The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-03-11
WILLIAM o. SMITH
Honolulu, March 8, 1898.
EXTRACTS from Outlook of February
~, 1889

EXTRACTS from Outlook of February
II, 1889
"The report submitted to the Massa-
| chusetts Legislature last week by the
committee appointed to consider the
relations between cities and towns and
streets railway companies is notable
| contribution to the discussion Of this
subject. The chairman of the commit
tee is Charles Francis Adams; the
other members are eX-Congressmen w.
| w. Grape and ex+Mayor Elihu B.
Hayes of Lynn. Mr.. Adams conduct
| ed personally the investigation in Eu-
rope on the part of the committee
while Messrs. Grape and Hayes visit
ed about 20 cities in this country and
| Canada. The recommendations Of the
committee came in the form of two
bills. One of them puts upon the street
railway companies a certain portion Of
| the expense of paving and altering
| streets, and requires them to pay a
state tax of an amount equal to what
ever they may pay over eight per cent
| in annual dividends. Local taxation
| in the cities and towns is to be on a
sliding scale according to the gross re-
ceipts per mile of track. Power to
regulate fares is given to the local
authorities, with an appeal by the cor
| poration to the railroad commission
ers. The second bill provides for mu-
nicipal ownership of the tracks, but
not for municipal operation of the bu-
| siness. In the second bill is found the
essential recommendation of the re-
port The committee is distinctly
against municipal ownership and oper-
alton by a corporation. 1t denies that
municipal operation has been so sue
cessful in Europe as has been COM
monty reported. 1t says that at the
present time the multiplication of
the street railways is not accepted as
| by any means indisputably desirable
| in Great Britain, while in Germany 1t
is regarded unfavorably.' In Germany
/ however, it adds, the objection is that
the existence of so many public en-
ployees, in addition to those now on
the list, would lead to over-much Off
! cialism.
THE fundamental proposition laid
down by the committee is that street
cars are simply improved omnibuses
running on an improved pavement.
This idea is at the basis of the recon-
mendatiOn that the municipality own
the tracks and license a corporation tC
run the cars upon them. The munich
pality in that case, keeps the control
of the streets just as it always has
done. 1t has right to impose terms
upon the licenses, and to demand that
after reasonable profits have been
made, the public should have some be-
nef1t from the receipts of the company
The practical difficulties in the way
of entire municipalization of the ser
vice are reviewed, particularly the fac
that the tracks Of one company some
times lie in many different munich
palities, and harmonious operation I'M
der municipal management would bt
very complex. By the plan proposed
there is a large recognition Of thu
rights of the municipality. The com
mittee would give the municipalitie!
the right to buy in existing street rail
way track at the cost of replacing it
and to construct new track or extern
sions as the public convenience ma!
dictate. If the public owns the tracks
bids for street car service may b.
secured from competing companies