The New York herald., 1922-04-06
SEATS SFOR ALL seen
AS DREAM BY HEDLEY
Transit Commissions Idea
Called Useless Waste
Of Money.
MANY STAND BY CHOICE
No Physical Reason Why
Better Service Cannot
Be Given.
M'ANENY ASSAILS BOARD
Shearn Threatens Mandatory
Orders for I. r. 7. Service
Betterments.
M'ANENY ASSAILS BOARD

LOOK the aVOWeQ position yesterday
that the Transit Commissions new
standard of subway scrvice--a seat
for every passenger except in the
peak of the rush hours-was an ex-
travagant dream. To attempt its
realization. Re testified, would be in
his opinion a waste OF money.
The Interboroughs chief had been
under the cross-examination of Clar-
continued investigation by the com
mission Of inadequate subway service
For more than an hour he lad been
expounding his theory that lot OF
subway passengers are what he has
called preferential standees" and
that it would be indefensible nonsense
10 undertake, even in non-rush hours
to provide seats for express passen-
gers wEo expect ITO ride only for five
or six minutes, from Ninety sixth to
Forty-second street for instance, and
who would rather drape themselves
from strap of the car they first en-
ter than shoulder their way through
to car ahead. where there might be
vacant seats.
Then Mr.. Shearn asked him II he hal
studied the recommendation for a
standard Of service presented by Daniel
J.. Turner. consulting engineer to the
commission.
Smiles at Turner'S Plan.
II looked 1t over. judge" was the re.
ply, "and I smiled when I got through
reading It. 1t sounded a good deal Ike
n dream to me. 1t would be so ex-
travagant, such an utter waste OF any
persons money to undertake that Sc :
vice that / think 1t is a dream. l un-
derstood that 1t prescribed a service sur
ficient to provide q seat for every per-
son during the non-rush hours. and a.
all hours during ths twenty-four when
the maximum number OF cars were no.
In actual operation. l haven't made any
figures TO determine how much money
IT will take TO run the cxtravagant SER
vios to fit that prescription
Mr. Shearn then began to analyze the
dream" Mr.. Hedley said the addi-
tional operating cost per car mile is nov
between eighteen and nineteen cents.
Mr.. Turner. basing his estimates upon
car mile operating cost OF twenty
cents. had proved that the Interborough
could attain his and the commission g
standard OF service by operating .oA0
car mileage additional or ~ per cent.
in excess Of the service now being given
That would cost the company. AT Mr..
Turner's twenty cent rate, S1,600,0o0 q
year. At Mr.. Hedey's figure, eighteen
cents. which he said was nearer the
present actual car mile cost, the reali-
zation OF the dream could be achieved
l,x,t on for 20
According TO Mr.. Hedley's own fore
cast the Interborough. subway division.
for the fiscal year ending June 30 next
will show a net corporate income OF
$3.3sS.00o This. OF course, does not taka
into account payments due md to be-
come due from the Interborough on ac-
count of It's Manhattan elevated lease
and the unprofita BILE elevated division.
Cost OF some Bettermcnts.
All the non-rush hour betternents
needed, the examiner suggested. could
be made effective at cost of less
than one-half of the subway's pros
pective net corporate income for the
current year At the close OF the hear
ing Mr.. Shearn said he thought it peril.
nent to inquire whether the trayelinQ
public is to suffer the present intoler-
able conditions in order that the Infer.
borough may continue to pay pei
cent. or S4.2o0.0O0 a year, interest rental
on the oppressive Manhattan lease
THE commission now has given them
more than a year in which TO straighter
out that tangle," he said. 'If thg
do not succeed In doing so now I think
this commission viii be Justified II
issuing mandatory orders for service
betteTments at a cost OF less than one
half their net corporate income"
At the opening of the session the
examiner called attention to tabulated
results of observations made by the
commissions experts of southbound ex-
press service at the Ninety-sixth street
station OF the Broadway and Seventh
avenue subway II appeared that be.
ginning at a:20 in The morning the hur-
bcr OF trains operating In the twenty
minute period next thereafter was cut
from ten trains to eight. vet there con-
tinued to be overcrowding. as many as
sixty-nine passengers standing in a
car at times.
Mr.. HedIey contended sinluta neou,
obse;-vst stions should have been made
At Seventy-second street. Times Square
and Penn station. This would have
revealed he argued. that mos. passen-
rers were forced to stand only for short
distances.
only Money Is I'm the Way.
'-There Is no physicaf reason why
more trains could not be operated i
We arc going to disregard the cost
Mr.. Hedley answered doztn times.
The cross examination Of Mr.. HedleJ
win be resumed ut 10 80 this morning.
George McAneny, chairman of tn
Transit Commission. wrote letter K
the Board OF Estimate yesterday IL
which he placed suuarely upon that bod,
responsibility for the long delay In com
pieting essential portions of the wori
called for by the dual subway contracts
Forty contracts. covering the construc
tion and equipment or unfinished sec
tiona, he wrote, had been submitted q
the board. together WITH reIuisition
COY the necessary arp optiations.
"During the period or ten month
prlor TO Fcb-uar. . last your boarc
had given It's approval ana voted th'
appropriations III b'it turee ~ ifos'
cases" the letter said. Nineteen Of tn
contracts were reported as having beer
''lost. not having received q majority Q
the whole number OF votes authorize,
TO bo cast" or we're "disapproved.
Fifteen contracts were without sug
gcstion or comment referred back Z
the Transit Commission"