New-York tribune., 1921-11-24
Hedley Backs
Transit Board
In Unity Plan
tceaunued from pass eno

OF control, Mr.. Hedley continued:
II you bring about condition
where any man Is appointed who Is
moro or less Of politician to have
the say as to what will make the SUBJ
ways safe and efficient, you are going
to do = very serious thing to the
people Of New York. If you introduce
politics into the actual operation Of
these rapid transit lines Il is my
opinion that you will Immediately step
down from the factor of safety and
efficiency. and everything should be
done to positively eliminate politics
from representing the majority OF the
board"
Peril to System Barred
6r. Shearn pointed out that that very
point had been safeguarded in the
plan by providing that the security
holders should be directors Of the
operating companies and that the
operating companies would actually
operate the properties so far as safety,
wages and other elements wsre cor
cefncd.
"You certainly would not expect
from any public board, even II It had
politicians on IT." asked Mr.. Shearn,
anything worse in financial manage
ment than the private management
of these companies!"
"Oh, yess would"
"sYou have got to have a very lively
imagination to conceive OF anything
worse. it seems TO me-"
The traction chief declared that I'm
mediate relief was necessary.
"The surface lines," he said, Cannot
come SO near getting along on five
cent fare as we can, but equal fares
would be better for. all concerned, be-
cause II a higher fare we're granted to
the surface lines alone they would
lose all their business. It would be
best to take the lean with the fat::''
Mr.. Hedley agreed that pooling Of
receipts would be necessary to q COM
mon ownership, but he said he believed
trouble would come when it came to
effecting the consolidation and meeting
demands of holders of securities with
an inflated Idea Of their value.
TIaCStCdl AlcLnO0 OF fOO1tuK
He conceded, however, that the plan
offered the only legal and practical way
OF pooling the results of operation Of
continued, nevertheless, to dispute the
wisdom OF making the board of control
open to political influence.
'You have no confidence in represent
atfve government in this city" asked
Commission Organ.
ave do not always get representative
government" MIR. Hedley replied.
In reply to question by Mr.. Shearn,
Mr.. Hedley said that the public had
the money "in the till" would allow. He
denied that the Interborough held
greater responsibility to its directors
than to the public. The only Shaving"
had been done, he said. not where the
service was grossly overcrowded, but
wnere there was still room to get pas
sengers in"
Mr.. Hedley said he had economical
also in the care and maintenance Of
cars, but that the upkeep of the cars,
so far as reliability was concerned. and
tanned to the highest degree Of safety
and efficiency.
81 saw car down there the other
day." Mr.. Hedley smiled. that had its
windows clean When got back to
the office ] started to raise hell to
find out who cleaned those windows and
why we spent the money"
Mr.. Shearn mmented ironically:
"'That is better picture Of what hos
happened to the service than ! could
possibly paint"
Safety First for I. n. r.
To question Of Commissioner Hark-
hess as to whether he ever "edged"
toward taking more risks in effecting
economies. Mr.. Hedley said he would
permit nothing that would make him
"step down from tho factor Of safety"
Chairman McAneny asked:
'Isn't it perfectly fair, then, to say
in view of what was brought forward
that ali Of these economies that have
been forced at the expense Of the pub
lie have been precipitated by the
policy of your own directors IN passing
out millions of dollars in dividends
during the period imme diate1y prior
20 this. when good management would
Faye held these funds for operating
needs?"
Aends out, and found them in the
treasury when I took hold of the COM
pany's financial side Of it ! would not
have had to skimp on those things as
closely as | did" the witness replied
Questioned by Commissioner Organ,
MIR. Hedley described the transit situa-
tion as "an impossible condition" AS
president and general manager Of the
company, he said he owed allegiance
to the board of directors, but felt he
was under obligation to no one.
"But it is your official obligation to
carry out the policies of those who
employ yon. is it not7" asked Commits
sloner Organ.
Eyes"
Obedience Limit Defined
"And those who employ you arc the
xirectorsf''
yes, but am Just stubborn enough,
perhaps, to say that there Ia a limit
to what orders would carry out from
aIn other words. II they gave you an
unlawful order you would be justi6ed
:tn disobeying it7"
!. "Yes."
Mr.. Shearn brought out that the In
terborough- Consolidated had the power
60 vote the stock Of tho marlborough
Rapid Transit, indicating that the di-
rectors Of the latter company owed
their allegiance to the lnterborough-
Consolidated.
Referring to tho attitude Of the d.
xectors, past and present, MIR. Hedley
said:
II can't conceive Of any board Of
directors trying to get further away
from the public, If it ia possible, than
~ Iwxf ~. L. M