People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-09-17

ing, Many of them pay large profit
that goes to decrease the taxes for such
necessarily improbable departments
as police, fire, sanity and sewerage.
The municipal bonded debts are
large-almost as large in proportion as
those of New York and Brooklyn. But
the interest charge is paid for the most
part out of the profits of municipal
enterprises, and is not collected in
taxes as it is here.
Year by year the taxes there are
growing smaller. In Glasgow there
are now practically no general taxes.
In Manchester and Birmingham the
general rates are small. And the prin-
cipal of the debt is constantly decreas-
ing.
In New York the debt is growing
year by year. Now Tweed adds $40,-
OoO 900 to it in two years. Now Tam
many Hall. to keep down the tax rate
and make a good showing" Jumps it
up $4,000, 600 or so in four or five
years. Even a ulti-partisan reform
administration has added several mil
lions to the city's debt, And the inter-
est charge falls heavily upon the peo-
pie, already burdened by the current
expenses of the government, which are
raised almost entirely by direct taxes
that swell rents and reduce wages.
In Glasgow the street railways are
now owned and run by the city at
large profit. Yet the average fare is
about two cents, and there are work
ingmen's trains morning and evening
on which the charge is only one cent.
Until two years ago the street rail-
ways, which were built by the city,
were leased to private company
which paid it's stockholders 10 per cent
dividends after paying the city annual
ly: (D The total interest charge on
the city's investment; ~ enough to
accumulate into sinking fund big
enough to pay off the total first cost of
the roads at the end of the lease; 81
enough to reimburse the city for all
repairs and renewals, and AZ an annu-
al rental of $3.50 mile. And they were
allowed to charge on the average about
two and half cents as fare
Manchester built it's street railways
and leased them to a company which
pays the city interest on the cost and
net dividend of 10 per cent per annum.
Yet this company may charge only
about three cents, and must run two
cent workingmen's trains morning and
evening.
In Birmingham the private company
which has leased the street-car lines
built by the city pays all the interest
charges, is paying off the first cost of
the roads, pays the city in full for
keeping the lines in perfect repair, and
charges about the same fares as those
in Manchester. At the expiration of
the lease Birmingham, like Manches-
ter, will own the lines outright, free
from all umbrances and in perfect
condition.
| In New York the street-railway
franchises have been either sold for a
song or given away outright The
street railways charge five-cent fares,
pay the smallest possible heed to pub
lie convenience and comfort, and
altogether bring into the city treasury
about 1852, 900 year. And 5000, 600 of
of this sum comes from the Broadway
road, which, under the system of the
British cities, would be paying upward
of SO, 600, 900!
In Glasgow the gas and electric light
plants are owned and operated by the
citv. 1t has built new works. It paid
off half original debt. Has accumulated
a large sinking fund. Yet it has re-
duced the price of gas to go cents per
thousand feet, and that too in the face
of the fact that the price of gas-making
coal has greatly advanced. To prevent
the electric lighting from making seri-
GUS inroads on the use of gas it has
started system of renting gas-stoves-
The cost to the taxpayer of street light
ing in Glasgow is less than 100000,
and that sum is constantly reducing.
Like the gas works, the electric-light
plant is on business basis and will
soon be paying for itself, with no cost
to the taxpayer.
In Manchester the city supplies gas
at SO cents the thousand feet, and the
gas works earn for the city, over and
above all expenses, 100000 year