New-York tribune., 1921-02-02
Merely a Foundation

Public control, so far as il ex-
lists, of the city's traction systems
is fatally distributed among three
agencies-the Public Service Com
mission, the Transit Construction
Commissioner and the Board of Es-
innate. The authority Of each Is
, in dispute, and the consequence is
lack of unity Of control over fares
and service.
The Governors criticism Of this
condition is interchangeable, likewise
the claim that the remedy is to sub
stitute unity for disunity.
1t is also interchangeable that It
would not be safe to secure unity
i by lodging sole authority with the
Board of Estimate. Tammany is,
and it often captures the City Hall.
! Unmodined and complete home rule
may come in the future, but it is
not feasible now.
Not by accident, but with the con-
sent of all parties, is there joint rule
OF the metropolitan area. Any one
who asserts it is possible to make the
city altogether a law unto itself is
indulging in buncombe. The state
will not yield its underlying prerog-
ative and the city would not vote
that it should were the question
submitted. The city is Of the opn-
ion that the best practical results
come from not trusting wholly
either Tammany or the state
| government.
The Governors message, in the
way of obiter dictG, emphasizes the
legal proposition that municipal au-
thority proceeds out of and is a
creation of the state but does
not negative the home rule prin-
ciple as commonly understood
and applied. Hearst, Tammany
and Hylan, Of course, say it does,
but they are playing politics, and it
suits their present game to misrep-
resent the Governor.
Governor Miller obviously seeks
merely to find working scheme to
unity traction control and to con-
tribute to result practically best
for both city and state. In remarks
calculating his message he has
declared that he favors q maximum
of home rule, but real and fruit
full home rule rather than a theo-
retic and barren one.
Thus the public may we'll refuse
to founder in pursuit of the home
rule will-o'- -the-wisp.
The attitude Of the Governor
thus opens the way, when the bills
are drawn, to prepare them to
secure traction relief and at the
same time quiet home rule appre-
tensions. In 1894, when a similar
problem was faced, the solution
was to name a state board but to
place on it a majority of emf
nent urban citizens in whom the
city had confidence. Nothing in the
Governors recommendation estops
him from urging this reconciling ex-
pedient or any other which will
achieve the same end.
Likewise, touching subway exten-
sions, the Governor is committed tc
no particular plan for financing
them. He is free to urge special
assessments against benefited areas
Nor is he committed to any partic.
ular rate of fare He does not rec.
ommend eight cents, as is falsely
charged. The fare question is open,
The Governor is at liberty, for
example, to favor provision under
which any increase would accrue
exclusively to the city treasury, thus
providing funds TO meet the in.
terest on the $3.50, 100000 of city
issued subway bonds which now is
met out Of taxation and is an an
nual charge >on the city's budget.
This would give the Interboroueh
not a cent morc-would merely
shift the payment of 100000
annually from the taxpayers to sub
way users, many Of whom are non
residents. This shift would auto
matically release the city-issued
subway bonds from the debt limit
and thus provide credit to build
new lines and at the same time en-
able the city to force a favorable
recasting OF the subway contracts.
The Governors message merely
sketches in general way a founda-
tion on which many things can be
built. Until some sort Of super
structure arises it is impossible to
lave a lineup Of opinion.
Making Giving Worth While