New-York tribune., 1922-10-12
McAneny Will
Grant Permits
To Bus Lines
Commission Will Approve
Franchises; Continued
Service Rests With Hylan
and Board of Estimate
Wants to Protect Public
Against Stopping Operations
Because of the Mayors
Dislike of Legal Term

George McAneny, chairman of the
Transit Commission, said last night
that the commission promptly will
grant certificate of approval in every
proper case if the operators Of the
existing bus lines, illegally authorized
by the Board of Estimate, will make
applications in good faith for permits
he added that if the operation of the
busses is discontinued the responsi.
bility will be upon the Mayor and
the Board Of Estimate.
elf the Mayor" said Chairman Nc
Aneny, would subject 100000 persons
to hardship and inconvenience merely
because he does not like the correct
legal term that would be given to the
very permits under which the present
operators are running buses that is
his own affair. But he should not be-
cloud the issue. The fact that the
busses can be operated legally if he
says so and for periods of time as
short as he likes is as clear as day.
Permits Revokable
THE Mayor says that reliable oper-
ators would not take franchises for
six months. That is Immediately dis
proved by the fact that the presea
operators are licensed only from day
TO day Their permits are revocgblc
at any time. They certainly must be
making money or they would not run.
Why shouldn't they want to keep if
up?
1T is true that they have been fay-
ored. Legal franchises would require
tnem to pay over part of their prof
It's to the city by way of rental. Tha
Fifth Avenue Coach Company paid last
year more than 100000 The; ais,
would be required to put up 2 bond
protecting the city from liability in
case of accidents, or from other finan.
cial loss, and they would have to sub
NIT to legal supervision of their opera
ton by public authorities, as other
tfansporseuon companies do. But
enese az conditions that ought to be
accepted as a matter of course
some Of these lines have been rur-
tag ning Ior three years and under their
emergency permits have not paid n
cent to the city. On the contrary. the
city has paid out money for them. and
the Mayor refers to the 'tremend GUS
potential value of their rights. IF
they are required to get franchise ner-
mlts from the Board Of Estimate and
the Transit Commission tffey would
have to account for their earnings: hut
why should they not? If their returns
show that the Mayor has been iusti-
he'd in giving them their rights for
nothing, that fact would appear upon
the Ming of their applications and
they might be treated accordingly.
Will Protect Public
"The Transit Commission naturally
proposes to do all that it can do. inde-
pendently, to protect the bus riders
whose facilities the Mayor proposes to
sacrifice. doubt whether any one
of those who uses the busses, law
abiding as most citizens are, would
join the Mayor in any effort further
to resist the law. For more than two
years the courts, in repeated instances.
have declared the Mayors bus permits
to be illegal. The full service required
can be readily continued in a legal
manner. There need be no Interrupt
tion at all.
THE statement attributed by the
Mayor to the Governor, that the lines
can be run despite the courts, was,
of course, not correct. AS | read the
Governors letter--and it is plain-he
said that the court undoubtedly would
grant a stay of it's action against un-
lawful operation if there is evidence
Of bona fide intention on the part of
the Mayor and his associates to grant
the lawful permits that it requires. If
there is no such intention, the bus
riders in time will suffer. They will
not, however, if the Transit Commits
sion caN helm it \