RECORD AND  GUIDE
 

January 30, 1904,
 

velopment within the territory proposed to be erected into a
county has created a practical necessity for local county govern¬
ment and machinery, and there is immediate need of relief to
the residents and taxpayers therein, by the holding of a session
or sessions of the Supreme Court having jurisdiction over the
trials and causes of action arising therein. Ae is well known,
the present delays by reason of the congestion of litigated busi¬
ness in 'the present county of New York, jury trials are not
reached on the calendar until over three years after issue is
joined. Cases of local litigants are now arranged with the cases
of litigants in the Borough of Manhattan, and the calendars over¬
burdened as Ihey are, prevent a speedy disposition of litigation.
MINORITT VIEWS.

Mr. Guernsey reported that the greatest and most important
obstacle to forming a new county is the disposition of the in¬
debtedness of the County of New Tork and that of the greater
city.     He added:                                                               ,              .   ,-i,

"The matter to be considered is the apportionment of the pres¬
ent indebtedness contracted and assumed by the City of New
York. How can it be done by legislation or by constitutional
amendment? If the basis of it should be upon the proportion
to the assessed value of the real estate in the respective boroughs
or otherwise, the bondholders could have something to say about
it. How can the statutory pledges for the sinking fund from all
sources and by Croton water rents, markets and docks, etc., be
apportioned and provided for to pay the respective bonds issued
for the beneflt and improvement of each class? And how should
it be apportioned in the future? What portion should be as¬
sumed by each county?

"The flnancial situation that relates to the County of New York
will be the bond that will prevent it from being torn asunder to
make two or more counties, or to mak^ a separate State of the
Cily of New York, which we often hear idly suggested. The Con¬
stitution of the United States must be regarded in such mat¬
ters."

The majority report was adopted by the Alliance.   The Ear As¬
sociation of the Bronx is drafting a bill for the Legislature, pro¬
viding for the erection of a separate county.
MR. DAVIES' POSITION.

At the January meeting of the North Side Board of Trade, a
letter was read from Mr, J. Clarence Davies, protesting in his
own behalf and in behalf of a number of other members against
the attitude taken by the Board in recommending that Bronx
Borough be made a separate county.    The letter said in part:

"I have read attentively all papers and reports regarding this
movement, have talked with numbers of business men, owners
of real estate, and others interested in the Bronx, and neither
they nor I have heen able to find one substantial reason why
changing the Bronx to a county would be of the slightest
benefit; and on the contrary I can only see that it would result
in severely hurling, rather than helping, the district.

"The whole policy is a radical departure from that which we
have pursued for the last thirty years. It has been our constant
effort to make ourselves a part of the county and city of New
Tork, to obtain all the advantages which accrue to being a part
of a great and wealthy county, such as low taxes, low interest
on bonds issued, and all improvements which ample money can
afford to park improvements, street improvements and widening,
and many other things too numerous to mention, which require
large issues of bonds at low rates of interest, our whole effort
being directed to nestling as close as we possibly could under
the wing of New Tork County, and proud of the fact that we
were a part of New York County, the greatest county in the
United Stales, with its enormous wealth, and enormous amount
of capital for investment; and lo the very fact that we were part
of New York County Is due the solidity of our real estate values,
and that is why it can be readily sold, and why we can borrow
money on It; why institutes, banks and trustees will loan money
in the Bronx, is because it is a part of New Tork County,

"It is stated that persons desiring to record papers should not
be compelled to go down town. It is a well-known fact that 90
per cent, of the investors and owners of Bronx real estate and
mortgages are people who live and do business down town, their
lawyers are down town, their banks are down town, and the peo¬
ple they sell to and buy from are down town,

"Should they be compelled to come up town, and if they do,
do you think they will regard Bronx realty a better investment
on that account? Are not, as a fact, 90 per cent, of our lawyers,
real estate brokers and business men's offices down town, be¬
cause there is where the business is, there is the market, for
there Is where they have to do the business, and making a
county of the Bronx will not change It.

"They say that jurors and witnesses should not be compelled
to go so far to court; hut, do not people have to go from Marble
Hiil and Washington Heights and Harlem to the court house
at City Hall; therefore, should Marble Hill be a separate county?
Washington Heights a separate county, and Harlem a separate
county? If the court house waa at 161st street and 3d avenue,
Westchester village, WilHamshridge and Riverdale should also
be separate counties, because it is so far to go to the court house.
Are not people in the many counties of New Tork State com¬
pelled to go twenty, thirty and fifty miles to the county seat?

"Would the taxes of the county be lower? The taxes, in the
opinion  of   fair-minded people, would   be   higher, with county
 

buildings to be built, with separate county courts, officers, clerks
and officeholders to support. Where is the benefit? I frankly
own I can see absolutely none, except, perhaps, to a few of our
legal lights with higher ambitions, to our officeholders and our
politicians; and I doubt very much if the business men and
property owners are prepared to Jeopardize the interest of the
Bronx in their behalf."
 

