The New York herald., 1921-10-06
EYLAN WOULD JUNK
SURFACE CAR LINES
Accepting denomination Hc
Solves Transit Situation
in Seven Sentences.
BOARD GETS NEW IDEA
It's Engineer Back From Trip
of Inspection of Subways
in European Cities.

After nearly four years or bAtterfng
down New York's transit facilities
Mayor Hylan in his speech yesterday
accepting denomination presented n so
futon 10 the transportation problem.
study OF which reveals an initial cost
OF s2co.ooo.o0o which he did not men
ton; a further disintegration of facili-
tias which would completely sever the
subway and elevated lines in Brooklyn.
and an apparent proposal to have the
city buy sufficient buses to carry nearly
1000. 0oo.o0 passengers year.
The Transit Commission. whose plan
the Mayor condemned. took 10000 words
to summarize its study of the situation.
Mayor Hylan Solved the situation in
just seven sentences. Here they are:
"Our recommendation Is that the
private operators turn the city
owned subways back to the city for
municipal operation at a five cent
fare. These lines carry more than
two-thirds of all the passengers IN
the city. The remainder can be bet
ter accommodated by the operation
OF modern automobile buses. Sur
face lines that have become obso-
Iete can and should be taken off
the streets of our city The city
will not buy them. 1t could not af-
ford to accept them as a gift. Most
Of them should long since have
been junked." @. rs
In contrast to Mayor Hylan's scheme.
which. It was declared. could not but
result IN further dsintegration and de-
nioralization OF transit service. 1t was
learned yesterday that the Transit COM
missions study OF present operating
methods has convinced it that it can
increase the serviceability of the pres
ent lines. without the addition Of sin
gle foot OF new trackage, sufficiently to
accommodate 5o0.o00.o00 more pas
sengers year.
The Mayors simple recommended ton
that the private operators turn the
city; owned subways back to the city
for municipal operation is without ref
ersnce TO the fact that the elemental
step in such a procedure would involve
gaining the consent Of approximately
$4,000 private investors to sell to the
city their interest in the subways
amounting to virtually 100000, 600.
With equal ease. 1t was pointed out. the
Mayor brushed aside the question: OF
where the city would get the money
for that purpose.
Accommodating that total on the city
owned lines the Mayor then falls back
on his bus line plan, which, operated in
competition. II was developed in the
receivership of cases. already has been
a factor in disintegratlon OF surface
lines and the adjustment of more than
mcnds: The remainder can better be
accommodated by the operation of mod
ern automobile buses"
BY his own figures for present traffic
OF city owned lines. which doubles the
available official statistics. his latest bus
plan would compel approximately S00,-
600. persons a year TO use bus trans
pcrtation. The figures OF record would
make 1t appear that the Mayor intends
that about 1900. 100000 ride In buses.
IL is fair to assume, however, that the
Mayor did not have In mind that part OF
the remainder who now ride on the In
tcrborough and y. r. T. owned subway
end elevated linesi which amounts to q
little more than $4,000. but only the
surface line traffic IL that is the case,
Il would moan that the city would have
TO finance and operate sufficient buses
Transit experts stated tnat there was
no way of arriving at what inconven!-
ence and increased fare burden would
result to the riding public from a
divorce OF rapid transit lines, such as
the Mayor proposed, nor was II possible
to estimate the increased cost of op-
GRAFTON which was regarded as an
Inevitable consequence OF division of
operation into at least one more sys-
tenn.
The Mayors recent statements con.
cerning subway profits were found as
absorbing az his plan to relieve the tran
sit congestion. The records show that
the Mayors statement of the Inter-
borough's profit OF $4,000. 900 on subway
operation was the fact two years ago
but that last year that profit amounted
TO only $1.129.0o0. Nor did the Mayors
view of tho situation appear to take into
consideration the burden of the elevated
lease upon the Interborough. which has
compelled the company, in the face OF its
subway profit. TO pay out s5.594, 900 for
the clevated's operating deficit: $4,000
900 IN rental and si.S00.000 on the ele.
vated's st5.000,000 of bonds The In
tsrborough has met those payments in
excess of it's subway profit through bor-
rowings and hand-to-mouth financing.
but still owes s2,000.000 of taxes for the
elevated. 49,
The Transit Commissions plan to In
crease the serviceability of present lines
TO accommodate 100000. 900 more pas
sengers year would absorb the 90 per
cent which traffic has Increased beyond
the 8 per cent. of added facilities within
the last three years
The foregoing condition, according 20
the commiseion's recent report, IN the
result of attempts of the transit COM
panics TO "cconomize" by ctfrtaiilng SER
vice to minimum and deferring main
tenance, repair and replacement.