The sun., 1918-08-21
COBB DEMANDS CUT
IN NIGHT CARS HERE
BostOnian Wants All Unre-
munerative Transportation
Abandoned P. d. Q.

John Gambler Cobb of Boston. who
believes that New York city folk stay up
too late at night. fred gas shell at the
belated OF Gotham yesterday when he
sent to the officials of the New York
Railways Company a peremptory de-
mand that they cut Off all night ser
vice that did not pay.
The demand was made In the name
Of the bondholders of the legatee OF the
burdens Of the late lamented Metropoli-
tan lines. President Theodore p. Shonts
cast aside his literary labors as editor
of the Subway Sun long enough to ex-
plain that the demand really called for
4 city curfew and the stopping OF night
cars. .
Would Let Night Hawks Walk.
Mr.. Cobb passed some time in New
York trying to evolve some scheme BY
which street railway trahic could be
| made all fat with no lean. He has re-
| turned to his bondholders with the idea
that il the straps cannot be decorated
during all Of the traffio hours the hour:
will have to be cut SO as to keep the
straps busy.
His demand Is the first concrete actor
that has followed the Cobb estimate Of
| New York's traction situation. In hi.
| letter he says:
| ",ro the president ana directors Of tn,
NeU York RniIpdys Company.
GENTLEMEN On behalf Of the bond
holders Of the New York Railways Com
pany I demand that the company discon
| tinue the running of such cars as art
| oper ated at loss and cut down non
remunerative service to the point a.
which the aggregate service rendered b.
! the company at last provides for tn,
operating expenses. including the inter
| est on the bonds.
| IL admit the right OF the public All
| thorities to call Cor tia running of GER
tain cars which co not individually pa.
operating expenses. provided the ser
vice in the aggregate is self-supportins
but under existing conditions the aggre
gate service Is not self supporting. ant
the continuation Of such non-remunera
| tive service constitutes a clear vast
and strip of the property and a d!ssi
patton OF the companys assets. Any or
der Of a public authority which result
| in such dissipation of assets Is clearl,
| conhscatory and under the constitution
is absolutely illegal. No public author
ity can call for service which 10 in TIL
aggregate connscatory.
"In investigating the company's az
fairs I also ind that the company Is un
able to procure men to run the norma
number Of cars and is giving service be
low normal. And yet I find that Ger
tain night service is being given whicl
accommodates an absurdly small numbe
of passengers. while the service durinj
rush hours Is often entirely inadequate
For instance. cars are run during tn
| night over ten mile route taking oni,
a dozen or fifteen fares which II run owe
the same route during rush hours woul,
| accommodate two to three hundred pas
! sengers on each trip.
Would Favor Greatest Number.
in operating the company under tn
present stresstul conditions il is OF tn
highest Importance that the service rem
dered should be adjusted for the creates
good OF the greatest number. and II
absurd to run car for the accommoda
ton Of fifteen passengers which could b
used TO give service to over two hundred
IT therefore call on YOU to use tn
employees you are able to secure to ru
the cars that will serve the creates
number OF people and cut out the ca
trips which serve tho fewest passengers
In making the letter public Theodor
p. Shonts. president OF the New Yor
Railways Company, said:
II give this letter to the press in orde
that the public may appreciate the yer
difficult position in which the New Yor
Railways Company finds itself places be
tween the bondholders on the one han
and the delays of the public authorize
in rendering decisions on the other.
THE argument of Mr.. Cobb. who REP
resents the bondholders. that the servic
It is possible for us TO give should be ad
justed to the greatest good Of the grea,
est number seems unanswerable an
yet as a strict application OF this rul
would practically amount to a discor
tinuance Of night service I am endeavoY
ing to induce Mr.. Cobb to delay drasti
action until the public authorities reac
some conclusion In the matters befor
them"