New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-22
about as many depostors as the municipal out
less deposits.
FRANCHISES AND FINANCES.

No feature of the city government Is more
worthy Of careful study than the manner III
which public franchises are disposed or iahe
for exannlc Gas lighting There Is only one gas
comnanv in The whole city. That Is an enormous
mononolv but II is 50 controlled by law that the
CITY gets the benefit Of its monopoly. 1t has 10
nav q round sum for the privilege OF laying
mines beneath the streets II has TO furnish gas
of a standard quality. az price fixed by law.
II is no: permitted to water It's stock, ara ali
profits above 1872 per cent year on the actual
paid-up capital must be equally divided WIN
the city. Thus the city receives from ms IRAN
chise no less than si0Oo,0OO year. and the gas
company is still highly prosperous. Electric
fighting is regulated in the same way. excepting
that the city is divided into seven districts, in
each Of which one company has a monopoly.
As for the Public transportation system. omni-
buses pay to the city royalty Of $500 year
each. and trarncars 500 a year each Those
figures would be declared prohbtive in this
country But they are paid In Paris. and all
profits above a certain figure are divided with
the city Fares are fixed by law at low fig
ure Every passenger has n seat. There are
designated stopping-rlaces. with seats and
shelter for waiting passengers And in spite OF
all. the companies are prosperous The cab
y
pany which has 900 cabs. and pays the city $40
a year royalty on each one. But ii has no pro-
tcc;cd monopoly. and any one else is free 10 opcr-
ate cabs on the same terms. There are I'm fact
about two thousand other public cabs. From all
these branches of the transportation service. the
city receives not less than 81 200 00o a year. sup
pose such thing were suggested IN NeW-i ok
II is not necessary to go into further details
of administration. which would serve merely as
cumulative testimony To- the admirable character
Of the Partisan system. We must look, however,
at one other very important mattcr-the cost az
II all. Surely such system mrs be enormously
expensive. and burdensome to the taxpayers
or that LET us not be too sure True. the debt Of
Paris is large: say S4O0.00lc00. 1t IT, however
chiefly held by the people Of the city. as "A popu-
lar form of inVesim Mt The municipal budget
in 1924 was sG7.O1O00o Of which ordinary eX-
penses were So. O0coOo That Is not exorb.tant.
1t is scarcely arg" as the New York budget
in proportion to the size If the cities. Moreover
two-hfths Of il was interest on the debt paid
back t. the people The police cost less than
Sc geo Geo; the streets less than s5.OoOO0o chart
ties $4,000 900. schools ltte more than S'0DoOOu
and The parks and lighting the streets and pub
lie places. $2.4ojO0o. There appropriations are
modest enough: amazingly small when con-
than half Of 1t comes from the octroi. or local
tariff on commodities brought into tho city for
consumption. such as provisions beverages. fuel.
building material etc. About s6.700.oOo is raised
by direct taxation. and similar sum Is granted
by the National Governm mt. Tho remainder
say $l700p.00). comes from royalties ami pr'hts
On the various public franchises. source Of
revenue that Is steadily increasing IN productvc-
ness. Surely. that is financial showing worthy
of a great metropolis.
II is true. as We have remarked that IN" Paris
system Of government partly municipal. partly
national Is unique. It cannot be generally
adopted elsewhere. Bu, ther" is NJ reason why
its results should not be- attained hy cities under
ordinary local control II Is no. that duai sys-
TEN which s. q o. credited with them. but tn"
way in which Il has been applied, ana such aI-
plicaton could hr made % another system just
~ well The absence o. politics. the presencr of
sound business principles and a constant regard
for the welfare of the people as the chef aim
Of government-thosc are the things which make
Paris to-day an object OF municipal envy
throughout the world.