The New York herald., 1921-02-03
Job Hedges First Kissed,
Then Cheered When He
Defends Proposal for
State Commission.
CURRAN SHIFTS FRONT
Borough President OF Man.
haitian Recedes From For
mer Attitude of Oppo-
sition to Plan.
HYLAN GETS A LAUGH
HYLAN GETS A LAUGH
Board of Estimate Also Comes
In for Grilling at Open
Meeting in Town
Hall.

Gov. Millers plan to create State
commission to handle the city's transit
problems, while it had it's opponents
both on the stage and in the audience
at the Town Hall discussion of the
subject last night, met with applause
and comments from the audience OF
more than a thousand that indicated
clearly the majority favored il, either
on its merits or because the Board OF
Estimate has failed. and the Gov
ernor's suggestion holds the only hops
about the city.
Indicating that sentiment was the
fact that Job f. Hedges. receiver o.
the New York Railways COMPANY
operator Of the surface lines in Mani
haitian. who defended the Governors
programme. arose amid Kisses and sat
down with wide demand all over the
house for an extension of his time.
Even Henry II. Curran, President
of the Borough OF Manhattan. who has
been an opponent of the Miller plan
from the start, conceded from the
platform that the Governor is the only
public official. city or State, who has
put his shoulder to the wheel in an ef-
fort to find a solution of the traction
tangle. He said he is willing to ac-
cept the Governors plan for State
commission. on condition tilat>-tfie
Board OF Estimate be givsn power OF
approval Of it's recommendations. That
is a step further tlAn the Borough
President heretofore had gone.
Hylan's Nams Brings Laugh.
Speeches and approval of speeches In
dicated that thu entire assemblsge was
enthusiastically unanimous on two points
that New York has the most iueffi-
eient and inadequate transit system and
Board of Estimate Of any city in the
world. II was made clear also that
nearly everybody thought the first thing
that ought to be done about the transit
situation was the creation of some ma
ahinery TO ascertain the facts regarding
transit upon which TO base a coustruc-
tive policy. What. il anything. they
thought ought to be done about the
i.oard Of Estimate was not indicated
one man in the audience when gen.
eral discussion was opened. said that
John r. Hylan was the best Mayor
New York ever had and was laughed
at until Director Robert Ernest Ely.
presiding. had to appeal for fair play
General Airing of Views.
The cent fare was berated as
political hoax and also found advocates
who were anxious to pay the increase
on their way home from the meeting.
Mr.. Curran and Mr.. Hedges the two
principal opposing speakers were told
10 their faces what was thought O them
Home rule. transit stock manipulation.
the Board of Estimate. iegislators-up
state and down-and their doings and
lack OF doings were given most ener-
getic airing.
other speakers on the platform were
Oliver c. Sempie, an attorney. who has
aided in drafting much OF past legisla-
ton bearing on transit. and Edward NJ.
Bassett. formerly member OF the Pub
lie Service Commission. the former sup
porting the Governors plan and the
latter opposing II.
Mr. Hedges strongly advocated Gov.
AIiller's proposal for a state commission
TO find out what is the matter with the
transit situation. and declared Il is the
only agency which has been suggested
that holds any hope Of arriving al
baels Tor solution In reply to qGes- !
ton. he said ne would even be willing
to submit the solution to the vote Of the .
people II only some means can be had OF j
informing the people OF the truth
Need of Action Urgent.
"Tho people Of New York never mis-
took the morals Of situation N they
Understood IT. said Mr. Hedges. They
are trying 10 get at the facts OF this
transit problem now. Give them the
light The people OF New York do not
steal money and II Il Is found It ac-
tually costs moro than five cents to give
them Il ride they'll pay IT,"
ON the subject OF home rule Mr..
Hedges said he did not care how much
Of the regulating tho city did. but he
added II want something left TO resu-
lalc. SNlN ud!N nlVtt "hu ttehH'A ~
New York will be memory"
Tho question" hc continued "is
whether city administration vocaly
and visbly incompetent shall be left 60
the chickering's and chickering's which Tor
three years have not advanced one SIM
gle constructive thought on this suhjne..
They've had three years to get the valu-
alton Of the roads and find out all Abort
them and make plan. The fact Is. tii@
Board Of Estimate Is unable to make a
plan. Gov. Miller is the only man who
has offered anything toward a solution
and tho Governor is In fair way 10
solve this W you'll give him q chance.
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