Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-11
STREET RAILROADS IN EUROPE.
The Municipal Control Abroad Com.
pared with Home Management.

To the Editor Of THE EvExns srAn;
notice in the STAR Of the 7th the statement
that the rails Of the Liverpool trsmways are
like those used on the lexington road in this
CITY, That il not strictly correct, for, while the
body is grooved rail Of the general shape Of
those used here, they are provided with . de-
tachable top rail, also grooved, and which h
secured TO the body rail by aluminium bronze
screws, which do not corrode or rust fast, 90
that whenever 1t il necessary to repair the
track the top rails only are removed, without In
the least disturbing the pavement, whereas
with the grooved rails being put down here,
the whole thing rails and pavement, will have
to be torn up whenever repairs are necessary.
The fact is that, notwithstanding our Boosting
Of American enterprise and ingenuity, these
and all similar matters are Tar better managed
there than with us--due in part. no doubt, to
the greater abundance Of capital seeking in
vestment, but still more to the fact that all such
matters there are under strict control of the
municipal authorities, who see that the inter-
ests of the public are fully protected. Char
tiers are not granted free there, a. with US, nor
are the companies allowed to run the cars as
they please.
In many Of their cities, as in Liverpool, the
municipality owns the tramways, gas works,
electric light plants and the water works; and
where privileges are granted to companies for
tons. For instance, in Berlin the city re-
ceiyed from the tramway companies an income
of million dollars in 1885, Besides this the
companies are compelled to keep the streets
which they use in thorough repair, and they
are not allowed to take on any more passengers
than they can seat. In Vienna the company
binds itself to pay into the city treasury aspeci-
fed annual sum, in proportion to the length Of
Its tracks; to carry only a specified number
of passengers on car and to 80 at certain
speed; to adopt improvements recommended
by the common council; to keep clean ana in
constant repair a certain part Of each street
through which their lines run and to pay /
form annually into the citys poor fnnd for
each seat in its cars in use. In addition 10 all
this the city retains the option Of taking pos
session Of the road at the end Of thirty-fve
years or having the tracks removed and the
streets restored to their original condition at
the company's expense. For the privilege of
entering into such q contract the company was
required to deposit with the city 800, 900 forms
as guaranty for the strict compliance with the
above conditions.
Compare this with the way our roads are
managed here, particularly the F-street line,
on which there are not more than half enough
cars to accommodate the public, especially
from to 9 am. and 4 to pm. There Is not
a day during those hours that the cars are not
and women alike being compelled to stand and
crowd those seated, while on the outside they
hang on like bees at swarming time.
The trouble is that with us, more especially
at the present day, everything seems to be
turned over to chartered monopolies to man.
age as they please, and Of course all they care
for is to get the largest possible dividend out
of the public with the least possible invest
ment OF capital. 1t is the legitimate result of
the political doctrine that the government,
national or municipal, must never touch any
thing that can be done by private enterprise, as
though private enterprise cared anything for the
public but to make ell it can out Of it. Euro
pean cities have outgrown this fallacious idea,
as no doubt we will in time. The true doc
trine on this subject is that announced by
the committee of the New York legislature
in their report on the gas investigation
that corporations deriving their existence and
power from the public for the purpose of
providing the common necessities of life, such
as light, water and transportation, ought to be
compelled to serve the public well and cheaply.
No to do this is to turn against the people the
power derived from themselves" It is a very
remarkable fact that, while in the monarchical
countries of Europe these matters are all I'M
der the control of the citizens, here at the
national capital of the great republic the citi-
zens have no control whatever of them, nor the
District authorities either, to any considerable
axtant w n