New-York tribune., 1920-01-21
4t11 Madison
Ave. Lines Go
Back to:Owners
Separation From N. Y. Rail
ways Means End of Trans.
fers and Service on Will
liamsburg Bridge Branch
$4,000 Owed in Taxes
Staten Island Learning to
Like Buses, While the
Traction Tangle Continues

Traction Tangle Continues
Another step in the disintegration Of
tho Manhattan surface car lines was
taken yesterday, whom Judge julius M.
Mayer in the Federal District Court.
signed an order separating the Fourth
and Madison Avenue lines from tho
New York Railways system. The order
is ef7ective at midnight, January 81.
The lines, which were leased by tho
Now York Railways, will be returned
to their original owners. the New York
and Harlem Railroad Company. The
lines have cross-town branch on
E1shty-etxth Street and another run
ming from the Bowery through Delan-
coy Street and across tho Williams sburp
The separation order will result in
t1a cutting off of transfers, and the
noendonment Of the Williamsburg
Bridge branch, because the indepens
oent company has no franchise 70
operate cars, from the Bowery to
barns. val
Not Paying, Says Hedges
Job 2. Hedges, receiver Of the Nav
York Railways, Informed t the e"' court ssT
several months ago that the lines were
not even paying operating expenses
and taxes. while q debt Of $5o5, 600
for rent was to be paid. He asked
that the lines, like the Eighth and
Ninth Avenue lines, be turned back to
their real owners. H. B. Anderson.
counsel for the owners, pleaded that
they had no equipment or power to
run me lines and said that tho owners
wsre willing to pay $4,000 in taxes
70 save the property from penalties.
Yesterday, however, Ms. Anderson
admitted that the amount was still un-
paid and said the owners were willing
to take back their property, which they
would try TO operate Independently. It
10 understood arrangements have been
made for power and car barns.
Transfers will be abolished bv the
order along Eighty-sixth Street and at
! 10th, Fifty-ninth, Thirty-fourth.
Twenty-third, Fourteenth, Eighth and
Delaney streets along the routes Of
the Fourth and Madison Avenue lines.
The cars Of the company run from the
Municipal Building to 1s5th Street and
the Harlem River.
When the line was first leased horse
cars wore being operated on it, but the
| lessee company electrified it and
equipped 1t with modern pay-as-you-
enter cars.
While court action expected to clear
up the legal angles of the cessation Of
the Staten Island Midland's operation.
was being postponed yesterday tho peo
pie Of Richmond learned to like their
new bus service.
So successful was the operation of
these privately owned municipally
! operated machines that Grover A.
Whalen, Commissioner Of Plant and
| Structures, announced last night that
the service would be made permanent.
| The buses are here to stay" said
! Mr.. Whalen. They are popular with
the, people, even though they came here
snow and ice on the streets. Regard
less of the abandonment or continu-
ance Of the trolley lines by tho com
pany. busses will be operated on Staten
! Island"
! Moro Cars Needed for Road
Fifteen more cars were added to
those already on the island, making a
total of fifty-one. The drivers knew
their routes better yesterday and lost
no time in covering them. The traffic
of every ferry was cleared up before
! the arrival Of another, even during
the heavy rush hours. Although no
schedules were arranged, the busses
were running on about seven minutes
headwaY.
| In order to cut down few minutes
! on the running time Commissioner
Whalen ordered that busses be run this
morning to the upper level Of the ferry
terminal. This has been used ea-
Railroad Company. Notice Of this
the company late yesterday afternoon.
| In his direction to the traction officials
Nh. Whalsn ordered:
| That the movement Of all traffic. in
cluding the cars of the Richmond Light
and Railroad Company, be 1T all times
under and subject to the direction of
the police officers on duty on the via
duet and 1t tina terminal.
That the cars of the Richmond Light
and Railroad Company be operated in
bound on Tracks 8 and ( and outbound
on Tracks rs and 8.
That Track 5. be used by the Rich
mond Light and Railroad Company ac-
cording to the necessities Of traffic.
1Hdt IIoChs anu anu TACK pe
kept clenr Of. cars and not be used
either for the passage or storage OF
cars.
That the switches leading into
Tracks I and 2 and Track be set SO
that no cars can enter these tracks.
On the application Of Jacob Brenner
Federal receiver for the road, Supreme
Court Justice Cropsey yesterday ad-
| journed the action Of the city against
tho company until tomorrow. When
the case was called In the Kings County
Court yesterday Mr.: Brenner said:
~ bog time TO familiarize myself
with conditions. Frankly speaking,
know nothing about the operation Of
railroads. and certainty wish that
somebody elss had got this fob"
/ Mr.. Brsnns1 went over to Staten
Island later in the day to get In closer