Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-08-22

mere was no hurry. They could form their
OPINIONS later on, they said.
MeHoers OF both Select and Common
Counclls said that they had until the first
punec nearing. September Z, i'm which to
make up their minds. They also said that
tne lease was so involved that while they
could easily understand the so-called "Tay-
lor lease submitted to the city last De-
cemoer they could not understand the
Smith-Mtten lease.
VIEWS OF CoUNCILMEN
Following are the expressions Of several
Councilmen:
Ira D. Garman, Select Councilman. Forty
sixth Ward: II have gone over the lease
pretty thoroughly. but have not been able to
digest II or to understand what it means
II Is quite feat to figure 1t out and after
that Is done | will have TO find out whether
the people want to accept it or not. intend
10 vote the way the people want and will be
Tor fair and just transit agreement But
nave not been able as yet to make up my
MIND whether the new lease Is fair agree
ment or not"
man, Twenty-second Ward: "I was def.
lnltely opposed to the so-caled Taylor
lease and unless this new lease is a big i'm
proNement over the other one, l will be
strongly opposed to 1t. But I am having a
difficult time trying to find out what the
1 e.
tully once and l can't even understand any
OF It, / expect to go over II once or twice
more before express my opinion"
William F. Nickel. Jr.. Select Council.
man. Eleventh Ward: II have not been able
to go over the lease very carefully, at lea st
not carefully enough to express any opin.
ion on any features of it. There is lots
of time yet before 1t will come up for action
in Councils"
Harry H. Anderson, Common Councilman
Twenty first Ward: IT haven't given the
new lease a thought have not read /,
and do not know when I will | am toe
busy attending to my business to read the
lease"
Francis F. Burch Common Councilman n
Forty-sixth Ward: Il am not hurryine
through the lease and have not had time
to form an opinion. 1t will not come ur
until September Z. when the first hearing
is held. have read 1t over. but have moi
gone through 1t very carefully. 1t appears
to be so involved as to require the mos
careful study before any opinion of It coult
be formed 1t is the kind of a lease that
! would not act hastily on"
GERMANTOWN CRITICIzEs
William H. Emhardt, president Of tn
| Germantown and Chestnut III, Improve
! ment Association; Addison II, Savery
| chairman and Walter S. Dolman. a MON
| Germantown and Chestnut Hill Improve
ment Association made the following Join
| statement:
When the people voted the money for
| the city's hgh-speed lines they did so
with the understanding that they were
70 be built under the direction of the
Department of City Transit, on routes
| loan bill.
=, The, people also then clearly understood
o1 r1t % ttSx
OF the citys high-speed system in con-
| junction with the p. r. T. system the
| earnings OH the combined system, after
paying reasonable return on the cash
actually invested in P. X. T, would. with
the, eight-cent exchange tickets eliminated
| and with five-cent fares with free trans
| terest and sinking fund payments on the
city bonds issued for transit develop
ment and that the annual deficits would
current revenue. including the one mill
tax on personal property surrendered by
the State to the city as subsidy in aid
| treasury which will inevitably result from
the vast increase in taxable values in the
districts served by the cty's high-speed
! lines.
These are, the rights which we have
voted for; they are ours. We snail not
surrender them or surrender to any board
| the power to curtail or amend them.
The terms of the lease which Mayor
Smith and Mr.. Mitten have negotiated
| and proposed as an arrangement to be
| made between the city and the P. r. T.
| Company are grossly unfair to the cti-
zens and to the city and for this reason
would in the end prove burcensome rather
| than advantageous to the p. r. T. Com
| pany
ANY such arrangement as is proposed
| to surrender control of Philadelphia's
| transit development to a board of three
| members-woud throw the P. r. T. Com
| nanv into a political whirlpool for the
term of the contract.
AROUSED BY TAYLOR
Ex-Director A. Merritt Taylor has torn
| from the Smith ordinance the mask of OBJ
| scure terms and cross-references which
| concealed its true meaning from, and its
effect upon, the citizens and car-riders.
| The members of our association are
| thorouehly aroused by Mr.. Taylors able
| and clear analysis of the Smith lease and
| by his expose of the unjust. IL not in