Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-03-26
Continued from Page One

continued from Vhc
portatlon companies Of every kind are
and have been laboring'
"Thc management Of the company ~
r,uch nlcased with the broad and llDerai
view taken of the situation by the Coil-
mission, and fully recognizes the oolg"-
tions which present conditions hhpooc
upou the company philadelphia NOR
than any other large city, Is being calIeu
upon by the Government to assist III
cyerv ,vay I'm the prosecution Of the war
Tho Delaware River will produce ap-
nroximateIy onc-third of all the shipping
SO urgently needed, and scarcely less
important are the activities of the navy
ward. t'rnnliford Arsenal. the Mdvalo
steel Company and the large plants or
the westinghouse Manufacturing Com
pqny and the Baldwin Locomotive
Works.
'.These Government demands are
bringing to the city a largely increased
population which must he cared for
The same conditions which call Tor
increased service have necessarily put
a stop to the completion of the clty's
system of high speed lines which was
designed TO meet the very material
growth I'm industrial enterprise which
Philadelphia, is now experiencing.
"Thc task thus presented to the cont
pany can be successfully met only If
II secures the cooperation of the pub
lie, which the commission points out
Is so much TO be desired, and the further
assistance Of the administration in Civ
ing the company a clear track which the
commission earnestly recommends to
the Mayor and Councils. In this ConoC-
tion II Is only fair to say that much
of the Improvement In service eNper-
fenced during the last month has been
due TO the increased cooperation Of the
City's traffic squad in preventing un-
necessary delays and dragging or cars
by other COnyeyanccs and SO enabling
the company to maintain its schedules.
If necessity is shown in the improve.
mcnts ordered by the Public Service
Commission, the United States Govern.
mcnt will not hinder their being car
red out Richard l.. Austin. Of tho
Federal Reserve Bank, made this clear
this morning. Mr.. Austin acted as
Secretary MCAdOo's emissary at con
ference of city officials yesterday al
which the officials were told that the
Government wanted all contract work OF
a public nature stopped, unless absolute.
ly necessary.
If these new lines ana improvements
will aid in getting labor to Shipyards
League Island and other Government
plants quicker. there will be no inter
ference and the Government will allow
materials to be appOrtioned for this
work" said Mr.. Austin. This was made
clear yesterday TO the city officials
Wherever anything is proven "A necessity
there will be no requests or interference
from the Government. The officials al
at Washington merely want to stOI
M
men may be released for war work.
Mr. Austin was aked If the people IL
offices in the central section of the CIt'
would be considered necessary to {
prosecution of the war, inasmuch a'
many war industries have their office.
in that section.
THAT would require Il study" he re
piled. THAT whole matter would have
to lie done into carefully 50 as to ascer
tain Just how much Government worl
was being hindcred by improper serVic,
along that line"
Sixty-third street Line Nearly Ready
Thirty-third street Line Nearly Read,
The SiXty-third street crOsstOwn lin,
will be in operation by the first wecl
of May if everything moves smoothly
it was announced at the Offices of tn,
company today.
me actual NDlh 10 it ubllH ibl1SlHt'
of strengthening out the curves AT Hav
crford and LansdOwne avenues, and lay
ing a few hundred feet of track TO con
meet the few gaps that exist. This car
be accomplished in a week otherwise {
complete double track runs from tn,
Overbrool terminus TO the SiNty-thirt
and Market streets station.
Most of the material required is nov
in the city, while the rest is on it,
way here.
The Allied Business Mems Associa
ton Of West Philadelphia has sent q
telegram 70 the Public Service Commits
sion CommendIng it for its aid to Wes
Philadelphia in directing the company
to- build and operate the Fifty-siXtl
street crosstOwn line.
The new line will furnish transit
service to about 10000 persons, thos,
who live in about 10000 homes neal
! the line. 1t is TO start at Fifty-fourti
/ street and Gibson avenue, at Bartram's
! Gardens, and run on Fifty-fourth stree
| to Baltimore avenue; on Baltimore ave
/ nue to Fifty-siXth street, and thence e
Lancaster avenue. IT will be the only
| north-and-south line between Fifty-sec
ond street and SiXtieth street.
The telegram, signed by John y. Nc
Garycy, chairman Of the Transportation
! committee of the association, follows: