New-York tribune., 1919-08-08

then, when the dollar goes back to
somewhere near its normal level, they
will have us high and dry with eight
cent fares that will give them millions
more of plunder.
II have studied their game just
enough to understand their moves as
they want sthem to work out over a
period of the next five years. The peo-
pie of New York elected me to protect
them from such plunderers, and I am
going to do so with every power at the
command of the Mayor Of New York.
There is not the slightest doubt in
my mind right now that these traction
gentlemen would like me to fall for a
policy of municipal ownership for the
surface railways. That is, they would
like to sell their rotten surface rail-
ways to the city at a high cost and
then go into the bus business. / am
told that some of the London traction
sharks played such game on the City
of London. But it won't work here.
Personally, l do not consider these
surface railways worth very much right
now. I do not want the city to get
such an antiquated transportation sys-
tenn on its hands. l do want the city to
run real, up to date transportation
mediately establishing bus lines all
over the city.
Praises Broadway Plan
~ recently ntticed that the Broad
way Association announced that it
would like to see the tracks of the
Broadway surface lines torn up and a
bus line substituted. The Broadway
Association is very intelligent in this
matter. They have the right to-the
minute idea for municipal transporta-
ton, and predict that it is a question
Of only short time before the Broad
way Association will see it's dream
fulfilled, and will do all can to help
bring that fulhllment about.
'In fact, wish that every local as
ISOLATION in this city would imme-
diately begin studying the question of
bus service and make suggestions to
me about the need of their districts.
81 have giv~ lot of thought to the
bus question see many present-day
objections to the surface car lines.
The small fires that may require one
hose line to cross a street will tie up
an entire line of surface cars for at
least half hour. A big fire will tie
up the line for many hours. Buses
could go around these fires and there
would be no interruption of traffic.
after a big ball game the crowd
has frightful time to get started
home, and the last car, the one near
est the ball ground, cannot start away
until the forward car is filled. A fleet
of busses could be stationed all around
the ball park to handle the crowd,
and each bus could start as soon as
it was filled.
This would apply to all big gath
erlngs, such as parades. The sur
face car lines are always paralyzed
Of
this city. That is because the fastest
car is governed in speed by the slow
est one on the same track. Buses
would eliminate all these delays at
once.
After theatre at night there could
be concentration of buses in the
theatre district starting out in all
directions. In the early morning most
of the buses could be uptown ready to
bring the crowds down to work. In the
late afternoon they could be concen-
trated downtown ready to give our tirel
people decent, pleasant ride up home,
with a seat guaranteed for everybody
This would end the strap hanging
days of New York. There could be
two types of buses. There could be a
single deck bus for sections where
the traffic is light and there could be
big double-deck bus, carrying sixty to
100 people, for the sections where traf-
fic is heavy.
Will End Surface Car
when we get biz fleet of munich
pal buses at work the surface car
lines will simply go out of business,
and after they stop operating we will
lift up their tracks and our people will
wonder why we countenanced them for
so many years after they had outlived
their day
One additional advantage the bus
VIII have over the surface car lines will
be express service, both going down
town in the morning and certain
buses to go long distances without
stopping. For instance, many of the
buses could be sent to the river front.
and without stopping between Fifty
ninth Street to the City Hall make
wonderful time. even with the present
day speed limits.
"Of course, expect big fight over
this-one of the biggest fights any
Mayor ever had-and | suppose some
of the public officials will be in SYM
pathy with the traction people. But
am going to make the fight for munich
pal buses because l think it is the
only upto-date idea in traction that
has been advanced.
"Let the traction robbers go right
along trying to gouge the public. l will
have the city's legal force fight them to
the limit and I know that the public is
with me all the way And while they
are trying to rob our people we will
simply create a new traction method
that will leave them with a worthless
system on which the people won't ride
at any price.
Expects Bitter Fight
Traction people will begin to. have
all kinds of objections to bus opera
tion. They will probably tell us we
will have tire trouble, and that we will
have to repave lots of the streets. |
expect them to be very insidious and
active against me. But when we call
the automobile people and the tire peo-
pie in to help us solve these problems
| am sure they will be mighty glad to
see the biggest city in the world mod
einize its traction methods, and they
will wipe out all such objections.
"Ihe plain fact is that the traction
people see the handwriting on the wall
and If We bought their surface rail.
ways to-day at q fabulous price they
would be around to morrow asking us
for bus line franchises, as they know
that is the coming method Of transpor-
tation in this city.
Beat Them at Own Game
II propose to beat them at their own
game, and that Is why | want every
nan and woman in New York to begin
thinking about how much nicer it
would be to have municipal bus lines,
with clean, fast service, and seat