Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-12-14
A LOOK AT THE DEADLOCK
WHICH GRIPS FRANKFORT 81"
Repeated Failures Of Either the city or
the p. r. T. to Make Proper Conees.
slons Keep the New East Line Idle


Mitten to the Public Service Commission
were speedily carried out operation of the
FrunkfOrd elevated could BE- started by
Christmas 1921.
His program comes at time when pub
lie opinion on the transit situation is re
ducrd to its >impcst terms. The high speed
line 10 northeastern Philadelphia has been
building for more than five years 1t is
vrNatouS that the finishing touches to
work Of incalrulablc benefit to the com
munity should be withheld.
The community has long since lost any
appetite for explanations. 1t is not reasons
for delay which it seeks but substantial
arguments in support Of definite progress on
definite undertaking.
The situation somewhat suggests n char
artcr of Stcvcnson's. who sought cXtrication
from his quandarics by proposing the ques-
tion. what would Napoleon do?' But,
unfortunately. the course that Napoleon
wOud have taken was seldom clear to his
admir"r. The result was usually indecision.
not 10 say deadlock. II the crisis seemed
to be relieved the gain was specous. for 1t
was at the cost Of assumptions unwarranted
by facts
That procedure of this sort appeals to
Mr.. Milton is evident from the character Of
his proposals. InQucStonnby. he desires
the completion of tho Frankford "L." On
the other hand. his cure for the ills which
ntT1ict transit in this city refer in even
tn" most casual analysis directly to that
portion of the anatomy of the situation that
is the SCkCSt.
And no new remedy for the fundamental
disease is suggested Mr.. Mitten in his
third proposition urges the city to determine
a definite method of procedure in regard to
the rapid transit program of 1916, so as to
enable the necessary legislation TO be pre-.
scnted nj the next session Of the Legislature.
This is somewhat similar to forccastng the
recovery Of the patient before treatment has
bron administered or even tho nature Of the
dose has been determined.
The dose is. Of course a lease governing
tho relations Of the city and the philadel-
pha Rapid Transit Co. regarding the sub
way and elevated developments Without
this legal instrument of contract the con-
ference Of engineers favored by Mr. Mittcn
is intrnSiCally powerlpss.
II is idle to consider orders for cars for
the Frankford elevated until the nature of
the SCrvic" on that line can bc specifically
defined. There is disconCcrtng cllipSiS in
pOStulating progress on the speculation
that the city and the +. X. Il. stockholders
ar" each to be guaranteed n return Of ) per
cent per annum on the money invested. De
ciSion upon the whole matter of returns is
ccrt.in tn hc difficult IN roach Rut win tbo
mottcr uusettIed M Ioosc rnr no drow,
And without , Ioasc ouerotion of thc Frank
ford 'L' is impossible
p,,;, al .h ,h;f,., , . - h
transit crisS-if anything so prolonged de-
serves that name--thc first principles of the
da, fu,n, ,oIp 4, ,i,", ,i 49, INK
.nooJ tr,nuit .rste,, so yitoiI,, roco.sor,' ,o
, ritv of rho fnn. iii. nronortion. ~ phi,o.
JcInhio yns frst nro,n.cd
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pnHH'.u, '"i'"r,' W. L'l"''" ,"' r"hNtnrd
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"'">"'r ""S "'t""'H storm, SP'F'''d away
o''.'' inv '','' '"r Us '"""'"'r"''nn arrived
~ '"lI!.'''"''N'T' reuse nor "''h""t Ger
'n'h n''rI'H' MnS' no"'''r' Hr""h up oun- =
T,S "it'"I'" ~ I"L nov "''h"", ''hKerlhg'
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'"'I"M'", ,'"!r'''In was pnHrG upon IN" aS'
,,iI j., s''". Wv ','H'''NH,''''
u"nHh'nN between INC T. Il; I, and tn"
! uhH'rHihE companies ol Whl'h' II asserted,
! II 4a" in'"mp'"'' NhoWI'dG"'
i'n'hI\' h'r" was IN" weakness in lease
when "'h"rWiS" appeared to advance transit
| progress tuFth"r than any other. But the
d"'''t was ''tai ana IN" Htrlrtur" OF d"v". J.
"Nm"nl 'Nat had been reared ANONYMOUSLY
topr'"d'
sine" January i:'l!'' when TINS proposed
1 contract was turned down. n"Gotiations be
tween the 'i% ana 'NT T. h' l, nav" been
at N'anH,u,"' l,'t"''S OF IN" deadlock are
Interested