The New York herald., 1922-05-17
.HYLAN AND M'ANENY
RENEW TRANSIT TILT
Mayor Charges Dishonesty in
Statement on Bids; Asserts
$34,35O Saving.
AGAIN MISTAKEN REPLY
Transit Chief Says HOldup
Policy Causes 50, ,430 Loss
a Day in Interest.
AGAIN MISTAKEN REPLY

| Mayor Hylan and George McAneny,
chairman of the Transit Commission.
engaged in another tilt yesterday In the
rapid transit jousting.
The Mayor branded the commissions
statement. published yesterday, as "a
characteristic piece of dishonesty and
spoke of "the McAneny folly and I'M
| providence of 1913" The chairman of
the commission later In the day defended
| the honesty of his previous utterance
and again arraigned the Board of Es.i-
mate for "a continuing holdup as part
of consistent policy of obstruction"
| Mayor Hylan said in part:
THE McAneny commission statement
on the new bids on subway contracts
is a characteristic piece Of dishonesty.
On the eight contracts which the conf
mission was forced by the Board Of
Estimate to readvertise the saving Is
S34.350. Evidently the commission is in
different to these savings because 1t is
city money and not their own. Was the
commission interested in favoring par
ticular contractors in persisting in not
readvertising? Any person or body with
even a slight degree Of business judg-
ment would have readvertised for bids
without waiting to be forced to do so.
The McAneny commission refused to do
this until compelled by us. Their at
tempt In public print to nullify the saw
ing thus obtained by setting off against
1t alleged interest items on the total
investment in the entire subway Is sheer
nonsense and humbug
Mayor Charges Stupidity.
These interest charges would run
whether the contracts were advertised
six months ago, to-day or at any time
In the future. and they have no relation
to the prices proposed to be paid for
the work involved in the contracts to
be readvertised. No one knows this
better than McAneny himself. He knows,
for instance, that the readvertising of a
three weeks delivery tie plate contract
occasions no delay when there Is an ou.-
standing and uncompleted three month,
delivery timber contract, to which tim
ber the tie plate must be attached.
"Such delay as accrues, II any, as
matter of final completion of the entire
job, is due solely to the stupidity OF ne
commission in not acting upon what was
common knowledge, that prices had
fallen and that new bids were. therefore.
in ORDER
"The Mayor is again mistaken" said
Mr.. McAneny in reply. ION the eight
contracts for track work for the Four
teehth street Eastern District subway.
on which the Transit Commission took
new bids after they had been returned
to it by the Board OF Estimate. on April
"a, the saving is $1,000 out of total of
SS3.793, or less than per cent.
THE commission has made no state
ment to the effect that the delay upon
| these minor contracts, taken singly, has
resulted In interest losses on the carry
ing of the subway. They are part. how
| ever, of batch of contracts affecting
this work that the Board Of Estimate
had held without warrant or explanation
for eleven months. with the natural re-
suit that the completion and operation
of the subway has been held UP corre-
spending eleven months. Upon this
there has been a continuing interest loss
estimated by the commissions account
ants at $2.430 per day. Until the sub
way IL open for operation. as the
Mayors advisers we'll know. this inter-
est money is charged to the cost of con-
struction. After operation 1t is charged
| to revenue. and the increase in the cost
of construction of the Fourteenth Street
line that these delays have caused Is
dead loss.
The Humorous Side.
THE Mayors statement that business
judgment would have suggested the re-
advertisement of these contracts some
time ago has distinctly humorous side.
At the time that each was originally
sent to the Board of Estimate the figures
at which they had been let were the
lowest that the then market afforded.
If the Board of Estimate really means
that 1t stopped the work to which they
related and withheld action upon them
for the best part of year In order to
get lower bids in the market Of 1922,
rich field is suggested for students Of
economies. AS q matter Of fact, no
mention OF readvertising was made for
many months. a Nothing. in short, oc-
CURED except continuing holdup as
part of consistent policy of obstruc-
ton"
In a letter written by Chairman Nc
Aneny yesterday the responsibility for
delay in building the extension of the B.
r. It's Fourteenth street Eastern Dis
trict line beyond Meserole street, Brook
lyn. to East New York, was placed
squarely upon the Hylan administration.
The letter. addressed to Henry j. Ehr-
mann, secretary of the Associated Sub
way Transit Committees OF Brooklyn.
said that Mayor Hyian himself had
signed a Board of Estimate resolution
in June. 1920. approving an elevated
structure for this part OF the extension
as originally planned, but had said lately
he always favored a subway.
The letter was sent to a transit meet
ing held in Bushwick High School last
right at which Mayor Hylan. Comp
troller Craig and Borough President
Riegelman of Brooklyn spoke against
, the proposed elevated and i'm favor of
subway. Craig challenged the Transit
Commission to mandamus the Board of
Estimate TO supply money for the dual
subway contracts and took fling at the
letters of regret sent by Gov Miller and
Organ.
BrindeII Figures Cited.
The Transit Commission yesterday
continued It's investigation into Inter-
borough valuations. There is a differ
ence OF s225. 900 900 between the cor
porations asking price" for its prop
critics and the appraisal at which the