New-York tribune., 1921-10-08
Transit Board
Urges Subway
Use for Freige:,l e, l1t
Would Make Express Tracks
Haul Merchandise Between
| and 5 A. M. to Ease
Congestion Above Ground
Help to Scent Fare Seen
Submits Proposal to Port
Authority; Staten Island
Tunnel Plans Under Way

Tunnel Plans Under Way
Use of the express tracks on the
subways daily between l a. m. and 5
a. IN. for transportation of freight was
proposed to the Port Authority yester
day by the Transit Commission as one
means of increasing the subway rev.
enues and of relieving the congestion
of street traffic. The commission
urged the proposal as part Of its econ
omy plan in the reorganization of the
cty's transportation lines.
The conference was held in the Port
Authority's office. at II Broadway.
Transit Commissioners George Nc
Aneny and lie Roy 7. Hardness, and
P. l.. Turner, consulting engineer for
the commission, reported that they had
\ sub committee of engineers working
out details of the project to convert
the express subway tracks into freight
lines during the four hours in the morn
ing when they are not used for pas
senger service Alfred f. Smith, l.. II.
Pounds and Eugenius II. Outerbridge
are the New York members of the Port
Authority.
Would Help Five Cent Fare
Mr.. McAneny and his associates held
that millions of tons of freight could
be taken on from terminals in lower
Manhattan and distributed in the Bronx
and Brooklyn. New terminals that
might be required to link up the sub
ways with the railroads would soon be
paid for out of the freight revenues,
and, in addition to taking great guam
titles of traffic off the streets in the
day, the plan would soon net sub
stantial income for the subways to 20
toward keeping the passenger rate
down to five cents, it was argued.
The project is not intended to inter
fere with the comprehensive system
for freight distribution contemplated
in the appointment of the Port Au-
thority by the New York and New Jer-
sey legislatures. 1t was said that
freight t-handling in the subways would
be entirely supplemental to the big
ger undertaking At present the sub
ways during the four hours when the
express tracks are idle do not make
sufficient profits to maintain them dur
ing that time, it was said, but with the
handling Of freight and possibly mail
they would be made profitable for a
full twentyfour-hou day.
The members of the sub committee
.rL Or1-iy a,,+ 4lo {o;1
the commission are Lincoln c. An
drews, chief executive officer; Howard
T. Kingsbury, counsel; Robert Ridge
way, chief engineer, and Mr.. Turner.
The building of a passenger tunnel
connecting Staten Island with the
Fourth Avenue subway in Brooklyn is
to be undertaken by the commission
independent Of the project upon which
the Legislature authorized the Board
Of Estimate to spend S45,000,000. Engi-
neers consider the plan authorized by
the Legislature to be imprac cticable
The Transit Commission, on the as
sumption that the Board cf Estimate
will never build the tunnel, has begun
specifications for one.
1t Is probable that a freight and
passenger tunnel will be constructed
at cost of $40,0o00o0 "Staten ISL
and will be taken care of without
delay" said a member of the commits
sion yesterday. "When it's tunnel is
built there is no reason to doubt that
the island will soon be as thickly
populated as the Bronx now is The
building Of apartment houses on the
island, one of the finest spots near
Manhattan, will certainly solve the
housing problem for century,"
Johnson Arrives to Bolster Hylan
Propaganda for the Hylan admins
tration against the Transit Commits
sion's plans is to be furnished by
Senator Hiram W. Johnson, of Cali
fornia. who arrived here from Washing
ton yesterday. He will consult to-day
with Corporation Counsel O'Brien. The
Senator still is in the employ of the
city AS special counsel to fight the Mil
Ter transit program.
1t is expected that to-day or to-mor-
row the efforts of Mr. Johnson and
Mr.. O'Brien jointly will result in the
issuance Of statement attacking the
transit plan as being in violation of
the state and Federal constitutions.
Mr.. O'Brien holds that the admins
trat!on's intention permanently to
block progress in improving the trans
portation systems is still good. He
says he intends to carry the objection
to the United States Supreme Court.