The New York herald., 1922-06-18
CAR LINE FIGHTS
BUSES IN ASTORIA
Asks Injunction on Ground Of
Illegal Competition by
Three Cent Fare.

Action was started yesterday in the
Supreme Court. Queens, by Slaughter w.
Huff and Robert G. Lee, receivers OF the
Steinway lines or the New York and
Queens County Railway, In Long Island
City against Mayor Hyian and the other
members of the Board of Estimate. The
complaint also names Grover A. Whalen.
Commissioner of Plant and Structures
and Joseph A. johnson. individually and
doing business under the Arm name OF
Community Bus Lines. The action is
municipal bus line running In Grand
avenue, Astoria. between Second and
Eighteenth avenues.
The defendants were served with no.
tice that on next Wednesday before JUS
tice Harry T. Lewis In the Special Term
of the Queens Supreme Court an appli-
cation would be made for an injunction
restraining the operation.
The Grand avenue bus line was
authorized by the Board Of Estimate on
May rs and Commissioner Whalen was
directed to supervise its operation. A
fare of cents for a single ride or two
rides for 5 cents has peen charged.
In their moving papers the receivers
allege that the buses are marked city
of New York-Departmen of Plant
and Structures" that Commissioner
Whalen has caused employees of the
city In the Department of Plant and
Structures to neglect the work for
which they have been employed and has
directed them TO supervise the operation
of this bus line and that it's operation
Is a deception and a fraud upon the
public. because the city is not actually
operating the line. but It is being oper-
ated by individuals whose names are not
disclosed.
1t is also charged that the operation
of the bus line competes with the Broad
way line. the Flushing avenue line and
the Steinway avenue line, which are
under the direction Of the receivers and
on which a five cent fare is charged
The receivers declare that all the pas
sengers who now ride on the buses would
otherwise use the trolley cars and pay
five cent fare. The loss of this in
come. the receivers say, Is working upon
them an irreparahle damage.
Petitions are being prepared for the
establishment of bus line from Flush
ing to the Queensboro Bridge plaza in
Long Island City to offset the extra fare
charged for the same distance by the
New York and Queens Railway Com
pany and the receivers. If the present
application for an Injunction be granted
1t will stop further action on this pro-
posed line. There are operating at the
present time bus lines from Whitestone
to Flushing and Corona and from Flush
ing to Jamaica In competition with lines
of the New York and Queens County
Railway Company.
The Broadway Association has asked
the Transit Commission to improve
facilities in the Interborough subway
at Fifty-ninth street and Broadway.
Entrances at the south side Of Column
bus Circle are sought. The association
says:
Since the present station was built.
many large office and apartment build
ings have transformed the locality into
an important business center, and de-
velopments in Eighth avenue, Fifty
ninth, eighth, and particularly
Fifty-seventh street. have resulted in
creating an intensive business section.
THE next station south of the Circle
! is at Fiftieth street. and the distance
between that entrance and the one at
Fifty-ninth street is greater than at
any other busy center.
Thousands of persons from the large
building, when they use the subway,
must approach the Fifty-ninth street
entrance by crossing the Circle, at a
point where vehicular traffic is more
dense and congested than at any other
| point in New York"