Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-02-22
OPPONENTS OF TRANSIT
LEASE SHOW ACTIVITY
Assistant Director Atkinson Out
lines Objections That Will
Be offered
TWINING FRAMING REPORT
Department Head Tells Why Advertis-
ing for Bids on Subway Work
Is Delayed

Assistant Transit Director Atkinson said
today that under the terms of the proposed
transit lease. according to his view, the
Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company will
be able to keep its present surface system
in good condition renew or replace worm
ont equipment such as rolling stock and
rails. when necessary, and deduct the cost
of the same from the gross revenue Of the
united system as one of the charges which
must be met before the city can realize on
its investment in the high-speed system
This feature the assistant director went
on to explain, will he one of the objections
offered TO the present form of the proposed
lease in the analysis being made by Director
Twining for presentation to the Mayor next
week.
lust how the Director will propose that
this condition bc remedied Mr.. Atkinson
would not indicate, lie was emphatic, now
over, in expressing his own diSapproNal OF
an arrangement whereby the city can re-
c,iyc no income upon an investment OF
above $GO.OoO000 until the transit COM
pany has made deductions from the total
revenue Of the entire system to keep in re-
pair its own present system.
And what is more continued Mr. Ntkin-
son after this money for equipment and
renewal has been deducted from year to
wear. and after the city has in reality
guaranteed il as one of the fixed charges,
a. the end Of fifty years. when the lease
expires. the city would have to pay over
again for this renewed equipment should it
wish to acquire the property of the transit
company
TWINING FRAMING OBJECTIONS
Director Twining himself declined today
to enter into any general discussion OF the
proposed lease.
."The more minutes I discuss it now"
he said. "the longer its publication will be
DELAYED | came to my office today, which
is supposed to be a holiday, had my tele-
phone disconnected and made every effort
not to be disturbed in order that ! could
spend the entire day upon my report For
this reason | must insist that | do not have
tbe time now to discuss the lease further
but when my report is completed | snail
be willing and glad to explain every detail
at length" go
The Director then added that there will
he more than Nhalf dozen real, valid
objections" to the present form of the
lease contained in his analysis and that OF
the firm of Ford. Bacon Davis, New
York experts. retained by Mayor Smith.
II won't tell you exactly how many there
are" he continued. but ! am working
on the sixth today and there will be
several more In addition each of these
has numerous minor subdivisions.
ADVERTISEMENT WITHHELD
Since the Public Service Commission is
still Withholding the certificates of public
convenience asked for the various lines of
the high-speed system. the Director does
not intend to advertise for bids for add,
tioual work on March |, as he had planned
eft would be foolish" he said, ito adNer-
tise for and open bids and then to have to
tell the contractors that we cannot award
tive contracts until the commission mas
given its approval This is the condition we
we're faced with on, the subway delivery
loon contracts and although opened for
nearly two weeks, we have been unaple 10
make any award of contracts,
"Ry March | we will have plans ana
| snecfcatiOns ready for a section of the
| South Broad street subway from city Han
| to South street and for section or the
| North Broad street subway from city Han
| to Girard avenue. AS soon as the COM
! mission takes a forward step we will I'M
| medlately advertise for bids, as we desire
| to push forward the construction as rapidly
as possible
A. l.. Drum, consulting engineer, from
! Chicago. who is retained by President Nit
ten of the transit company and who as
| sisted in working out. the present form OF
| the lease was summoned from chicago ny
the transit company yesterday, but the pur-
| nose of his visit could not be learned
UNITED BUSINESS MEN
The law and transportation committees
Of the United Business Mems Association
~
| timcnt Of all organizations comprising the
| United Association against ratification by
! the city of the transit lease proposed ny
| the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company,
The committees will meet with the
| board of directors of the association next
| Tuesday to explain their reasons for OPP
| posing the lease and the decision OF the
board will be submitted the following day
TO the representatives of all the associa-
tions.
The public stand taken by the commit
tees followed a conference yesterday atter-
noon with Transit Director Twining, dur
ing which the Director explained in detail
the terms of the proposed lease which he
thinks contain "jokers,"
HANCOCK AGAINST LEASE
William Hancock, former president of the
| limited Association and now one OF the city s
three representatives on the p. r. 7. di-
rectorate declared during the conference
with the Director that the lease was not
square and added that he had told the di-
rectors of the Transit Company that fact
to their faces at the last meeting.
He assailed particularly that feature OF
the lease which will permit the company to
raise fares at the end of six months pro-
| vided the earnings of the system are insuf-
| fcient TO meet all fixed charges ana guar
antee a definite profit.
The audit OF the transit company's books
for which Councils recently appropriated
$40, ,00O has been begun by Lybrand. Ross
Brothers & Montgomery, certified public
accountants An effort will be made to
show just why the profts OF the company
have jumped so enormously since II was
first proposed to enter into an agreement
with the city.