New-York tribune., 1922-01-28
Mayor Wants Populacc 10
Rise in Anger and Force
Legislature TO Permit
$685. 900, 600 Expenses
Would Scrap Is
Car Lines First
Proposal for 3, 500 Motor
Vehicles Is Discussed
by Board of Estimate

The S25,000,0O0 scheme of tho city
administration TO establish municipal
bus lines in place of the trolley cars
throughout the city came up for CON
s'deratlon yesterday at tho meeting of
the Board Of Estimate Commissioner
Nhalen of the Department of Plant
ana Structures presented supple
mental report outlining 20l proposed
bus routes in all the boroughs except
Richmond, which was reserved for a
separate report, and requesting the ap-
preparation of S25 100000 for the con
struction: equipment and housing of
$500 motor buses.
After long discussion Of the bus
program it was discovered necessary
to obtain legislation to put tho scheme
IN operation. Little hope was expressed
of obtaining the required legislation
from the present Legislature. On
motion OF Comptroller Craig, however,
the Corporation Counsel was instructed
to prepare an enabling bill and have it
ready for introduction IN the Lcgisla-
turc Monday.
Comptroller Craig predicted that the
bill would not pass. but nevertheless
said it would be we'll TO get tho legs-
lation on record. 1t WAS up to the
people to do the rest, he said, "to elect
legislators who will stand up for the
rights Of the city against the state
crowd"
Ten Million in Ten Days
The Mayor added hopeful note at
this point.
''lf the courts would decide that we
have the right" he said, "wc would
appropriate SlO0O0,O00 for busscs in
ten days. The people should come out
in such numbers as they did on Armis-
tice Day and march TO Albany TO I'm
press the legislators. real display
Of anger on their part would prove very
effective.
Commissioner Whalcn said his re
port was based on the considerable on
that the City of New York requires
the best that can be Mad in the way OF
transportation on and through the pub.
lie streets" The Commissioner declared
that the engineering, traffic and tinan-
cial studies made by his departm
lead incscapably to the conclusions:
THAT the surface railway systems in
this city cannot be rcorganized so as
to render adequate service; that tiv~
discontinuancc of trolley car opera
tion has become absolutely necessary
and that the substitution Of modern,
stable. safe and sanitary motor busscs,
municipality owned and operated. will
give the city the best that can be had
in surface transportation. serve the
convenience and save the time Of the
public, increase the capacity of the
revenues into the city treasury"
The report stated that the public in
tcrcst demanded that the trolley lines
in the city be wiped out. and added that
there were only two plans seriously
advanced for the reorganization of the
trolley service The plan of an ad-
Unstable fare, the so-called barometer
scheme" in the opinion of the COM
missioner "would merely be giving
oxygen to comatose system. stimu-
lating the market in traction issues,
enabling insiders to unload, doubling
fares and postponing for years any
real solution of the city's traction
problem"
Attacks City Purchase Plan
The other plan-to sell the surface
lines to the city according to Com
missioner Whalen. masquerades as
municipal ownership, but it would
merely convert worthless traction is
sues into corporate stock of the City
of New York And hitched to this is
the scheme of private ownership OF
three lines, which would mean that the
traction companies would have then
hands in the taxpayers pockets all the
<timc.'
The commissioner said that the city
could not agree to either plan. lie de
clared that even if the trolley systems
were Something worth acquiring. and
mainta ining," the cost Of acquiring
them would be prohibitive. lie said
il they were purchased by the city
an immediate outlay exceeding the en-
tire capital cost Of the motor bus sys"
tenn would be necessary 10 put these
lines in reasonably good working con.
dition. The commissioner pointed out
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