New-York tribune., 1919-09-15
Meeting Called for Next
Thursday at Syracuse to
Seek Way Out of Present
Financial Difficulties
Public To Be Informed
1000 Miles of Roads Now
in Hands of Courts and
Other Lines Threatened

The New York Electric Railway AS
sociation announced yesterday that
cal had heen issued to the executives
OF ali electric railways within the
state to attend a general conference on
Thursday morning at the Onondaga
Hotel III Syracuse.
Notice of the meeting was sent out
by f. A. Maher, ir., president of the
association and vice president OF the
Third Avenue Railway system. Of this
city. the conference was requested
by the associations committee of ten,
consisting of prominent railway Off
Gals o. the city and state, and the
call says the meeting is for "consider-
ing the state Of the industry and TAX
ing such action looking toward cor
rection of conditions as may suggest
ITSELF
The committee OF ten includes Joseph
<. thoate, vice president of the J. G..
White Management Corporation; Theo-
dore p. Shonts, president of the New
YORK Railways Company and the In
terborough Rapid Transit Company;
Colonel Timothy S. Williams, president
pany; S. W. Huff, president of the
Third Avenue Railway system; f. A.
KalhaciA receiver for the Second Ave
nue. Railroad Company; ". o. Wood,
president Of the New York & Queens
County Traction Company: J. +. Hamil-
nor. president Of the New York State
Ranways; II. B. Weatheerwax, vice
nre sident of She United Traction Com
pany, Of Albany; T. c. Cherry. vice
ore ident Of the Rochester, Syracuse
& Eastern Railroad Company, and L..
$. storrs, vice-1resident of the West
chester Street Railway Company.
6 Moho
N asking him to call the meeting. that
hey had been an active committee
since 1917 and had been assisting the
companies in their financial difficult
tics. TAs committee indicated further
that crisis had been reached which
not Only ffected their financial stabil-
ity. bat which is crippling them in
their efforts to provide the service de-
manded.
The committee urged that it is the
duty OF the executives in charge Of
the people of the state and enlist their
co0peration IN an effort to find way
out.
They point out that at present the
regulation Of electric railways in New
York State is in a chaotic condition.
The powers of the Public Service Com
mission are, in many cases, not sufi-
cient to enable the commissioners to
protect either the finances of the com
panies or the service demanded by the
communities.
More than one thousand out of 1898
miles Of electric railway lines in New
York State are now IN the hands OF
the courts, other extensive mileage is
threatened with receiverships, con-
siderable mileage is being abandoned.
and several consultations are being
disintegrated by court orders, with
the result Of cutting out free trans
fers and increasing the cost Of service
to the car riders, the committee says.
The committee holds that while the
state is committed to the policy of
5 regulation by commission, the law is
defective in that complete control is
not given to the commissions, and
there is no efficient machinery exist
ing for regulation by the cities. As
a result the credit of the industry has
been destroyed and it is no longer
possible for the companies to obtain
new capit..l urgently needed for exten-
sions and Improvement Of their service