The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-16 00:00:00

STREET TRAMWAYS.

An interesting report on the subject of the new com-
mercial rage—street tramways—has been presented to the
Finance and Improvement Committee of the City Com-
missioners of Sewers by their engineer, Mr. Haywood.
Speaking of the prospects of the movement, he
says : The total length of street tramways now
projected in the metropolis is 134 miles. Should
they be authorised they will be but the precursors of
others ; indeed, in the event of any considerable length
of tramway being successful, it_ is probable that within a
few years between two and three hundred miles of tram-
way will be formed within the metropolitan area. No
leading thoroughfare is likely to be without them. Nor is
it likely that they will he confined to London ; for the
towns of England which have large traffic will un-
doubtedly adopt them ; they will perhaps also be laid in
the country to connect districts between which there
is much traffic, whether of goods or persons, and will
certainly be laid for the conveyance of merchandize and
materials to the various railways so that the total length
of tramway throughout the kingdom may, perhaps, within
a few years be reckoned by thousands rather than by
hundreds of miles. It is not absolutely needful that
tramways should be used by omnibuses alone, or that the
traction should be by animal power only ; and should they
succeed as omnibus lines, and be made for the conveyance
of merchandize, the probability is (unpleasant as the
notion may now seem to us) that powers will be sought
to run steam engines upon them, in which case steam
engines dragging omnibuses along the streets seems a
natural consequence. Then Mr. Haywood proceeds
to consider the details of the system. Of the facility of
traction, he says there can be no doubt. With regard
to comfort, the vehicles used in America are easy of
access, lofty., and well ventilated, and if the rails are
well laid, and the carriages are well built, the smooth-
ness of the motion and quickness are much greater.
I have travelled in them in America, Canada, and
many of the largest towns in Europe, and upon the
whole do not doubt that they are, in every sense, more
comfortable conveyances than ordinary omnibuses are ;
but this comfort greatly depends upon the way in which
the rails are laid and the carriages built and regulated, for
if these points be not attended to the jolting and jarring is
very little less than that experienced in omnibuses at the
present time. Each car (I use the American term as it
seems likely to become localised here) will hold at least
double the number of an ordinary omnibus, and it follows,
therefore, that half the present number of vehicles would
suffice for the same number of passengers. As the cars
cannot travel but on their track, they can be easily
avoided by other vehicles, if there is room to do so.
Omnibuses now draw across the most crowded streets to
take up and set down passengers, and thereby obstruct
the traffic ; this cannot take place with the tramway cars,
and upon the whole it may be assumed that from these causes
the vehicular traffic will be partially relieved by
tramways. As to monopoly of the way, Mr.
Haywood says this cannot be said strictly to be the case;
the companies seek the monopoly of a form of wheel to be
used upon the rails, but do not and cannot prevent other
vehicles from running over or on the rails. If the rails
were so laid as practically to prevent other carriages run-
ning over them, a monopoly would then be esta-
blished, but this need not be the case, nor is
it intended to be so. Mr. Haywood thinks
there is no probability that the cars will obstruct the
traffic. He says :—lt will, of course, be very easy for
other vehicles to obstruct the cars maliciously, inasmuch
as the cars cannot leave the trams, but in fair usage of the
highways there will be no more necessity for vehicles
to get in the way of these cars than at the present time
to get in the way of omnibuses ; the cars will and
must pass on their way without needless delay, and
if the other vehiclei do the same no serious obstruc-
tion can ensue. Attempts may be expected to be made
to prove that the cars do obstruct the traffic, but the
fair administration of the law will soon cause them to
cease to do so. Objections, have been raised to the rapi-
dity with which the cars will travel, but, like other vehi-
cles, they may not exceed a safe pace, or the drivers may
be punished ; one thing is certain, they must follow each
other speedily—loitering, nursing and similar devices can-
not take place to the public detriment ; they cannot
delay, or the cars will be close upon each other ; and
therefore upon the average of an ordinary journey there
will be greater speed than that of the present omnibuses,
and the public may be able to calculate the time a journey
will take with greater certainty than they do at present—
results by no means to be slighted. It has been said that
those crossing the roads will not be able to avoid the cars
so readily as they do the present omnibuses ; but running
as the cars must upon a defined track, it willbe manifestly
more easy to cross the roads than it is at the present time
when omnibuses cross and pass each other in all
directions, and at all speeds, at the same moment. The
cars can be stopped as readily as an ordinary omnibus ;
indeed, perhaps in a shorter length ; and if this has not
yet been done there can be no difficulty in applying
mechanical power sufficient to do it. I now come to
the important question of the danger and inconvenience
to the general traffic. The rails laid in London
in 1861 undoubtedly were of such a form as caused
awkward twists to the wheels and the axles of vehicles
which passed over them diagonally, and therefore some
danger was to be apprehended. Those laid down at
Liverpool are, I understand, similar to those intended to
be laid in the City. They are more free from this defect,
but not absolutely so. There is, however, but little cause
to complain of the rails of such tramways as regards
surface form, so long as they are in good condition.
Iron is more slippery than granite, but neither the slipperi-
ness of the iron nor the groove of the rails at Liverpool
have, as far as I can learn, been at present the cause of
appreciable danger to the horses and traffic. If it be
possible to devise a rail by which this objection can be en-
tirely obviated, it has not been done ; but the inconveni-
ence results not so much from the rail itself as from the
consequences incidental to the rail, as will be seen
when the subject of pavements is referred to.
But, coming to the pavement question, Mr. Haywood is
of opinion that there will no saving in wear and tear of
streets in places of much traffic. 'The rest of the report
is devoted to considerations affecting the local authorities,
such as gas-pipe laying, railway construction, &c.

