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Real estate record and builders' guide: v. 45, no. 1141: January 25, 1890

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January 25, 18S0 P.ecord and Guide. 109 ^^ ESTfcBUSHED-^MARpHaii-^iesa.' Dented to Rf\L Estate . BuiLoif/c A|f,ct(iTECTji^E .HousEtJoui DEGORAHott, Bi/sir/ESSAfJo Themes ofGEfJEi^llj^icREsT PRICE, PER TEAR IN ADTAIVCE, SIX DOLLARS Published every Saturday. TELEPHONE, - - . JOHN 370. ScmmuiilGatloiis sbould be addressed to C. W. SWEET. 191 Broadway. /. T. LINDSEY, Business Manager. Vol. XLV. JANUARY 25, 1890. No. 1,141. The bill Jintroduced by Senator Fassett at Albany is the first thoroughly satisfactory measure of a general character that has been brought forward to enable this city to provide itself with adequate rapid transit facilities. The bill should be passed in both Houses without delay and receive the signature of the Governor. Political criticism, the criticism of persons with financial or other interests at stake, the criticism of cranks and the host that have hitherto arisen and opposed for one reason or another every rapid transit measure hitherto proposed should, during the consideration of the bill, absolutely not be tolerated for an instant. For in the main this bill is a good one. Under existing circumstances it is probably the best the city could possibly get. We believe it covers no " scheme." It recognizes with a degree of fairness all political claims for consideration. Its provisions are ample for the most comprehensive scheme of rapid transit. It cares for the rights of the city, of property-owners and passengers. It recognizes the interest of the present elevated roads, and protects not only the public paiks, but streets such as Sth avenue, Madison avenue, Broadway below 33d street, and other thoroughfares which the people of this city desire should remain unobstructed. The powers it confers on the commission are undoubtedly extensive, but no more so than is necessary for quick and effective action. The character of the commission named is satisfactory, and the checks imposed are, on the whole, sufficient. The bill seems to have been drawn with great cai-e and will stand all honest and reasonable criticism. The Real Estate Exchange should look after this bill, and every citizen should carefully watch its progi-ess through the Legislature. One featui-e of the measure is commend¬ able, viz, that providing for the termination of any franchise and its return again to the city. At last there is indication that the press is coming around to a sensible view of the true position which the Manhattan road occu¬ pies in the rapid transit difficulty. Hitherto it has danced to the demagogic piping about "monopoly," because it supposed it tickled its readers; and in and out of season it cried for all and every obstruction that could be devised to prevent the Man¬ hattan road improving its service ; oblivious of the all important fact which The Record and Guide alone has been for years insist¬ ing on, that through the Manhattan Company, and through the Manhattan Company only, could the City of New York obtain any immediate alleviation from the deplorable inadequacy of its rapid transit facilities. Speaking of Senator Fasset's bill, the Tribune at last says : It will allow the Rapid Transit Commission to give authority to the pres¬ ent elevated railways to make certain erfeusions and additions to their lines. A strong defence may be made of this part of the scheme. The necessities cf the city are immediate and serious, aud New York will not he contented to wait until a new company has time to build new lines. Yet there is a grave menace and danger in this section ot the bill. The ■ Commissioners will need all their sagacity, all their judgment, all theii- public spirit, to determine just how much they ought to grant to the Man¬ hattan Elevated Railroad, and how much tbey ought to refuse. Would that otber New York papers.would speak as sensibly. But the commissioners, if they are sensible men, will fiod uo great difficulty in dealing with the elevated roads. They will recognize immediately they set themselves to face the problem before them, which the papers have never done, that New York cannot wait without great loss during the several years that at the lowest calcu¬ lation must necessarily elapse before new lines of rapid transit can be devised and constructed. They will see at once that anything that will improve our present facilities will be to the immense advantage of the public, and while imposing all proper conditions necessary for the protection of the eity, they will permit the Man¬ hattan Company to construct a third track along its lines, which should have been done years ago. They should also allow the company to build the loop it needs at the Battery, so that the delay now incidental to inadequate facilities may be obviated, and a more rapid and continuous service than is possible now established. Unfortunately this will be beyond the power of the commissioners if the bill passes in its present shape,for itespecially stipulates that the commissioners shall have no jm-isdiction over any pubbc park. In this respect the measm-e