The New York herald., 1922-08-04
BETTER STREET CAR
SERVICE PROMISED
Transit Board Puts Improve
ments Up to Roads Without
Specific Orders.

Representatives OF sixteen surface car
lines in the Ave borougns appeared be-
fore the Transit Commission yesterday
and accepted proposals made by Gen.
Lincoln @, Apdrews. chief executive Of.
icer. that the responsibility for improved
service ON their lines be placed pri-i
mariiy with tho operators. with the COM
mission maintaining regulatory super
vision.
The operators representatives, inciud-'
Ing several heads of lines. expressed their
willingness TO cooperate with the COM
mission and to improve their service
progressively and az rapidly as financial
conditions permit.
"Due to frequent huctuations Of sched-
ule TO meet changing local and weather
conditions" Gen. Andrews said that the;
commission believed It would bo mex
pedient to issue orders for specific SER:
vice and equipment on the surface car
lines. as has been done in the case OF
the T. r. T. and p. r. T. systems. "It
requires highly skilled and experienced
operating department, from superintcn-
dent TO dispatcher. TO be able. even ap-
proximately. to have the surface cars
on hand when and where they ars
needed" he said.
The representatives also agreed to
meet the Transit Commission once
every month with a view to exchanging
ideas and suggestions looking to gem
eral Improvement in equipment, plant
and schedules.
In opening the joint hearing of tho
sixteen lines. which concluded the long
series Of individual hearings that have
been held by the commission. Chair
man McAneny announced that the mat
ter of regulation of the surface lines
viii proceed in the future under the
direction OF Gen. Andrews.
I'm my Judgment an order prescrib-
ing fixed schedules in the c1se CT the
surface companies would prove handi-;
cap rather than a help to their efficient
operation" Gen. Andrews said. II be-,
lieve that the commission can secure
far better service for the public from
the surface companies by leaving this
responsibility in the first place upon
the operator and holding him to It. and
by setting up proper standards OF SER
vice to be met by progressive steps as
rapidly as the condition of each COM
pany permits.
with the conclusion of the intensive
work done in connection with the valua-
tion department, / shall be able to i'm
augurate reorganization of the work
OF the transit bureau which will ems
able us to keep in closer touch with
the daily work OF the operating COM
panies. 4s
I'VE should thus be able through the
cooperation of the companies TO improve
the details of operation until ultimately
New York may be given street car
service of the sort 1t is entitled TO have
the best in the country. ~~
Generally speaking. during the last
year. the surface car companies have
within tho limits of their financial con-
dition. materially improved the efficienr
cy Of their operation. They have for
the most part endeavored TO give the
best services that they could"
Among the lines represented at tho
hearing was the Staten Island and Mid
land Beach Railway Company which fs
municipality operated by the Department.
OF Plant and Structures. A. c. Codet,-
an engineer of the department, repre-
sented Commissioner Grover Whalen.