The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-30
Is ROUTES CUT
OUT OF B. R. 7.
COURT EDICT
Surface Lines Will Revert
Tomorrow to- Brooklyn
City Railroad.
WARNS BIG FARE JUMP
Though Through Cars May BE
Run, Several Nickels Will
Be Collected.
WARNS BIG FARE JUMP

vert tO-fnOTTOW ITOiu the toroohiJh
Rapid Transit system to the owners.
the Brooklyn City Railroad. under
the terms Of an order entered yester-
day in the United States District
Court by Judge Mayer. The severance
Of the lines, precipitated by inability
OF the B. r T. to pay rentals Of $780,
900, is equivalent to a raise in car
fares In many cases.
Rides hitherto costing cents will
cost 10, and in some cases 20 cents,
when these lines are operated as dis
tinct and separate organization from
the b. r. T. Although transfers will
be issued between the severed lines,
none will be exchanged henceforth be-
tween the b. X. T. and the severed
lines.
Judge Mayer expressed reluctance
to order the dlsintegration because OF
the consequences to the public. HIS
action followed formal submission by
Carl M. Owen, counsel for Lindley M.
Garrison. receiver Of the B. R T., that
the rentals would have to be defaulted,
and the demand made by Francis 8.
Bangs, representing the Brooklyn City
Railroad, for restoration OF the prop
erty to the owner.
Although this development in the af-
fairs of the B. r. T. was expected 1t
was nevertheless a blow at the heart OF
Brooklyn's surface transportation, for
the twenty-eight lines consist Of 24O
miles serving the centre and outlying
districts of Brooklyn and Queens in
% ehf ha M
. the question of the right of the severed
lines to continue using Brooklyn Bridge.
The contract permitting that is held by
the Brooklyn Heights Railroad Company
which Is subsidiary OF the B. r I.
through which the B. r. T. leased the
twenty-eight lines. and In no longer con-
uected with the severed surface system
Zone system Talked of.
The possibility of the Introduction Of
n zone system is also consequence OF
the reversion. II resorted to as a means
Of keeping the surface lines alive It
would be introduced under the original
contracts which the Brooklyn City Rail-
road obtained from the city OF Brooklyn
in the days OF horse cars.
The twenty-eight lines, which viii be
under the direction of II. Hobart Porter
a. general manager are;
Avenue c. Bushwick avenue, calvary
Cemetery. Court street, Crosstown. Cy-
press Hills, F'latbush avenue. Flushing
avenue, Flushing -Knickerbocker. Flush
: Ing Ridgewood, Fulton street. Gates ave-
nue., Graham avenue. Grand street.
Greenpoint, Hamilton avenue, Lorimer
street, Myrtle avenue. Nassau avenue.
Eostrand avenue. Putnam avenue. Rich
mond Hill. Sixteenth avenue, Sixty-hfth
street. Bay Ridge. Sixty-fifth street-Fort
Hamilton, Thirty ninth street-Fort Ham
ilton, Tompkins avenue, Union avenue.
Not only Is the B. r. T. unable to pay
the rental due tomorrow, Mr.. Owens told
the court. but the Brooklyn Heights
Railroad Company Is deeply in debt for
$4,000. "An that Receiver Garrison
can do is to hold up his hands and shout
for help Mr.. Owens asserted.
Judge Mayer. after ascertaining that
742 OF tho Brooklyn City Railroads
1,4T2 stockholders are women and 1877
estates. said that failure of the B. r. T.
10 pay the rent was comparable to the
house rent situation and that the stock
holders should have the right TO regain
their property and attempt to derive a
revenue from II.
"Latterly correspondence has come in
70 me from persons that I do not know.
women. who present very interesting
statements as to the serious position in
which they find themselves because of
the inability to pay the interest or the
dividends" Judge Mayer said.
Severance IL Illogical.
Pointing out that half of the stock
holders are women who evidently de-
pend upon these holdings for their liv-
Ing, he continued: 81 sometimes think
Col
TO any other situation than a railway
situation would be perfectly understood.
II is entirely simple There may be
some legal differences between paying
the rent of a house and paying the rent
of a railroad. but there is no difference
In principle Judge Mayer expressed
the opinion that the women stockholders
are entitled to the opportunity to re-
ceive a return on the property.
At the same time. he pointed out,
disintegration as provided by the sever
ance of the lines is IAN illogical and an
unequal-speaking from the public stand
point-reSult" This large population
which needs these methods of transpor-
tation, instead OF having an orderly and
logical rate of fare will be compelled To
pay a larger rate than a sound DISPOSE
ton OF the problem probably would war
rant" he said.
Al lue VI Inc COUNSEL
agreed to hasten the arrangement OF
details encompassing the reversion and
to present the matter in the form OF an
order ON Thursday, when the court will
make the entry as OF the preceding day.
According to Mr.. Bangs the Brooklyn
City Railroad 10 prepared to undertake
operations of the lines without Interrupt
ton OF service to the public. However.
the independent operation means incon-
venience, II not something worse, TO
many Of the car riders, especially those
who will now have to pay 4 cent fares
to make trips from one border of the
borough to the other.
The loss OF the surface lines is not re-
garded as any hardship to the b. r. T..
for they have been losing steadily,
whereas the elevated and subway at the
present time are making money. The
B. r. T. already has detaulted a third
installment Of $4,000 Of the Federal
income tax
In connection with the Nassau Elec-
trio Railroad Company and the Coney
Island and Brooklyn Railroad Company.
Judge Mayer deferred until October 7
consideration OF means to raise funds
20 pay power bills.