New-York tribune., 1921-01-25


pay earnings upon or to amortize
watered securities.~sThe ultimate solu-
tion of the problem must be maximum
service WI n minimU m ccsL for the
benefit of the users of the public trans
portation facilities, the majority of
whom have no other means of trans
portation. The public are now in
position to escape from the conse-
quences of past misdeeds or mistakes
if, instead OF utilizing them for sim
ister purposes to breed disorder in the
public mind, advantage is taken of the
present opportunity to lay the solid
foundations for forward locking con-
structive policy. In the past capital
has been attracted too much by the
chance of speculative profits. Neces-
sarily those profits are made at the ex-
pense of the investor and the travelling
public. Poor and costly service and
10 to the innocent holder of securi-
ties are the inevitable result. Ger
tainty of a fair return must be the at
traction to capital in the future, and
that, | am sure, the public readily will
accord for adequate service. The pub
nothing for granted. Their past ex-
perience has been such that they now
rightly will insist upon being salts
fed that the actual facts justify any
measures adopted. Some agency, hav-
ing public confidence, impartially to
ASCERTAIN the facts and courageously to
apply the remedy, appears to be i'm
peratively demanded to extricate the
problem from it's present difficulties.
Unified System Needed
"Viewing the matter solel. in the
public interest, think it plain that the
foundations should now be laid for
completely unified system of transpor-
tation in the City Of New York, and l
believe any open-minded person who
studies the subject at a II be forced
to that conclusion. The single fare
plan appears to me to be important to
the relief of congestion with its mani
fold problems hous ng and the like.
Extensions should precede rather than
lag behind demand. That means that
pr # table parts Of the system must
maintain the improbable. In order to
give the public efficient and cheap SER
vice, every possible economy in oper-
alton and management must be effected
and every unnecessary duplication of
service el miNated. Necessarily the
subways will form the backbone of the
system. The elevated surface lines and
,sses will eventua ly be merely aux
service is to be rendered at the lowest
cost competition must be eliminate
and the part cular service best suited
to each particular situation must be
adopted
s'The foregoing and other consider
ations all point to one completely uni
fed system, and if that premise be
granted it necessarily leads to the con-
clusi that ultimately such a system
must be municipality owned That was
settled when the city decided upon mu-
nicipally owned subwa $. A unified
system of operation will be difficult
of ways and structures. Of course, the
ultimate result cannot be accomplished
in a day The time however, is ripe
to lay the foundations, and to lay
them properly we must commander the
services of men of proved ability,
breadth of view, vision and public
spirit in whom must be vested all the
authority that can constitutionally be
given. and such men must be selected
utterly regardless of politics.
Lease Terms Too Long
"The subway contracts, three and
luton of the problem. The need re-
vision. in the public interest. They
mt st be revised if the problem is ts be
solved: have not studied them suf-
ficiently to assert with dogmatic ass,lr-
ancc precisely how they should be re-
vised, and am only referring to the
matter sufficiently y to ind cate the prob
lem with which we have to deal. A very
brief examination will suggest certain
MAJOR points for revision. Experience
has demonstrated that he provisi ms
for preferential payments are unfair
to the city. The city is now pr y'd-
ng the interest and sinking fund for
roughly S200000,000 of subway bonds
ogut of the tax levy. yet its bud~e4 re-
qulrements are SO great that it has to
curtall the police force, and this v,a1
the Beard OF Estimate and Apportion-
me ment even cut out of the budget $27,-
oo0 Ooo conceded to be necessary for the
scnools; me city is SO near the debt
ilmit that 1t cannot undertake needed
PUBIC improvements, even the erection
OF necessary sch oil buildings. vet if tho
subway bonds were maintained out Of
operation, as they should be, the city's
oorsowng power would at once be in.
creased 100000 900. The people who
ride in tie subways do not reasize thai
IN adiition.to their fares they are pav.
ing to maintain 100000, 900 Of galway
bonds, and 1t does not matter whether
s"Sy oAe ea"Payers or rentpayerS. OF
course, that observation does not apply
to the hundreds OF thousands liv;no
outside the city who daily use it,
transit facilities.
I'm my opinion the term of the leases
is too long. That would not be SO vital
the provision for recapture would
not penalize the city in case it should
exercise its option before the expira- :
ton OF the term. That also would an
pear to need revis.o in the interest az
the city. ~
Service Board Proposed
Wholly apart from the considera-
.ion mat The wise solution of the prob
lem VIII, in my Judgment, pave tho
way FOR single municipaliv owned
system. the problem is in itself sjnoIe
and must be dealt with as a whole. No
particular mes can be treated bv them .
selves, and cxper ence has ALREADY
demonstrated thc unwiedom Of ann.
aratlng the regulatory powers Of tho
fuo'ic Service Commissioner from the
powers under the rapid transit act now
Vested in tho Tran,it Construction
Iommissioner. Increased exp .nsc and
aiyision and uncertainty Of authority
have resulted
ITO ny mind the conclus' ON ia irrs.
sistibie that the authority and rcspon.
sibility 10 deal with this problem mug.
pe completely conferred in some sinolc
agency. Manifestly that cannot be the
BOARD o. Est mate and Apportionment
~ " common knowledge that that bod
unable now properly TO function and