U!
any other city in the world.
The regulatory work of the commis-
sion has covered broad field. When
the commission came into office the
surface car lines, particularly OF Man
haitian and The Bronx, were on the
verge Of receiverships. The Interior
ough- METROPOLITAN investigation led tc
the lines OF that corporation being
placed in receivership, and later "a
their reorganization on new bases. Al
the time of the recelvershlp break
downs in service were frequent, accl'
dents were common, and service gen
orally was in a disorganized and cha
otto condition. To-day the number OF
streetcar accidents has been great,
reduced. due largely 20 safety equip
ment installed pursuant 10 orders by
the commission.
One important feature Of the com
missions work has been its oversigh
Of the Capitalization OF light, heat
power and trans ortation companies
The applications for approval OF pro
posed issues in 1917 amounted to $3.50,
! 358.157, Of which the commission per
mitted the issue OF S65l ,967477.
A material reduction in rates for ga
and electricity has been effected. A
the creation Of the commission tn
|, maximum rate Of the New York Edison
n Company was 10 cents kilowatt houi
u for electricity. By successive reduc
tons this rate has dropped to cents
which Will 20 into effect to-day. Thu
maximum rate OF the Edison COmpan!
% Brooklyn in 1907 was ~ cents
which has been reduced 70 5 cents.