The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1894-11-18


which, in my judgment, is worthy OF
consideration at the present moment
by the inhabitants OF this city.
The cities of Liverpool, Manchester,
Birmingham, Edinburgi Glasgow, and
others of the cities of Great Britain.
own their street car tracks. and the
city Of London has recently decided to
enter into possession of those in North
and South London. Liverpool owns
fifty miles Of track, which it leases to
private corporation at about $4,000
a mile per annum, the municipality
keeping the tracks in order, and there
exists a strong sentiment In favor Of
the eity's assuming the operation Of
the lines; Manchester has fifty miles
of track, all of which was constructed
by the city. and from which it receives
an annual rental of 100000. the city
keeping the tracks in repair; Birming.
ham owns forty miles of track partly
built by the city, and partly purchased
and reconstructed. These lines are
leased out to companies for twenty-one
years; the companies paying for the
first fourteen years, besides their taxes,
four per cent annually on the gross
cost of construction, including repairs,
and for the remaining seven years. FIVE
per cent annually; Glasgow has thirty
one miles of track, built by the city,
at cost of $l,750,00O. These lines
have been, heretofore, leased; but theI
lease expired this year, and the city
council decided, by a vote of fifty toI
Six to assume the management of the
lines. The accumulation of the sink
ing fund leaves the city burdened with
but one-third of the cost, and the total
rentals have been nearly $2,50O,OO0; Ed
inburg built its lines and leased them.
The lease expires this year, and thel
municipality are expected to assume
the management of them; and Hud-
dlesford, one of the great wooden man,
ufacturing towns of Yorkshire, havlngl
q population Of about $4,000, built and
equipped its own line at cost of s43s,-
900, and has operated them for num-
her Of years. The city borrowed the
money to build with, paying three and
one-half per cent therefor, and charges
its railway department six and one,
quarter per cent, to cover deprecia-
tion, etc. In 1889 the receipts were
s7O.675. and>>the expenditures $4S,795.
leaving the net earnings S21,8SO These
lines are kept up by the cities, and are
built and maintained in such a manner
as not to offer the slightest obstruc-
tion to the passage of vehicles. The
number Of persons to be carried on
each car is limited, thus preventing
the over-crowding SO common in thiA
The authorities also reserve
the right to fix the fares, specify the
number Of trips to be made, etc.. and,
IN fact, maintain a general supervision
over the same. In brief, the authorities
,wn and control the roads, instead OF
he roads owning and controlling the
as is the case in so many
If our cities.
'eem to be owned by private persons,
,r companies; but they produce to thel
ity a revenue of something like $780,
100 annually. In Berlin the surfacel
ransit is in the hands of street-carl
md omnibus company, whose conces>
ions expire in 1911, when its tracks
'ecome the property Of the city In
800 the city derived a revenue Of
Iearly $250,OOO from its percentage on
he company's gross receipts.
The Berlin Rapid Transit system.
urnished by the Stadt-Bahn (City ]
and the Ring-Bahn Circuit
ailway) in connection with the sew,
raj lines terminating in Berlin, is
onsidered the finest and most complete J
n the world. The Stadt-Bahn is four
rack line, nearly nine miles long, rum
ing through the city In an easterly
nd westerly direction, Upon viaduct. 2
mostly Of solid masonry, and
onnects at either end with the Ring
Iuhn, which surrounds the city, sim.
ar to a belt line once proposed to be J
ullt around this city, and effects a
nnction with all the great trunk
mes. Express trains from the most ]
istant parts of Europe are brought
yer these lines, into the heart Of the j
ity; and after midnight, when the j
racks are clear from passenger busi- ,
ess, they are used for freight pur-
oses. These lines are owned and op'
rated by the Prussion state govern
ient
The City of Toronto, in 1891, took
ossession OF its system OF street rail-
Iays. paying about s15OO,OOO therefor. :
he lines were operated about three
lonths by the etty, during which time y
hey netted it something like $4,000
er month. At the end Of that time.
trough some improper influences.
nown only to the parties interested.
he system was purchased by private
New York city and Brooklyn own,
unity, the bridge across East River.
ommonIy called the "Brooklyn
ridge" and on this bridge they main
ain and operate a cable line, ac-
to be the best cable rail-
ray in the world. Millions Of passen-
ers are carried upon 1t yearly; but
be management is 80 nearly perfect,
hat there has never been a serious ac-
ldent thereon, and Its operation has
roved advantageous to those cities,
4 financial way.
Massachusetts has, from the begin.
ing, recognized and adopted the prin-