New-York tribune., 1918-03-13
City Would Begin With
One Money-Maker, He
Tells Senators
Speaks at Albany
Officials of Upstate Cities Ap-
pear for Public Owner
ship Bill!
[Staf Correspondence


ALBANY, March 12.-Mayor Hylan's
method of placing the ownership ana
operation of public utilities in the City
of New York in the hands of the city,
as explained to-day to the Senate Com
mittee on Affairs of Cities, iis to take
over one utility that is on money
making basis and with the profits ac-
cruing therefrom acquire second
one. and so Oh until the city gets all
that are profitable, leaving those that
are not profitable out Of consideration.
"The only reason the City Of New
York does not own and operate Its own
public utilities" said Mayor Hylan, rs
that n handful of men CT excessive
wealth do not want it to. They desire
10 continue to draw tens of millions OF
dollars annually out of the city and
the people through the public utilities
while they furnish the city and people
with poor gas, gouge the people on
electric and telephone rates and Jam
them into cars and trains at the risk
OF life and limb and at the expense OF
every shade of decency and respecta-
bility.
"The city does not intend to secure
all the utilities at one time.s nor does
it intend to acquire utilities that are
not self-sustaining. The New York
Edison Company is controlled by the
Consolidated Gas Company, which, in
turn. is controlled through stock own
ership by Mr.. Rockefeller and few
others. The New York Edison Com
pany has | am told. an accumulated
surplus of s4O,O0O00G. In 1916 the
company paid per cent dividends on
5000 900 of stocks and S3.000,000 in
terest on bonds.
Lower Death Rate
"If the City of New York owned the
electric plants it could sell current for
three cents a kilowatt hour for cooking
purposes, which would be cheaper than
the present rate for gas. If the gas
companies lived up to their contracts
and used proper ingredients in the
composition Of gas. there would be
fewer deaths from accidental asphyxl-
alton in New York.
"Since 1907 the Brooklyn Rapid
Transit has taken off it's system 1872
cars and have put on only 101 new
ones, being thirtv-two less than when
the Public Service Commission OBJ
tanned authority over the company, and
this Notwithstanding that the popula
tion has increased by hundreds OF
thousands"
Mayor Samuel A. Carlson of James
town gave figures on municipal owner
ship and operation of water and light
ing plants in his city to show success
full operation.
Real Estate Owners Association, in op-
position to the bill said that the av-
erage man was too busy to study it
and that those in favor of it were those
who were eager to obtain easy money
at the expense of the taxpayers.
Edward p. Doyle On behalf of the
Real Estate Board said that the city
now had no debt-incurring capacity.
George A. Wheelock, representing the
Harlem Real Estate Board of Trade,
said that government and business
should be as far apart as Church and
State.
F. de Berard, Of the Merchants AS
sociaton, said the city was inherently
incapable of undertaking any complex
industrial operation.
Charles E. Summer and Charles W.
Edit, also opposed the measure.
w. P. Capes secretary of the Mayors
conference, said he represented twcn-
ty odd upstate cities which favored the
bill.
Others who spoke in favor of the
measure were Mayor Cornelius F.
Burns of Troy; City Commissioner
John F. Malone, of Buffalo; Corpora
tion Counsel Gould, of Lockport; As
sistant Corporation Counsel Robert
son. of Syracuse; Alderman Bates, of
Schenectady; II. f. Heller, Salamanca; !;
Mayor Roslyn NJ. Cox of Middletown;
Mayor John Fitzgibbons, of Oswego;
Edward E. McGinnity of Mechanics
Vile; Corporation Counsel Craig, of
Canandagua; Mayor Smith of Johns
town; Borough President Riegelman
of Brooklyn; William A. De Ford at
torney for William R. Hearst, and
Professor Benjamin b. Kendrick, of
Columbia, who said he was for the bill
because il tended to provide social