The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-06
NIXON TO SEEK AID
OF ESTIMATE BOARD
Cooperation to Be Keynote Of
Policy, Says New Service
Head.
WILL WORK, NOT TALK
Will Pick Deputies Later, and
Thinks $4,000 Not Too
Much for Best.
WILL WORK, NOT TALK

Having received the best wishes OF
Travis II. Whitney, f. ]. II. Kracke and
Charles 8. Hervey, the retiring members
OF the old five headed Public Service
Commission and having been introduced
to the members of the staff by James b.
Walker. secretary of that body, Lewis
Nixon, the new and. under the recent
law. the single Public Service Commits
sioner, buckled down to his duties YES
terday. For a time, until Gov. Smith
can And man to take the new office Of
RapM Transit Commissioner, Commits
sioner Nixon will have to carry also the
burden OF supervision of the work on
the now rapid transit lines.
Under the new law Commissioner
Nixon takes over the regulatory stan of
the old commission as he finds 1t and
the employees OF that body whose duties
were connected with construction and
were paid out of that money will be
taken over by the Construction Commits
sioner when appointed. The Commits
sioners VIII have the privilege of build
ing up or decreasing these stats. as thew
mated in the bill in addition to the Com
missioners are three deputies for the
Public Service Commissioner and one
for the Construction Commissioner,
each at $1,000 a year.
VIII Seek Cooperation.
Commissioner Nixon said he had not
Picked his deputies. 1T am going to
take four or five days to study this lob, {"
he said. ''and find out just what work
there Is TO be done. Then / shall try to
subdivide 1t and distribute 1t. I shall
endeavor to get deputies for the various
branches Of the work needing superyi-
sion who will be fitted by training and
experience for them. For the right men
$4,000 year would not be too much 4"
The Commissioners private secretary
will be Edwin s. Gleason, who has been
with him for a number of years.
Two things Commissioner Nixon made
clear.
First, he believes that no progress can
be made without cooperation. He is
going to try to work in harmony with
the Board OF Estimate instead Of an
tagonizing IT. He is going to strive to
bring conflicting interests together in
every problem that comes before him.
Il think that on all things there is a
e'o'fNc W toHie tpkttneT. ne SAID. III
may be that each side will have to yield
little, but in big city of this kind
with SO many big problems to be set
tied. the great thing to do Is to CO.
operate In a Just settlement Of every
question"
Second. Commissioner Nixon does not
believe that he was appointed to be a
leader Of public thought, but as an ad-
ministrativ officer to carry out the pur-
poses Of the Public Service Act.
~ can have no official views on mu-
ncipal ownership or seven cent fares"
he said. Whatever I may think pri-
vately about such matters has nothing
TO do with my Job under the law as It
stands. So / do not intend to discuss
them"
AS his first official act Commissioner
Nixon sent letter to the Board of Es-
innate asking that body to approve as
soon as possible a contract recently
awarded for the construction of the ele-
waited part of the Pelham Bay Park ex-
tension Of the Lexington avenue sub
way. He also asked an appropriation Of
s506.700 to meet the cost of the work.
All public hearings have keen ad-
tourned for a week TO give the COM
missioner time TO become familiar with
the matters under consideration.
In a statement issued upon his retire
nl"nt former Commissioner Whitney
spoke of the work that had been ac-
complished by the five-headed Public
Service Commission since its organi-
zaton twelve years ago.
Fare Pendulum May Swing Back.
The relationship between the utility