Year: 1879

By TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD
ALBANY. N Y, March 10, 1870.
The Assembly Committee on Railroads gave hear
ing this afternoon upon the several bills which have
been introduced in the Assembly relative the New
York elevated railroads. There are seven of these
bills before the committee most Of which are
in the interests of the convenience and safety
of passengers passing the elevated roads.
| Mr.. David Dudley Field appeared in behalf Of
the New York Elevated Railroad. and made the
principal arguments against the bills. He first di-
rected his attention to Mr.. Galvns bill, the pro-
visions Of which make it the duty of the Railroad
Commissioners to devise plan by which transfer
tickets issued by an elevated railroad company may
be used and taken in payment of fares by any horse
railroad and to fix equitable rate Of compensation
to be paid by the elevated to the horse railroads.
Mr.. Field said that the effect of such bill
would be to place the elevated corporations
at the mercy of the horse railroads. The
elevated roads carry passengers eight and half
miles for ten cents fare and for four hours of the
day at Ave cents. This q smaller fare than any
other in the world. and if it proposed to compel
the road to issue transfer tickets and lessen it still
| more it would be impossbility for the roads to
succeed financially. He thought that the committee
would not entertain the proposition for moment
TRAINS.


Mr. Field was more strenuous upon another bill,
introduced by Mr. Calvin, which relates to cheaper
fares upon the elevated roads, This bill provides in
its first section that the time of running tho
mission trains" shall be extended to from
five to nine A. NJ. and from four to eight P. NJ and
that shall be upon every train during oil
hours of the day upon which five cont fares alone
should be exacted Mr. Field explained to the COM
mittce that tho Rapid Aransit Commits
sioners, after laying out the routes and
fixing the fares exacted from the ele-
waited road companies contract by
which the latter were compelled to run tho "com-
mission trains" two hours in the morning and two
in the evening. That valid contract. and whe
the State may have the right to violate such con-
tract he did not believe it policy for the to
do SO. The problem of cheap fares did not enter
into the consideration Of this BILL 1t was better for
the elevated companies to at low fares
so long they could be made remuncrative,
but the companies had been at an enormous expense
in the construction of their roads. and they must
experiment with the present rates before they
know whether the fares could be lowered. That the
roads were in favor Of low fares shown by the
| fact that the New York company is authorized to
charge seventeen cents from the Battery to River
street when in fact they really charged but cents
QUESTION OF HAVING TWO CLASSES OF PASSENGERS.
The railroad commissioners had created this diff
| Guilty when they established the running of the
! commission trains" They had provided that
saloon might be run upon these trains con-





| the saloon cars might be occupied by the fve-cent
fares The result that the saloon cars wero
were put to great inconvenience and danger Mr. Field
said that bill would be presented to this Legislature
before adjournment % asking for the privilege of
mission trains. and at the same time keep the two
classes separate Mr. Field said in reference to the
financial effect of the bill under consideration
that since the New York Elevated Road
was built the income to the road from fve
cent fares was but 20 7-l00 per cent of
|
ten cent passengers constituted fortysx per cent of
the whole number Of passengers carried over the
road in the same time. He said that the company
had been compelled 70 provide large amount Of
extra rolling stock and additional help, which
the day. He thought it would be much better to
leave the company alone. as it had already shown
disposition to reduce the fares.


| CLEANING STREETS.
Upon the second section Of the bill. which pro-
hibits the company from washing. cleaning. repair
| not in use, Mr.. Field said that the company had
been compelled to wash and store their upon the
| track because they were urged to commence the
running of the before they really ready to
do so. The consequence was that the com
place for storing and washing. He authorized
to say that the company had about completed their
| building which was to be used for these purposes
and that further Inconvenience from these causes
| should be experienced. However there some
places at South ferry at the sdings Hanover
and il this bill should pass you might we'll
legslate that there shah be no rapid transit





| Mr.. Ackerman's bin which conipes the elevated
railroad companies to provide ladder for each car
accident. was next considered. Mr.. Field said that
the Legislature might we'll pass law compelling
the companyso put straps in the cars for the
fence of ladies' The elevated roads will do everything
In their power to make their convenient. but 1t
| won't help the matter any TO crowd the company.
They won't be taught how to make their roads con-
| venicnt by Legislative bills. The directors had
erted themselves to their utmost 10 place their roads
In good condition. They had accomplished wonders
N IN tbeyh M ciguUp and "a mot
right to compel them to come to Albany every week
to talk about little matters which experience would
| adjust


The bill introduced by Mr.. Bradley OF wcstchcster
provides that elevated railroad sail its tracks
any other elevated railroad the grade.
nor use the track OF any other railroad: Mr.. Field
expressed IL as his opinion that this bill should be-
yated roads in New York whether they should ever
| be allowed to run upon the same track He
thought that they should not What was to be
| done at Chatham square he did not know. II
| an engineering problem beyond his comprehension,
and deserved the most careful attention. In conclu
| sion Mr. Field summed up his remarks by saying
that the law under which the elevated roads were
| run had this provision THAT the company should
pay i've per cent of it's net income to the city for the
permanent Improvement Of tho streets in which tho
| roads are run. The Legislature cannot impose any
additional obligations upon the roads without vio
latinp this clause In the contract He thought the
| Legislature should pause and reflect before taking
| this step.


ADVOCATES OF Low FARES.


Assemblyman Calvin appeared before the commit
tee in support of his bill providing for the extension
or tile time Tor running 'commission trains. lie
said that IL was we'll known that when rapid transit
was first introduced IL claimed that relief would
be brought to the overcrowded tenement houses.
Rapid transit ii fixed tact and the roads
built, not Tor the rich but tor the poor II for
the committee TO say whether the poor people
should be benefited by It. IL the bill should
become law at least hundred and fifty thousand
| passengers would the roads daily. Many thou
sands who had left the city would return, because
| thcy could obtain decent homes within easy reach OF
the city. Mr.. Calvin said that IL admitted tnat
| the HrR.Lp had done more than any other agency
| to make rapid transit what IL He then
read the editorial comments OF the HERALD favoring
| the passage Of such measure, and said that IL
| would not put the roads TO additional expense
but would increase their revenues. The great lucs
tion of the day In New York "how shall we re-
| lievc the tenement house." II fares upon the ele
vated roads be reduced, his bill provides, the
| question would be solved. The poor people would