GOVERNMENT LIFE INBURANCES.—At the close
of the year 1869 there were in existence 2,168 contracts,
entered into by the Post Office under the Act of 1864,
for insuring sums payable at death amounting to
£164,392. The capital in the hands of the
National Debt Commissioners in respect of these insu-
rances is stated at £16,711 Three per Cent. stock, and
£BB2 uninvested balance. The transactions of the year
1869 were as follows :-422 new contracts were granted,
insuring payment of £32,671 at death ; the receipts of the
year were £5,045 ; sums amounting to £538 were paid
under ten contracts of insurance. In calculating the
,pre-
miums to be charged the English Life Table, No. 3, for
males," published under the authority of the Registrar-
General for England, is used, the rate of interest being
taken at three per cent.
HELP FOR THE PoOß.—Henry Pownall, the
chairman of the Middlesex magistrates, has issued a
pamphlet advocating some reforms in connection with the
visitation and relief of the poor. He recommends a much
greater distinction to be made in poor-houses between the
aged poor and the able-bodied, and that greater facilities
should be permitted for the relatives and friends of the
former to visit them and bring them presents. Especially
should the visits of benevolent ladies be encouraged.
Their aid in the right management of females is essen-
tial, while their services in reading to the sick and
instructing the young are invaluable. Mr. Pownall shows
by prison statistics that the effect of encouraging such
visits has been to reduce by one-half, the number of
disorderly women sent to gaol from poor-houses. He
also recommends that the poor-rates should be raised
by national taxation in equable proportions, and that
the laws of settlement should be altered. Thus the
whole of a certain midland parish is owned by a M. P. who
employs on his estate 200 men and women who are not
permitted to reside on his land, but in an adjoining parish
whose heavily rated tradesmen and other occupants have
to pay entirely for the expenses of sickness, vice, and old
age of these poor persons, whilst their wealthy neighbour
receives the benefit of their labour in time of health.
Similarly the affluent West End parishes with low rates
enjoy the services of persons who in time of era,
come
am the boyily rated, atrviceing EPA raldore•