The New York herald., 1922-06-02
| SURFACE Lines SKEPT
in TRANSIT SCHEME
Board Rejects Hylan's
Scrapheap Idea and Urges
Better Service.
u DOUBLES IT'S PRICE
Fixes S103,594,395 as Value
of Its Lines in Man
haitian.
TERMINAL RENT AT ISSUE
Pennsylvania Says Long ISL
and Traffic Has Grown
100000 i'm Three Years.

While Mayor Hylan sees no destiny
for the surface car lines of New York
save the scrapheap, the Transit Com
mission disclosed yesterday what il
conceives to be the future sphere OF
the surface car as factor in the COM
missions plah for unified system
under centralized control.
The commission, with. it's secretary
James B. Walker. presiding. had un-
der investigation service conditions on
the New York Railways, now operated
by their receiver, Job E. Hedges. The
surface lines, in common with the ele-
waited, must be so efficiently and at
tractively operated as to compete sue
cessfully with the subways for the
patronage of TIE short distance rider,
thus relieving the strain upon the un-
derground system pending the build
ing of new subways. That is the
crystallized Judgment of the commits
sion as expressed from tie witness
chair by Edward A. Roberts, its tran
sit bureau chief.
THE main function of the surface
railways under existing conditions" said
Mr.. Roberts. "is to give the best pos
sfble service in order to attract as many
passengers as possible from the over
crowded rapid transit lines to the sur
face lines. II the surface lines increase
their speed. provide more attractive SER
vice and cars and inform the public of
the improved service they are giving
ways passengers habitually using the
rapid transit lines. On the other hand.
II the surface car service is allowed to
deteriorate because of dilapidated equip
ment, slow running time and indiffer-
cnce on the part OF the crews those
short haul passengers are going to the
rapid transit lines. where they will in
crease the present congestion"
Open Cars Take Business.
As the four essentials to satisfactory
surface service Mr.. Roberts named regu-
lar schedules, comfort, maximum, speed
consistent with safety and plenty OF
cars. AS evidence that the public is
susceptible to more attractive condi-
tions he cited the fact, determined by
official observations. that the open sum-
lner cars of the Broadway-Seventh ave.
pue line had taken business in consid-
cradle volume from the parallel Fourth
Madison avenue line. because the latter
operated only closed cars the year
round.
Testimony by the commissions experts
was to the effect that many OF the 1.4H
cars of the New York Railways are now
IN unsanitary condition. but that the
tracks and other equipment. with few
exceptions. are in good shape from an
operating standpoint.
William 0. Smith, supervising inspec-
tor for the commission. presented de-
failed reports of overcrowding at times
on certain OF the lines. notably the Lex
fngton avenue. The most heavily over
loaded of the entire system appeared to
be the Eighth street crosstown line.
where during the fifteen minute period
just before A. NJ on March q the car
loading averaged 337 per cent. That
meant that there were So standees to
the car.
The inquiry will be resumed on June s.
In another hearing. conducted by
Clarence J. Shearn. chief counsel to
the commission, the Manhattan Rail-
way Company, operated under lease by
the Interborough, placed a reproduction
to s10s.594,3s5. This IL in comparison
with the revised tentative appraisal by
the commissions engineers, which ag-
gregates s55.417.949. The property
concerned consists chiefly OF the ele-
waited railway lines OF Manhattan. not
including the extensions and third
tracking, both OF which were financed
by the Interborough after 1t had leased
the Manhattan.
mately double the other the disparity
Is not so great as that between the
s40o.00o,0o0 ASKING price first set up
by the Interborough for its properties
and the s174.000.000 appraisal by the
commission experts.
Long Island Tranic Grows.
Lincoln c. Andrews. chief executive
officer of the Transit Commission. re-
served decision in the application heard
by him In which the Pennsylvania
Transfer and Terminal Railway Com
pany seeks to increase the rental paid
BY the Long Island Railroad Company
for the terminal facilities OF the latter
in the Pennsylvania Station from $240,-
900 to 100000 a year.
Statistics presented by Hobart Raw
son. engineer. showed that in the last
three years Long Island passenger traf-
fc through the Pennsylvania terminal
had increased 6.000.00 while traffic to
and from trains of the Pennsylvania
main lines had decreased 100000. In
1910 the Long Island had 1.442. 900 pas
sengers passing through the station and
the Pennsylvania Railroad had 307.664.
In 1921 the Long Island had 25.915,259
and the Pennsylvania 11,043.102.
The first days operation OF the in
creased subway service ordered by the
Transit Commission shows that stand
ing passengers during the non-rush
hours have been virtually eliminate
Inspectors OF the commission spent yes
terday observing results. which show
that the Increased service is providing
more Accommodations for non-rush
hour travellers than at any time since
the dual system lines were opened
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NEW nus LINE IN BRoOkLYN.
new municipal bus line. over which
huecs will be operated from Utica ave.