The New York herald., 1921-12-17
CITY TRANSIT LINES
SHOW GAINS IN NET
Continued from First Page.

Second Avenue Railroad Company had
had since November, 1908. In it's palmy
days. when it was member of the
Metropolitan Street Railway system, 1t
was the heaviest carrying road in New
York, he said. running from 212 to 224
cars Now 1t operates only seventy.
When the road was turneo back to Its
owners the Metropolitan virtually choked
il to death by cutting off free transfer
privileges with all crosstown lines, leav-
ing 1t gasping alone on the East Side
with nothing to tie II to the heart of the
city except vestbound TRANSFER priri-
lege at Twenty-third street.
Mr. Chalmers, from the time he took
ho'd three years ago, has done much
TO rejuvenate the system. The 200 idle
ears which he found standing III the
car barn he has begun to rebuild into
the convertible summer and winter cars
operated by only one man. instead Of
two. This has cost $1,000 car. but
he Is doing the rebuilding work out Of
his operating receipts.
Forty of these reconstructed, convert
ible. one-man cars, he said. he had sold
TO the city for use on the Staten Island
Midland Railroad, of which Commits
sioner Grover A. Whalen, by the way,
is operating director. The witness added
that he had not yet received any of his
money from the city though the last
of the cars had been delivered last July.
Official red tape. he understood, had tied
up the S62.00 owed him.
Mayor John f. Hylan. Comptroller
Charles l.. Craig, Samuel Untermyer
and Grover A. Whalen, Commissioner of
Plant and Structures, are the topline at
fractions billed for appearance before
the Transit Commission wrcn 1t re-
sumes its public examination Lsxt week.
Invitations were sent last night by the
commission to the Mayor and the Comp
troller. They are asked to meet with u
Monday afternoon at 40 Lafayette street
70 Cnrfer conceraing the citys finances
as they affect the transit situation now
and as they would affect 1t in connec-
tion With the plan which the commission
il Developing. This is as far as the
offic,ai invitation goes.
But If the Mayor should desire to
create a little diversion in defence OF
the citys jitney bus venture Mr.. Shearn,
special counsel to the commission, will
be ready to oblige,
There is much interest to know what
attitude the city officials viii assume to-
ward the invitation to cooperate with
the State Transit Commission. The
Mayor. the Corporation Counsel and
their associates hitherto have refused to
recognize the validity of that body. and
have challenged It's constitutionalty, al
though it's authority has been sustained
by the courts.
Commissioner Whalen. as the c.tys
o'erator OF the Staten Island Midland
Railway, was included in a general in
vitation extended to all operating Of
f'cers of Queens and Richmond transit
Ines to attend the examination Monday
afternoon. Mr.. Whalen, because of the
city administrations coy attitude toward
the commission, preferred its subpoena.
ana lac accepted service OF subpoena
yesterday calling for his attendance at
. 40 y. M. Monday.
Mr.. Untermyer is billed as the chief
attraction for Monday forenoon. He
has some personal ideas concerning a
plan for transit reform. and coneded
them 10 the public st length some weeks