New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-09-06
Hvlan Obstacle
TO Home Rule.
Declares Cl1rran
Cause Vital 20 City Used as
Shield to Hide Admin
istration's Incompetence
Candidate Tells Women
Assails Transit Statute
Asserts He Will Fight for
Scent Fare and Believes
1t Is Enough for a Profit

undidate for the Republican nomina-
sion for Mayor, came cut sQuarely yes
.erday in favor of home rule and the
sve-cent fare.
Mr.. Curran's position was given in a
reply to questions submitted to him by
the League of Women Voters of New
York City. Home rule, the candidate
declared, is absolutely essential to the
city's growth.
aTll make fight for the fve-cent
fare because it is my own fight" said
Mr.. Curran. 81 took my stand on that
question many months ago. and I
thought had made my attitude suffi-
GENTLY plain. am glad to restate it,''
Mr.. Currsn added that the biggest OBJ
stacie to home rule for the city TO-DAY
was Mayor Hylan.
The query propounded to Mr.. Curran
read:
"fa) If elected will you stand for or
against home rule for New York City
or It's transit problems?
'tb) VIII You stand for or against
q five-cent fare"
Home Rule Vital Necessity
Mr.. Curran's answer follows:
"Home rule for New York Citv. in
Is t-ansit problem and all other local
affairs, is vital necessity to the citv's
growth and wellbeing. l am for It.
always have been and always will be.
My ten years experience in the actual
cork Of the city's government has con-
vinced me that it is both unjust and
unwiss to take from the people Of a
municipality like New York the powsr
70 settle their own local problems in
their own way.
at is unfortunate that such a cause
as that of home rule for our city has
been used by the present administra-
ton as shield to shelter its ignor-
ance, Incompetence. petty pickering and
graft Mayor Hylan is the biggest oh
stacle to-day in the way of home rule
for New York City. His stupidity. in
efficiency and general lack q grasp Of
the merest details of city management
have set US back twenty-five years in
this respect. We shall never get more
home rule under Hylan. We Shall get
less
Legislation Fundamentally Wrong
"Of course. am for home rule in
our transit problem. We have invested
S300000,000 in our subways and almost
ways and most of the streets are used
by private corporations to give US
transportation. We have contracts with
these companies. The transit Iegis-
lation last winter vested power in tho
new Transit Commission, as the agent
Of state regulation, to change these
contracts without our consent. In INV
opinion that legislation was funda-
mentally wrong
No emergency can justify the State
IN taking from us the requisite of our
consent to any change in contracts that
we have made. Yet that is what has
happened. By 1--WE" mean the $780,
700 people of our city as, represented
b. our locally elected governmental
agency - the Board of Estimate and
Apportionment.
Essentially Local Affairs
"We invested our money in our
streets and subways. It is we who use
the streets and subways for travel, and
it IS we who pay the fares. Thew are
all confined within the boundaries Of
New York. They are essentially local
affairs They are dedicated to public
use, but when private companies oper-
ate through them, by contracts entered
into in good faith between those com
panies and the city, we ought to have
something to say about the change in
these contracts.
Under the new law the state cannot
compel the companies to make changes,
but If this law Is valid, it can make
changes for the city without the city's
consent. / cannot see any justice or
fairness in that sort Of thing. The
law should be amended next winter
SO az to restore to our local city gov
eminent the power to approve or re-
lect any change IN these contracts
recommended by the. Transit Com
mission.
Advocate of Five Cent Fare
With regard to the five cent fare, I
am for it, and if elected I shall fight
Tor It, am not repeating sfive cent
1are parrot-like, as some others are.
took my stand on this question seven
months ago, after q years hard study
Oh the whole transit situation. I be-
lleve that the best interests of the
people are served by a uniform fare
o. nve cents, and / believe that with
competent management the traction
companies can operate on five cents
ae profit. I am prepared with facts
ahG hgures to support what believe"
The women voters have arranged a
neid day for the Coalition-Republican
candidates for tomorrow on Staten
island. Borough President Curran,
oenator Lockwood and Vincent Gill
IIoy' the three candidates heading the
ssi . will be guests Of honor at the
Staten Island meeting.