New-York tribune., 1918-01-05
Estimate Board
Urges Uni6cation
Of Terminals Here
1t May Ask u. S. to Settle
West Side Dispute With
New York Central

The allTammGny Board of Estimate
held its first regular meeting yester-
day, with Mayor Hylan presiding. The
ncW board got away with a good start,
but some Of the members "broke" badly
on the way around the calendar. The
new Mayor proved to be good listen
er. He took little part in the general
discussion Of matters before the board,
permitting his associates to do most
Of the talking.
The old witticisms, the sharp rctorts
which marked tic meetings of the old
Roard Of Estimate, were still in evil
dence, to the amusement Of the audi
ence, which crowded the Council cham
Der. While the sarcasm Of Controller
Prencergast and the gatling replies Of
Mayor, Mitchell were missing, the re-
elected members. Borough Presidents
Bowling and Connolly, of Manhattan
and Queens, enlivened the proceedings
with many a merry jest, in which
President AL" Smith Of the Board Of
Aldermen understudied.
Mayor Hylan, Controller Craig and
Borough President Riegelmann of
Brooklyn Joined in the laughs, while
apparently cropping little for the real
explanation for so much superhuous
,repartee. When things became too
bolsterous the Mayor gently raped his
gavel-the Same one Mayor Mitchell
used--and called the board to or
der. Practically all the important
matters which came up for considera-
ton were Endorsed, and the new city
fathers went through tho calendar in
snort order, after some of the old men,
bers had taken pains to enlighten the
newcomers on rules of procedure.
Borough President Riegelmann
"broke" first, when the clerk recorded
the vote on the first item, a report from
the Department Of Finance. The clerk
reads the names Of the members rap
idly and unless there is opposition each
vote is recorded in the affirmative.
When the first item was announced as
"approved' Mr.. Riegelmann inter-
rupted:
Hold on a minute" he said. GLOW
ald ! vote on that matter? What did
Informed that his vote was recorded
as "ayeT the Brooklyn Borough Presi-
dent insisted that he had not voted
at all.
"1f you don't say mo- when YOUR
name IS called, you vote AYE" Bor
tough President Bowling explained
All of the old wranglers. whom the
old board grew to deal with curtlv,
were on hand and got their chance to
be heard ~
, stewart Brown, of the Allied Real
Estate Owners Association, whose time
was "llmlted' by the old board. was on
nand to welcome the new goyernin o
body He commended it's promntncss
IN opening on scheduled time. $50
a. M Borough President Dowlinp
frankly told Mr.. Brown that he hoped
ne ne "ouSd not occupy as much of the
clme OF the new board as he did of the
o.a: Mayor Hy!an promptly repri-
manded Mr.. Bowling.
lng' said the Mayor, smiling upon the
speaker. "There may have been soma
reason tor the outgoing administered
11on cutting things short, but it is not
our disposition TO do it.''
me most important matter which
came before the board was relat;vn
TO the report of the joint COMMITTEES
or the Board Of Estimate and the Pub
nc Service Commission in regard to
the West Side Improvement. Borough
president Connolly suggested that as
the government had taken over the
rallroads an appeal should be made
70 70 the Federal authorities to settle
inns much disputed problem. Con-
troller Craig approved Of Mr. Con-
no'ly's suggestion.
Now that the, railroads have been
taken over by the government" said
Mr.. Connolly, "it would seem to me
the time was ripe for the unifcation
OF the West Side railroad terminal
facilities in this city There is no
reason in the world why one railroad
should have the exclusive entry at the
gateway of the greatest city on earth.
NOW that we are at war and the gov
ernment is supreme, it can solve this
great problem without difficulty Let Let
other railroads than the New York
Central. which are in a position to
serve the government and the public.
have right to the West Side facili,
ties" ~
Borough President Connolly suc-
gested conferences between the Fed
eral authorities and members of the
Board of Estimate and the Public Sor-
vice Commission to work out this idea.
oohtro''er Craig declared that he an
proved OF such a course. but said that
o"e ~ .'e luOSt important features in
the clty's case at present would be an
opinion from the new Corporation
Counsel on the relative rights of the
CITY and the railroad on the West Side.
The matter was left in allegiance until
such an opinion had been obtained
from the Corporation Counsel
Mayor Hylan mildly criticised the
fublic Servlce Commission when a re-
port Of the Controller (the old one)
recommending the approval of an
agreement transmitted by the commits
SION modifying contract with one Of
the subway contractors, and also rec
ommending the issue of s348,044 cor
porate stock to cover payment OF in
terest during construction under one
OF the subway contracts.
"Why hurry about this ?" asked judge
Hylan. "Jf the Public Service Com
mission would hurry up and look after
the transit corporations, so that they
would give proper transit TO the peo
pie, it would be doing better work than
attempting to hurry matters like this"
Borough President Connolly asked
Tor $4,000 for future snow remova, in
The Bronx. He got $4,000. Borough
President Van Name of Richmond wos
awarded $4,000.
At the suggestion Of Borough presi-
dent Connolly committee of the
board of Estimate is to be appointed to
investigate the Bronx Parkway Com
which, he declared, had started
out to build the Queens Ro,Ia1,rJ ~