New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-16
Place Ends Hope of Reach.
ing Agreement with
City on Changes
Terms Burdensome
To Road, He Says
P. S. Commissioners Think
Laws Are Needed to Make
Acceptable Contract

Hope of any compromise agreement
| between the city and the New York
I Central Railroad Company on the pro-
posed West Side Improvement plan APP
peared to fade rapidly yesterday, when
Ira A. Place, vice president Of the rail
road. issued a statement which in sub
stance, declared that the company
would stand pat" and not counte-
nance any or the changes suggested at
the recent conferences Of members OF
I the Public Service Commission and the
port and terminal committee Of the
| Board Of Estimate.
Mr.. Place incorporated his statement
in a letter to Public Service Commits
soners Travis H. Whitney and Charles
s. Hervey, who. with Commissioner
Hodge. constituted the committee that
conferred with Mayor Mitchell Con-
troller Prendergast and the other mem
bers of the port and terminal COM
mitee.
Conferences Secret
These conferences were secret. Mr..
Place asserted that he had been invited
by the Controller to take part in a
Joint conference TO have been held last
Wednesday, but that he was later adj
vised that the gathering had been
called off because it was feared that it
might be regarded as private OF Sc
cret conference and give rise 20 criti-
csm. Mr.. Place directed his criticism
at the Public Service Commissioners
rather than the city officials.
81 had never understood" he wrote,
that conferences between public Of
/ ficials az their Offices and persons hav-
3 ING business with them we're regarded
/ az Objectionable from any standpoint,
public or private. If your feeling was
( that meeting in such conference and
/ discussing the matters across the table
might subject you TO criticism in GER
/ tain quarters, it would have been easy
for you to protect yourselves by hav-
ing everything taken down steno-
graphically, il you so desired, or, so
far as am concerned, by having pres
emit any gentlemen Of the press who
might be sufficiently interested to lis
ten TO the discuss on"
That any specific changes in the
plans had been suggested at the con-
ferences had not been made known
prior TO MIR. Places letter. lie de-
clered that az an alternative 20 the
Joint conference suggested for Wednes-
day. he had received p memorandum
drawn BY the Public Service Commits
sioners, suggesting changes in the pro-
posed agreement and sent 10 Controller
/ Prendergast Tuesday.
Cites a Resolution
Mr.. Place cited a resolution adopted
, al the conferences, requesting the rail-
road company 10 indicate it's accept
ance. modification or rejection OF the
various suggestions made in the memo
4 randum.
Commissioners Whitney and Hervey
gave out the memorandum at the Har-
ward Club last night. The commission
erS were inclined 70 DeileNe lhhI the
attitude of the railroad company, a.
expressed in MIR. Places letter, would
/ preclude any settlement OF the west
Side problem until legislation had been
passed giving the city ample power to
FORCE the railroad to terms.
II have carefully read this memoran-
dunn, which contains twelve PROPOSE
tions," said Mr.. Place, ''the last Of
which has ten subdivisions. BY your
letter am required to answer to-mor-
row Friday. To attempt TO make cate
corical answers 10 these various sug-
gestions would serve no good purpose.
Such answers, in fact, could not De