Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-28
81" AGREEMENT At LAST

MOORE UaS DcCH NISc
i to make the concessions necessary to n
negotiation Of a lease for the operation of
the Frankford elevated line by the Philadel-
phia Rapid Transit Company - fortunate
for oil concerned.
The uraft of the lease submitted TO Coun-
Gil yesterday afternoon amply protects the
interests of the city. 1t is more favorable
to the transit company than the lease SUBJ
mitred by the Mayor on his own RESPONSE
bility few weeks ago, and it is more favor
able to the city than the original proposals
Of Mr. Mitten. president of the company.
The rental will start at per cent of the
cost Of the line at the first Of next year. and
wils~be increased l per cent a year until 1t
reaches per cent. The lease includes the
Bustleton surface line as well as the ele.
waited line to Frankford, and the company
1a allowed to divide the Bustleton line into
two fare zones. The city Is to turn both
surface and elevated lines over adequately
equipped with cars so that the transit COM
pany will not have to buy any rolling stock.
" Council is expected to approve the lease
with the least possible delay, and the Mayor
will, of course. sign it, as he has agreed to
fits terms in advance. If the ears are to be
in operation on November ). the date fixed,
It will be necessary to expedite the execu-
tion of the papers. But only the legal
formalities of approval remain, this should
not take much time.
The ending of the deadlock which has ex-
listed for several years should mark the be-
ginning of definite policy of transit extern
sion. The Frankford and Busteton lines
IN operation will relieve the people living in
the northeastern part of the city. They will
attract tens of thousands of new residents
10 that district and will add to the con-
venience of the residents in other districts
whose business takes them into the district
to be served. If the Frankford people do
not send a delegation to the City Hall to
thank Sthe Mayor for withdrawing the propO-
sitiQns which he has been making it will not
be because such q demonstration is not jus.
titled, by the facts.
But 1t should not be forgotten that much
more favorable terms have been obtained
from the rapid transit company than it
offered In the first place. The lease pro-
vides for free transfers from the surface
lines to the elevated which this newspaper
urged months ago. and it provides also for
the operation of through trains from Frank
ford to Sixty ninth street at a single fare,
which this newspaper also urged. In short.
the line Is to be operated as an integral part
of the rapid transit system and travel is to
be developed on it in the same way as it has
been developed on the Market street line in
West Philadelphia. And the city will get
as large financial return out of 1t as it can
reasonably expect under all the circum-
stances.
If the operation of the line shall prove
more profitable than is now anticipated. the
lease can be revised at the end of five years
and the leases for such new lines aS are to
he built in the future can provide for such
rental as the experience with the FrankiorG
line shall seem to justify.
We are now in fair way to have the
transit facilities extended SO as to accom-
mOdate the passengers who will crowd the
ears In 1926 when the city will be filed
with visitors to the Seslui- Centennial FAIR
and to accommodate the Rapidly increasing
population that is now finding the existing
facilities inadeUuate