The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-02-18

existing lines into the suburbs, and
gradually the mileage in and around the
city has quadrupled. This has been done
by the extension of franchises and the
chartering of auxiliary roads under the
control of the two men. With extension
of mileage has come the introduction of
the transfer system, which has cheaper
ed travel amazingly in this and all the
other large cities of the United States.
This transfer system, by the way, has
grown to be such burden here that the
consolidated companies are thinking of
abolishing it altogether and substituting
a cent for cent fare in compensa-
tion.
Acquiring wealth from their Philadel-
phia properties, whose stock, by the
way, is thoroughly watered, Mr.. Elkins
and Mr.. Widener looked around for new
fields of conquest and hit on Chicago.
They entered into combination with
Charles T. Yerkes of that city, and by
purchase came into possession of the
North Chicago and West Chicago Street
Railway companies. They have interests
also in other Chicago roads, and they
are said to be the hackers of a General
Electric company which obtained a
franchise from the city council recently
1Of tDo VI d IOttu 4LOul O14O
business center to South Chicago. 1t has
been charged in the Chicago newspapers
that $75, 600 was paid for votes to pass
the General Electric bill.
A hungry eye was cast on several 9TH
er cities, st. Louis among them, but
the railroad interests there were too
strongly backed and the price asked for
the properties was too high. But an
opening was found in Pittsburg, where
the control of the Pittsburg Traction
company, the Duquesne Traction COM
pany and the Central Traction COM
pany was acquired, the local associate
of the Philadelphians being the we'll
known politician Chris Magee. In
Baltimore, too, the principal lines were
consolidated in the Baltimore Traction
company. Finally, to round out their
supremacy, the syndicate obtained con-
trolling interest in the Metropolitan
Traction company of New York, which
owns and operates the Broadway cable
and a number of other lines up and
down town. This company is reaching
out for new railways all the time, and
its latest feat was the requirement of
the control of the Eighth avenue horse
car line in that city.
On the 1st Of last October the Phila-
delphia companies were consolidated
into the Union Traction company, and
John Lowber Welsh was made presi-
dent. People said that the other owners
had crowded Messrs. Elkins and Wide
ner out. It seems now this was only the
first step toward a concentration of their
interests, SO that they could withdraw
from active management and still have
their property in such shape that they
could learn its condition easily and
quickly.
A Great Consolidation.
The three companies which were con-
solidated into the Union Traction COM
| pany were the Philadelphia Traction
company, the Peoples Traction company
and the Electric Traction company. The
biggest of these was the Philadelphia
company, which carried about ITO, $780,
900 passengers last year and issued near
| " 40, 0eo, 600 transfers. It's receipts for
the year were So, 662, o51 and its earn
ings So, 122, 212. Its record would not be
complets without the statement that it
killed and injured 1870 persons during
the year. This company was leased to
the Union Traction company for s99
years at 8 per cent, or 81 on each share,