The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1921-03-02

think your present conditions arc
constantly growing worse and are a
matter Of concern to the prospect as
to what would happen a few years
from now unless the foundation he
laid. not merely to rehnbiitate and
revamp your present facilities for
passengers, but also to lay the foun-
dalton for needed future development.
1t seemed to me that no time was to
be lost; that they have now bcen al
lowed to drift until it has reached al
most an acute stage. Certainly IL has
reached a stage involving not merely
the comfort and the health but the
morals OF the city or New York.
at seemed to me that it ought to
be advisable 10 have transit facilities
in the city OF New York so that
women could travel without being
subjected to the indignities to which
they are now subjected. And Of
course your transit problem is tied
up with your other problems. If
your city is to be developed. II your
housing problem is ever to be solved,
one OF the Keys to it is undoubtedly
a proper method Of transportation.
Now, it seems to me, therefore,
that you did not require any investi-
cation to know that some relief was
needed. The qeustion was, of course,
how to apply the remedy, and il did
not seem to me that any investlga-
ton was needed to determine how
70 apply il so far as we here in Al
bany are concerned
ut was perfectly obvious, of
course, that the problem had been
allowed to drift. The fact is, and
say it, weighing my words, that
It has not been dealt with on the
( level by the people charged with
/ IT, The fact is that it has been
allowed to drift to its present
! condition.
Now, of course, there was one or
two courses to follow; the first thing
is it was perfectly obvious that If a
solution was TO be had responsibility,
must be centred somewhere. There
can not be two views upon that sub
ject, If occurred to me. Responsible
lily and authority centred somewhere.
Now, there was a choice of course.
That responsibility and authority can
be centred in a city agency. the
Board of Estimate,
IL was told only yesterday by the
] Dock Comm ss'nrer OF the CITY OF
New York, tl.,., ..--..'st two years ago
he submitted requ{st for approval
by the Board OF Estimate OF lease.
| suppose Of a dock, l am not certain
about that, which was a matter of
good business for the city to enter
into with a proposed lessee ready to
execute II, and / think he said it
was last week, after a lapse OF two
years, that that lease was finally
taken up and acted upon, during
which time, OF course, the lessee had
made other arrangements.
Now, of course. coming TO the
manner in which this important
problem mas becn uunuleQ, IL was
perfectly obvious TO mo that no one
having responsibility could think
for a moment of turning the transit
problem with all it involved, all that
II meant, TO the health, the comfort.
the well-being of the people of the
City of New York and OF the state
OF New York, for that matter, as
well as for the future development
of the city, that il was not possible
to contemplate turning the solution
OF that problem over o the Board OF
Estimate OF the City OF New York.
but wholly apart from that the
problem involved is the exercise of
the police powers OF the State, powers
that have never been delegated to the
city powers which are universally
recognized, l think. in almost every
State in the Union, certainly so far as
have studied the subject, as being
powers not only Inherent in tho police
poNer but appropriate 10 the exercise
by the state, and am referring. OF