needs amendment, so that the few feet necessdry for the Battery loop maybe taken. The entire city would be advantaged thereby, and the value or beauty of the park would be impaired to no serious extent. As Mr. Gould has said: "The capacity of a railroad is measured by its terminal facilities, and the Manhattan Railway could easily double its traffic if it had enough room at its terminals fur the rapid handling." Now, this either is a fact or it is not. The truth or falsity of it cau be demonstrated as certainly and as easily as the possibility of printing in au hour 40,000 copies of the Times, Tribune, World, Post, or any other of the papers that at once contradict the statement merely because Jay Gould made it, Thes.L'»ject too seriously aifects the interest and welfare of the city to be treated in this way, or as Mayor Grant treated it on the occasion that the representatives of the Manhattan road approached liim when his rapid transit bill was under discus¬ sion by saying it was impossible even to consider propositions from the Manhattan Company because of public prejudice. This is not the way to deal successfully with serious problems. It is to be hoped that the New York press is at last coming to it s senses in its treatment of the Manhattan Company, and vrill deal with the rapid transit difficulty in a broad, jmbllc spirited way, and not in the shallow, demagogic manner hitherto adopted, and will have the courage to "return" to the position it should always have oc¬ cupied. The principal subject to be discussedat the approaching Builders' National Conventiou, to be held nest week in St. Paul is " an eight hour law." From what we can learn the delegates from the East will support the measure, but it is probable that the delegates from Western cities will oppose it. Whatever the outcome, the dis¬ cussion is sure to be interesting. In approaching the subject it would be well if the delegates would carefully define their posi¬ tion—that is, whether their view of the question is mainly humani¬ tarian or mainly economic; that is, whether they have in mind the moral effect of an eight hour law, or what may be called its financial effect. It is best not to confuse these two. The delegate who is in favor of an eight hour day because it will enable the laborer to be more with his family than is possible to-day, or because it will give him more time to educate himself, advocates the passage of the law from moral considerations; whereas, a delegate like our friend, Mr. Deeves, who is inclined to support the law because there are so many men out of employ¬ ment at present, and tliinks that by shortening the hours of labor all can be given work and greater prosperity insured, looks at the matter chiefiy from an economic point of view. In dealing with the moral side of the matter the question arises, ai-e all laborers so overworked that a general eight-bom- law is needed? Another question also at once suggests itself, win the majority of laborers use tbe hours of leisure to the greater moral advantage of themselves and society than at present. Beyond doubt thousands and thousands of men, women aud childi-en are overworked to-day. On the other hand, it is equally certain that there are thousands wbo would not be morally advantaged by a shorter working day. The vast number of saloons in every large city do not really begin business until the working day is over. It must be said, however, that the improvement that has been made in the condition of the "working classes" all over the world has been attended by a shortening of the excessively long day of labor that used to prevail. Whether the relation between the two is only one of contemporaneousness, or the closer one of cause and effect, and if so to what degree, is not to be answered off hand. Even if we give due consideration to the immense betterment of tbe physical condition of all classes caused by the mechanical progress and the new discoveries of recent times, there is still in all probabihty some improvement to be credited directly to the diminution of the hours of labor. On the economic side, however, we are treading on more certain groimd. At the outset it should be understood that lessening the hours of labor cannot be to the economic advantage of society at large unless thereby the efficiency of labor is increased. We do not say the laborer, but labor, a distinction rarely kept in mind, for it may be that tlie shortening of the hom-s of work would not increase tbe efficiency of the laborer but would of labor generally —that is, a single bricklayer might not be able to set as many bricks in eight hours as in ten; but two men in flve hours each might set more than one mau could in ten hours. If, under these conditions, there should be a large number of uoemployed persons, then manifestly the short term of labor would be to the advantage of society—production would be increased ; though it ia well to observe it would be at the expense of the man who hitherto had previously had full employment. Of course, if he should seek employment for his other five hours either in other trades or in his own the increase in the num¬ ber of those seeking some employment would probably result in a