New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-03-13

wires underground. Another was that the ra'i'
should not az In Berlin, be charged WIN tip'-
trcity. that being deemed an unsafe plah' Inv
company agreed to use wire entirety isoia'o"
from the rails for conductor. A third was mat
the current should at no point be discharged ih'o
,be ground where II would injure the 'eie
proph. telcphone water-pipe and other systems.
The company agreed TO use second inSu'a'''
wire for the return current Finally 1t was re-
oulrcd that In winter the motormcn should be
protected from the cold. And the company
agreed to inclosc the car platforms with glass
screens These agreements were iai'hiun! hep'
by the company and the roads are now. ana lcr
several years have been, in successful opera''o"'
Absolutely nothing appears above the surface
Of the pavement. The tops Of the rails are hiSh
with the surface and at the side or each IL Il
narrow longitudinal slot That Is all
Now. every one Of these superior features OF
tho Rndapest system Is perfectly familiar 10
American electricians, and Is perfectly prae-
ticahlc here Every one, moreover, has beeh
suggested and desired for adoption here let
wo have not one of them. Instead, our cities
are dsfgured and property ana lives are Nv.
stroycd by a hideous overhead system OF i've
wires; water and gas pipes are r'iineu ID! erou""
currents employees are inhumanly exposed !"
Indictment weather; and the death roll III Drooh-
lyn has passed the century marx. why Inv
Brooklyn and other American companies reIuso"
To adopt such system rs that OF budapest TOT
the one reason that it was too costly hoaus
thus built would not pay. And so they iihpoSe'
upon us the present detestablc concerns as 'ne
only system that was practicable from Dusi-
ness point OF view.
That this pretcnce was wllfully and wantonly
| false is easily demonstrated. The Budapest
companv. with all its TOO costly" CONSTRUCTION
nays II paws handsome rental To the city
for the use Of the streets; It pays per cent
dividends yearly to its stockholders; and 1t Is
accommodating large surplus How does IL
manage TO do this. when the Brooklyn com
nanies with their cheap construction. can
scarcely-as they pretend-makc ends meet!
The answer Ia sir.plc: to Brooklyn trolley
manager It may seem mbecilc The Budapest
company has only an honest, bona -lide capital
OF S2OOOOOO That Is all. And every inteili-
gent man knows perfectly we'll that the Brook
lyn companies could have provided as perfeH
n system as that Of Budapest, and could have
made rs large profits, il they also would have
been content with honest profits on an honest
capltal. bul WIN 'h"t wv! WV ~ ..
They wanted 10 make big profits on fictitious
capital Of S3O,OOO,OOO or more that never had
any existence except on paper. That was the
essential feature of their scheme.
When an American citizen looks with adinlra-
ton upon Budapest. and with shame and horror
upon Brooklyn, 1t Is well that he should know
the exact reason Of the contrast between them.
That contrast cxistsa great city Is deiaccd,
public rights are trampled underfoot. property Is
destroyed. lives are sacrificed solely in ORDER
that ring Of monoposts and spectators may
stuff their pockets with big dividends on wa'ered
stock That Is the reason, and there il no other.