The New York herald., 1922-03-02
REPORT SCRAPS 26
BROOKLYN CAR Lines
Transit Board Submits
Plan for Recruiting Sur
face Roads.
QUEENS is SPARED
148 Miles of Track to Be
Abandoned, 29.5 Per
Cent. of Total.
END OF DEFICITS is SEEN
Economic Effect of Proposed
Reorganization Set Forth
in Detail.
END OF DEFICITS is SEEN

sented at the resumption of the
Transit Commissions Investigation
yesterday by Daniel L. Turner, con-
sulting engineer to that body. None
is to be sacrificed in Queens Borough
Portions of the routes of nine OF
the Brooklyn lines which il is pro-
posed to abandon, however. will be
utilized in the process OF rerouting.
liberal use of bus operation is recon-
mended as feeders to the other lines
in certain outlying districts.
Mr. Turner's tentative plan provides
for the preservation of approximately
35s of the present 5o4 miles of track
now gridironing the streets of Brooklyn
It Ia proposed to abandon 14S miles of
track, of which 80 miles not now in
use were abandoned following the troll
ley strike of 1920. In terms of percent
age II is recommended that about 29.5
per cent. of the present Brooklyn track
age be scrapped.
Mr.. Turner occunied the witness chair
throughout yesterdays examination.
which was conducted by Clarence ].
Shearn, special counsel to the Transit
Commission. The witness, in expound-
ing his propect, divided Brooklyn into
two parts--one within a five mile ra-
dlus of the Brooklyn end of the Brook
lyn Bridge and the other the section
living outside such a radius. Within the
five mile radius. he said. there are :.bout
35B miles OF single track. OF this track
age in central Brooklyn 81 miles Is pro-
posed to be abandoned. or about 24 per
cent. of the total lying within the five
mile limit In the outlying areas there
are 146 miles of single track. of which
56 miles are to be discarded
To Abandon 20 Lines.
In place of the seventy-one separate
lines now operated by twelve different
companies 1t is proposed to discontinue
twenty-six lines. TO establish nine re-
routed lines and to leave thirty-six lines
substantially as they now are. except
that they are to be more efticiently and
intensively operated.
The rerouting plan does not include
any surface lines which are INTERIOR
ough In character. that is. operating
partly In Brooklyn and partly In Queens.
But II is proposed that such INTERIOR
ough surface lines as have been desig-
mated as parts OF the Manhattan sys-
tenn shall operate over some OF the
Brooklyn and Queens trackage In COM
mon with the Brooklyn and Queens lines.
Following Is the list OF the twenty
six Brooklyn lines named for the dis
card, chiefly on the ground the traffie
which they now carry can be better
served either by existing parallel rapid
transit routes or by the rerouting OF
surface lines which are TO survive:
Lines operated by the Brooklyn City
Company-Avenue G, Cypress Hills.
Flatbush avenue shuttle. Greenpoint.
Meeker avenue. Myrtle avenue, Sixteenth
avenue, Sixty-hfth street-Bay Ridge
avenue. Grand street shuttle. Sixty-fifth
street-Fort Hamilton avenue. Tompkins
avenue and Union avenue.
Operated by the Brooklyn Heights
observation-disclosures street
Operated by the Brooklyn, Queens
County and Suburban Railroad Com
pany-Broadway Ferry shuttle. Reid
avenue and Fulton-Crescent street.
Operated by the Coney Island and
Brooklyn receiver-Smith street.
Operated by the Nassau Electric re-
ceiver-Eighth avenue. Fifteenth street,
New Lots avenue, Ocean avenue, Sixty
fifth street Eighty-sixth street, st. Johns
place, Union street and West End.
Operated by the South Brooklyn Rail-
road Company--Gravesend avenue.
Lines to BE Reronted.
Irrespective of rerouting, which is
likely to result from further study.
elimination of the twenty-six lines above
listed. Mr.. Turner said, will require GER
tain substituted service. He proposed
TO achieve this by rerouting the follow
ing nine Brooklyn lines--Court street.
Fifth avenue. Flatbush avenue Flush
jng-Ridgewood. Grand street. Hamilton
Ferry. Sumner avenue, Utica avenue
and Wilson avenue.
Mr.. Turner testified that the number
of revenue passengers carried In Brook
lyn and Queens In 1921 was s27.00V,.
400. which represented "a per cent. of
the total carried In the entire city. The
surface lines In Brooklyn and Queens
carried 470 O00. 900. on the surface lines
hc testified the number Of transfers
issued sIumped from 1876 900. 900 TO a.,
100000 annually, this dlminution being
the measure OF the disintegration OF the
surface systems.
In his discussion or the probable eco
nomic effects Of the reorganization Mr..
Turner said chat on the Brooklyn and
Queens surface systems combined the
total 1921 car mileage amounted TO
54.s50.000 This would be reduced ap-
proxlmately IA per cent, to i72s5,oo0,
under the proposed rerouting Such 4
reduction. he thought. should enable
these lines, which now are operating
under a deficit per car mile of 7.S cents.
TO break nearly even.
At the close OF the examination Chair
man George McAneny. who, with Conn
missioner 10 Roy T. Harkness, con-
Quoted the session. said
"1t should be understood publicly that
any definite action taken In the matter
OF rerouting will be made the subject
OF public hearings"
Adjournment OF further discussion Of
the Brooklyn plan was taken 70 next
Monday. March 6. at 2 7. ". Consd-
sration Of tho attitude OF the railroad
companies toward the tentative valua-
tions placed upon their properties by
the commissions experts viii SO over
until the day following at the same
hour
William A. De Ford. special counsel
10 the city IN connection with the re-
organization plan Of the Transit Conn
mission. denied last night the declars
tons he had approved the bill OF the
commission for the amendment OF the
transit act. lie had never seen the bin.
he said.