The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-12
COURT SUSPENDS
4GREEN CAR LINES


simply nave 10 STOP running the CArb
The tremendous additional expense
caused by the wage increase makes II
impossible TO keep the system together
under the plan that was based on a
charge for transfers. To keep the more
Important lines running we must stop
the lines that are rum at n loss"
Col. Stimson said that in the ten years
Of their existence all Of the storage bat
terry lines have been run with a yearly
deficit on operating expenses, except
that one line showed a small profit In
one year. The storage battery system,
while adapted to congested, narrow
| streets. is expensive.
In instructing that the four lines be
abandoned pending further order of
the court. Judge Mayer ordered that the
receiver should fix the date for discon-
| tinuance. with provision for ample no.
tice to the public. He said that II dis
| tressed him to decrease the transporta-
| ton facilities of working people, who
make up n large proportion OF the trav
ellers on these lines, but that the situa-
ton Of the company made II impossible
for 1t to bear the burden longer.
Judge Mayer said he was confident
that no court would declare the fran
| chises to be forfeited after a Federal
court, sitting In equity, had ordered the
| temporary abandonment OF service in
| order to conserve a receivership estate.
He said he had rejected a proposal to
run one car a day over each line as a
| Formally that would cost $225,000 a
year, this sum going largely to keep the
tracks in repair. The routes of the
storage battery lines follow:
| Avenue c: From the pesbrosses street
| ferry along Washington and Greenwich
streets, Houston and Prince, to Avenue
c to the East Twenty-third street ferry.
Spring and Delaney streets Desbros-
SEES street ferry, along Spring and De-
lancey streets. to the Williamsburg
Bridge.
| Madison street: From near the foot of
Duane street along Reade and Chambers
| streets to the foot of Cherry street
| Sixth avenue extension: From Sixth
avenue and West Third street along
Carmine and varick streets to the Des-
brosses street ferry.
Ninth Avenue Owners Approve.
Judge Mayer ordered the Ninth ave-
nue. line released from the receivership
on the petition Of the receiver. Michel
Kirkland. counsel for the owners, sup
ported the petition. Mr.. Kirkland and
Col. Stimson will fix time for the sew
erance and details of operation and re-
port to the court. The Ninth avenue
line has been a leased line OF the Green
Car system for twenty-five years and
has lost its physical identity 1t will
obtain cars and power from the Green
Car Company.
The Ninth avenue cars run from the
Cortlandt street ferry on Washington
Greenwich and Gansevoort streets to
Ninth avenue to Slxty-fourth street. The
company's franchise carries in Broad
way to Seventy-second street and OF
Amsterdam avenue to Manhattan street
The Broadway and Seventh avenue line
of the New York Railways Company
makes use of the Ninth avenue fran
chise north OF Fifty-third street. The
Columbus avenue line uses the fran
chise south OF Sixty-fifth street.
The court made the order providing
for the discontinuance of the exchange
Of transfers to the Independent Eighth
and Ninth avenue lines, subject to ap'
prevail by him after hearing on Sep
TENDER %.
Judge Mayer reserved decision on the
J petition of the receiver to discontinue
: the operation of cars over the Williams
! burg Bridge This petition was pre-
! sented two months ago and decision
, was postponed because of the hardship
the act would infiict upon East Sid,
, workers who cannot afford the add
! tional fare that would result.
| Several green car lines cross th'
Williamsburg Bridge. B. R T. lines
, cross to the Manhattan side, In add
, ton, there Is a local bridge line for which
, tickets are sold at three for cents
. The various services are SO connected
, under arrangements with the city tina
an order of the court affecting tn,
green cars, II Joined to similar orde
regarding the B. r, T. lines, which ar
also In receivership, probably would op
crate to discontinue all trolley service
on the bridge except for a single lin
OF the Third Avenue Railroad Company
Col. Stimson estimated that the dis
continuance would involve a saving o
100000. DR.. John Bauer, statlsticai
| of the Public Service Commission, as
serted that a discontinuance would in
: volve a loss. 1t was admitted by boil
that because of the nature of the bust
. ness 1t is extremely difficult to max
| calculations. Between 100000 ant
1000, 900 use the bridge lines each year
Judge Mayer set September 22 as
e date for a further hearing on the bridg
cars and asked that data be supplied t
him by both sides.
: Mayor to Run Motor Buses.
; When Mayor Hylan was told of tn
order that will cause the abandonment
= OF the storage battery lines he said:
" and the commissioner of public works
Joseph A. Guidor of Brooklyn. will i'm
, mediately work out a plan for the In
= ! stallation of a motor bus service alon
= the routes Of the lines discontinued"
Corporation Counsel William p. Bur
!, made a demand yesterday on Job L
= Hedges and Lindley M Garrison, re
o ceiver of the B. r. T., for copies of
report of Stone & Webster, public utili
A ties experts. on the traction companie
n In receivership Figures based on a pre-
q liminary report were used by Judg
n Mayor In statement made public Nor
= day. In his letter to the receiver tn
/, Corporation Counsel said that he ha
n been informed that copy Of the repor
v had been sent to Public Service Con
Z missioner Nixon.
In a statement last night Mr.. Hedge
explained the effect OF the release of tn
n Ninth avenue line to its owners. II
y said:
,r 1.-THE Ninth avenue cars will ceas
It transferring with all of the remaindt
n, of the present lines or the New Yor
1t Railways system. 1t means, further
n more, that the cars of the New Yor
Ie Railways Company will cease runnin
on the track In Fifty-third street wei
te of Seventh avenue and on Ninth an
'r Columbus avenues. between Fifty-thir
lie and Sixty-fifth streets. on Broadway b,
lie tween Sixty-hfth and Seventy-firi
1t streets and on Amsterdam avenue froi
1t Seventy-first to 125th street There wi
lie be no through West Side green car sci
lxrt1a oE