The New York herald., 1922-05-03

suits would have SHOWN consiuerdpie
fiuotuatlon OF the traffic and large
diminution in the loads at succeeding
stations.
whichever set OF counts--the COM
missions OF the oompany's--is consid-
cred the need for large Increases in the
service is apparent. For non-rush hour
service there is ample equipment. IT Is
merely a matter OF making greater use
OF existing facilities In the rush hours.
at the peak. the track capacity is very
nearly il not quite reached The most
that can be done at the height of the
peak is possibly to PUT in a very linn
tied number Of additional trains.
wroward the beginning and end OF the
rush periods material relief can be given
by operating more Grains But with the
number OF cars the company now has It
Is possible to supply the most intensive
service only during the peak OF the rush.
AT that time III the cars, except a Few
necessarily in the repair shops, are on
tho road. and the number Is not suf-
ficient to spread out the rush hour SER
vice. The remedy for this, obviously, is
the provision of more cars.
"At present during the non-rush hours
the company generally operates on a
four minute headway, as against two
minutes or less in the rush hours. Aside
desires. and is entitled 10. as short a
hes dway between trains as Is prac-
tioable. Tor large sections of the popu-
iatlon a four minute headway really
means eight minutes, because at the
ends Of the lines the operation Is split.
some cars going to one destination and
some 20 another. For example, the pas.
senger for Brooklyn, If he misses
Brooklyn train at Grand Central station,
would have to wait eight minutes, be-
cause the train which comes In at the
end OF four minutes Is routed to South
Ferry.
CAS- first step 1t is believed that, in
general. the headway in non-rush hours
should be reduced TO three minutes in
stead of four This will make the maxi
mum interval for those going to The
Bronx or Brooklyn six minutes Instead
OF eight This reduced headway. and
the consequently greater number OF
trains operated. should do away largely
with ogercrowding in non-rush hours.
More Trains In Rush Hours.
Intensive studies Of operation indicate
that in the rush hours 1t should be pos.
sible TO get in a few more trains. At
these times every bit OF possible relief
be revised to permit additional service
up to track capacity.
'sI'he need for additional equipment is
admitted. The company, in its Initial
proposal, introduced in evidence during
the hearings, outlined plan whereby
s5o cars would be provided at various
times during the next Ave years. the first
lot of fifty not to be ordered until 1898:
lhis program is impossible-it would
mean. in effect, progressively increasing
congestion.
sThe company claimed, on its part,
that even il 1t had available to-day all
the cars planned for it would have no
place to put them: that the city had
failed to proviue the yards and shops It
was obligated to provide under the oper-
stinr contract. There has been some
discussion about who was responsible for
this condition, whether the operating
conlpany-throush it's request during the
war for dcferring certain construction
worlS-or one or the other OF the agen.
cies acting for the city.
No Time for FauItfindinG.
.There is. however. small profit in at
tempting to go back and assess respon-
sibility for past delay. The important
thing Is to see that there shall be no
unavoidable delay in the future and that
ali concerned cooperate in the completion
OF the necessary yards and shops.
"After carefully considering the
schsdulc for the provision OF additional
eouipfuent the commission has come TO
this conclusion: The company should
be required to order $50 additional cars.
or there, 100 cars should be ordered mt
once for delivery as soon as possible.
JaS ,V,nV m IN
next for delivery as soon thereafter
as possible. 1t should order the ball
ance of 300 cars at date not later than
six months after the delivery OF the
contracts for the construction of the
Jerome avenue yard, the 1S0th street
ward and the 14sth street yards and
shops The 14Sth street work. which in
wolves the construction Of lead track.
will take the longest time-fifteen to
eighteen months.
'vrhe ordering Of the additional zoo
tract is let Will therefore give the COM
pany nine to twelve months within
which to get this equipment. The yards
will be necessary in advance of the
time when IL will be possible 10 put the
new rolling stock on the road, because
a considerable part Of the assembling
and final work on the cars Will have
to be done In the yards.
Tin order TO provide for the 100 cars
to be ordered ht once and on August
certain temporary yard facilities. be-
cause OF pending delays on the main
work, will have to be furnished. Plans
for these temporary structures are week
under way and probably will be finished
within the next two or three weeks.
There is. finally. one other point that
needs consideration in connection with
the provision OF the increased service.
The amount OF Increased service the
commission proposes to order is so SUBJ
stantial that the trained men now avail
able will not be sufficient for operating
the cars and for switching. 1t goes
without saying that the commission win
not consider for o moment subiecting
the travelling public to any risk incident
to unframed crews
ITO carry out the schedule based on
the headway the commission proposes
ordering will require an additional force
of approximately 600 men. Even ex-
all the present reserves. It 10
possible to get az this time only 800 ad-
dtionai men.
1T Is. therefore. necessary to put into
effect the increased service In two stages
the first as soon az necessary operat-
ing schedules can be prepared that will
exhaust the available trained personnel.
and the second as soon as the necessary
additional men can be trained The
company clalms--snd this contention IL
sustained by reports of the commissions
experts--thst an employee before being
allowed TO operate a train should have
three TO four fnonths' ira ine Further