Proposed Route of the New York,   West¬
chester & Boston Railroad.

Three companies are now striving for the privilege of building
a first class electric railroad to Portchester, the latest entry
being the New Tork, Westchester and Boston, which has resur¬
rected an old certificate which, it claims, gives it the right to
construct without obtaining further consent; but, nevertheless,
the company has applied to the Board of Aldermen for a new
permit. For the moment at least this revived candidate is the
liveliest rival of the New York and Portchester Railroad Com¬
pany, which has had an application before the Railroad Com¬
mittee of the Board of Aldermen for a number of months. The
other company, the New York and Westchester, was recently de¬
feated before the State Railroad Commissioners in opposing the
issuance of a certificate to the New Tork and Portchester, and
since then has not been publicly heard from.

As the New York, Westchester & Boston appears to be in
hands financially strong, it has obtained the confidence of the
Aldermanic Railroad Committee, and at the present moment Is
the company most likely to receive official sanction and the most
likely to be built, George S. Graham, of Philadelphia, who is
counsel for William L. Elkins, has told the Aldermen that he rep¬
resents the financial backers of the road, and that they were
above question so far as integrity and financial status were
concerned. Dick & Robinson, No. 30 Broad st, have notified the
committee that they are ready with $13,000,000 to guarantee the
construction of the road. The residents of the Bronx are In¬
different as to which company builds, but are anxious that some
one of them shall get to work quickly.

The route selected by the New Tork, Westchester & Boston
for its main line resembles closely the line of the New Tork and
Portchester, but it also a branch which starts at Baychester
and runs through Wakefield, Mount Vernon, Alameda Park,
Fairview Park, Tuckahoe, Arthur Manor and Scarsdale to White
Plains, and another branch line beginning near the southeast
corner of Bronx Park and running southeasterly to the East
River at Clason's Point, thence northerly and crossing Westches¬
ter Creek to Ferris av; thence northeasterly and approximately
parallel to the east shore line of the East river to and across
Fort Schuyler road; thence easterly and southeasterly to and
around a loop on Throgg's Neck.

The specified routes have a fascinating appearance for many
suburban towns; they appeal to more communities than the other
roads; and at the same time will provoke more opposition from
competing interests. Within the limits of the City of New Tork
the main line, which is to have four tracks, will cross the follow¬
ing streets, either above or below grade:

Beginning at a point near the intersection of the westerly line
of Lincoln av and the north shore line of the Harlem river;
thence running northerly diagonally across Lincoln av to near
the intersection of the easterly line of Lincoln av wilh the north¬
erly of E. 143d st; thence running easterly crossing Alexander
av and Willis av, between the Southern Boulevard and E. 132d st
to a point near the intersection of the easterly line of Willis av,
with the northerly line of 132d st in the Borough of The Bronx;
thence running easterly to and crossing Brown pl, Brook av and
St. Ann's av to the easterly line of Sl. Ann's av, between E. 132d
st and the Southern Boulevard with a branch line to form a loop,
leaving the main line at or near the easterly side of Willis av
and running thence to and across the Southern Boulevard at or
near the Intersection of the same with Willis av, thence running
easterly between the Southern Boulevard and E. 134lh st and
crossing Brown pi, Brook av and St. Ann's av and the Southern
Boulevard to join the main line at or near the easterly line of
St. Ann's av, with an Intervening connecting line crossing the
Southern Boulevard between Willis av and Brown place; said
main line running thence, from the said point of intersection at
or near the easterly line of St. Ann's av in a northeasterly direc¬
tion approximately parallel to the Southern Boulevard to a junc¬
tion with Whitlock av and crossing Cypress av, E. 133d st, E,
134th st, E. 135th st, E, ISGth. E. 137th sl. Willow av, E. 13Sth
st, E. 139th st, E. 140th st, E. 141st st, all between the easterly
side of the Southern Boulevard and the westerly side of the ave¬
nue or avenues lying next to the eastward of the said Southern
Boulevard; thence northerly and crossing the Southern Boule¬
vard or a part thereof. E. 142d st and Whitlock av or a part
thereof, and thence running northerly, approximately parallel to
Whitlock av to its intersection with Westchester av, running be¬
tween Austin pl and Whitlock av, the Southern Boulevard and
Whitlock av and Longfellow st and Whitlock av, and crossing
E. 143d st or St, Mary's pi to St. Joseph's st, E. 149th st, Austin
pl, Timpson pl, Legget av. Craven av, Longwood av, Lafayette
av. Tiffany st, Barretto st. Hunt's Point rd. Hoe st. Faille st,
Bryant st, Longfellow st. Aldus st, Guttenberg sl; thence cross¬
ing Westchester av. Home st. Freeman st, Boone st. West Farms