The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-03-22
THE TIMES: RICHMOND VA. TUESDAY MARCH %, 1898.
| Plymouth ........... 1850 2'Nussp
| Blackpool .......... i5000(b) 95blh)

Plymouth ........... 1885 25.oots)
Blackpool ........... l5'oo'o) 'So'"'
(a) Annual profit to the common good,
yi3.79S.
% Estimated.
lc) Total deficiency. met by the rates.
I'D Profit TO the city I'm 1897 after de-
Quoting sinking fund.
(e) Excess of receipts on years opera
ton.
20 The old company paid the city So
600. and the excess OF receipts Owe
expenditures here shown is not
profit on full investment of S632.-
64j but on what the plant cost the
city. namely. S33,S2S. The coming
year we shall know more about
this investment
~ Total deficit.
CD Profit for the year.
Having carefully studied the five ex-
hibits as printed above. it will be seen
that. though they are separate tables,
combined they form a nearly complete
statement of tho results OF the street
railway operation Of these cities. Do
these facts Indicate that the English sys-
TEN is any better than the American
system Of private ownership IL would
seem to me, after an examination Of tho
data attalnable, that the history and de-
tails OF the various tramway enterprises
i'm the United Kingdom are neither suf-
fciently extensive nor sufficiently salts
factory 10 point conclusively TO any de-
cislon i'm favor OF municipal operation OF
such undertakings Similar enterprises,
when leased 10 private companies. both IN
Manchester and Liverpool show far bet
ter results financially 20 the municipali-
ties than the examples given above.
Glasgow shows a profit of 1881 TO the
city, with an investment Of N.0i6l 1875 dn
a horse car equipment put I'm during the
last half Of $500. when an American firm
stood ready to give the city bonus of
$4,000 and install an electric plant free
OF cost.
Huddersneld. in lamentable efforts 10
establish municipality operated railways.
has muddled away $SC6,6l3 in deficits and
has 10000 invested in twenty-five miles
OF track.
Leeds a city OF over 10000 population,
with twenty-five miles OF track. may be
said 10 have done fairly well. because it
has not run behind. but does any one IN
the United States believe a population Of
this size can really be served by twenty
two miles Of street railway?
Sheffield is making beginning and
wisely feeling out after the best system.
The excess OF receipts for the first year
IS no indication Of what Sheffield will do
when she has installed a system of thir-
ty-fve miles. The private company paid
so. 600 a year into the city treasury, and
has paid off for the city much of the orig
inal investment I'm track. The city thus
fell heir to the whole plant for song.
and naturally shows a PROFIT the hrst
year. 10 would be strange of II did not.
Those in control I'm Sheffield are in no
sense prepared TO underwrite municipal
operation, at least until after an expert
ence OF ten years
Plymouth. a small affair is behind So
90. while the operation in Blackpool last
year yielded a profit 10 that city Of $3.50
Here we have the sum and substance Of
the municipality operated tramways In the
United Kingdom up to date.
As an offset 10 these cities the attention
OF municipal ownership enthusiasts Is re-
specially invited TO the city Of Boston
population about the same as that Of
Glasgow. miles OF street railway, 452; Bal
tinore. population about the same as
Leeds. street railway mileage Ssl; and
lastly. II there IS any city in the United
States Of 10000 inhabitants not better
supplied with rapid transit than Hudders-
field and Leeds or n seaside resort on the
Jersey coast that cannot beat Blackpool
10 10 /. should Ike to have our munich
pal operation friends name It. Here we
have "A population OF I6SI9l. supplied
with less miles Of track than Washington,
d. c.. with a population OF 10000. Surely
a study OF the accompanying table is not
calculated 10 attract the business man,
anxious for practical transportation, to-
ward municipal operation az a means of
developing rapid transit And yet we
have here positively all the bedrock facts
that can be given at the present time.
The rest remain locked up I'm the magma
ton Of those who talk so glibly Of the
strides" municipal ownership and oper-
alton are making con the other side you
know" ROBERT L. PORTER.
New York, March Is, 1898.