New-York tribune., 1918-08-22
marlborough Ten Trains
Short on Schedule
for Rush Hours
Fewer Tickets Sold
Government Employment Ser
vice Not Asked for Train
men, Although Needed

Conditions on the Interborough sub
way showed Improvement yesterday.
total of seventy-two trains an hour
we're counted by Tribune reporters on
the two lines from 5:15 and $3.50
o'clock-ten trains behind the number
promised by officials. There was less
congestion.
AS a result of agitation for better
service carried on by The Tribune ever
since the "H" system was opened, and
in answer to the peremptory demand
of tho Public Service Commission, the
East Side service was advanced to
thirtytwo trains an hour.
Following are the outstanding devel-
opmeuts in yesterdays subway log
hook:
Although the Interborough has COM
planned of being short more than / 900
men in all departments of the service,
and although its officials claim that the
service. has been much handicapped
because of labor shortage, it was found
ihat the lnterborough has made virtu-
ally no use of the United States En-
ployment Service for securing men.
Fewer Passengers Now
The Public Service Commission made
public ticket sale figures, showing that
fewer persons have patronized the sys-
tenn since the "H" system was opened
than before. The East Side lines have
witnessed a congestion during the last
few weeks which never has been
equalled in the history of New York
transportation. At the same time tick
ct sales were lighter.
lnterborough officials admitted that
shortage of men compelled them to re-
duce the size of trains, and that eight
instead of ten car trains were being
operated on the Broadway and on some
of the East Side lines.
At the Office of the United States En-
ployment Service Headquarters, % East
Iwenty-second Street, it was said that
the Interborough had applied for me-
chanics and rough labor men. A Fed
eral official estimated that the bureau
had supplied the Interborough with per-
maps 200 mechanics and common la
horers during the last two months.
No Trainmen Recruited
4 representative of the Interborough
said the company had secured a few
mechanics and laboEers from the Fed
eral Labor Bureau. He was unable to
give any explanation as to why the COM
pany did not seek to recruit train and
platform guards through the govern
ment's employment agency.
The B. r. T., also lacking about
900 men. has not called for help
from the government labor bureau.
Ticket sale figures for the last four
Mondays show sharp decrease in sub
way travel, but there has been sharp
increase in congestion.
Here arc the subway ticket sales for
Mondays beginning July 90 before the
West Side line had been fully opened:
july " ................. 1,096,754
August ................ 9SS,S2S
august . .''.'....'. l,ois,os4
August 19 ................. 1,060,41
Shuttle Frightened Many
The panic occasoned by the opera
ton of the shuttle service between the
Grand Central station and Times
Square, suspended by the Public Ser
vice Commission on August 2, fright
cned thousands Of persons away from
the subway.
The Public Service Commission
states:
"While the gross total Con August
l9), as stated above, was only few
thousands below the last gross total
under old operation, analysis of the fig
ures shows big shift in traffic. The
stations Oh the old line are used, gen.
orally speaking, much less than for
merly, although in a few instances the
totals are higher. while the stations on
the Seventh Avenue and Lexington lines
have gained enormously"
The commission gives the following
figures for ticket sales on the Lexing-
ton Avenue and Seventh Avenue lines
respectively:
JnlO, % ooos1 % ooc