New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-17
ANOTHER STREET RlILRoAD EXAMPLE, |

Il
mlrable results Of municipal control of street
railroads in Glasgow, We said That SlhS"
nvannlc c,ul not be regarded aS conclusive
proof of the general superiority of that system
over the cOmmoner system of corporate or pr
vate control II has been remarked that the
best government in the world Is thlt oil
car. provided YOU have th' right KIND oil
car. 50 whether municipal or corporate
cnntrol of street railroads is the better depends
largely upon the kind of municipality ana Inc
kind Of corporation You have. control 10y Nu'h
a municipality rs that of Glasgow seems 10 he
particularly good Control by such a munich
pallty rs that organized here by Tammany
Hall would probably be- about as particularly
and uncommonly bad rs any that the most
self sh and desp0tic corporation ever devised.
Another example of municipal control con
nrming this latter principle Is afforded in the
civ Of London. There an extensive street rail-
road system is under municipal control the
control. that it Is to say. of the London County
Council. From all accounts we are inclined 10
Judge that the result is about as bad In London
as II is good in Glasgow. II seems to br cS-
pccally bad in respect to treatment OF en-
Moves The London County Council II VIII ne
remembered. Is at present controlled ny the
Progressive party. party loud In us advocacy
Of the rights If the common people. as opposed
10 aristocrats monopolists and the like II
yergcs indeed. as closely as possible upon OUT
RIGHT socialism, one would naturally. therefore,
have expected II to favor It's employees on the
streetcars. But It has not done so. On the
contrary it seems to have treated them trlil'
worse than any "soulless corporation or grind
/ ing monopollsts" ould have vcntnred TO 10
! That however is circumstance not WIN
/ out precedent among professional friends OF
! the people d,
For example: The men have been required
70 agree by written contract not to quit the
service Of the Council without seven days writ
ten notice while at the same time the Oouicil
Is free TO dismiss any Of Them at any tlIhe'
without 4 moments notice. ard without any
statement Of cause Of dismissal Again, III
case Of any breach of rules by Il conductor me
Council Il empowered to retain and Wlihhod
fran him any wages that may be due 10 min'
and "thc manager shall be the sole judge
,,-bother the Council is entitled to retain the
".,il wages rs damages" The men have been
comuclled to sign an agreement to that erect
specifically barring themselves ont from All!
onnaol to the courts for adjudication OF such
. dispute, Again any violation of any or the
"r,los mr. orders will warrant instant
dismissal: and the manager shall have tuii
"nowcr to declare all money due 10
"ho absolutely forfeited to the Council fi-
nouv "aisparaging remarks about the manage
. 80 ~. rood will bc treated as
"o breach Of rule Thus. If conductor j
h.ord to say that he thinks his hours OF labor
oro foo long or that the road could De better
p,nocnd in some respect. he may b" instantly
1is,nissod and the weeks wages due him FOR
fo,tol and he will have absolutely no recourse
To the courts.
vor + that all Ample provocation Is gwen
for such complaints. ON one route men must
he on duty from 70l a. IN. to ll4' p NJ OF
s,vtoon hours forty-four minutes including
,l.,.on bours fourteen minutes Of actual work
M orotb.r from 7:I4 10 12:l3. or sixteen
hours nineteen minutes on duty with twelve
,,,,rs six minutes actual work; on third. from
20 - lo.23 or sixteen hours thlrty-one min
,,,, an duty with twelve hours twentythfet
minutes. actual work There are other routes
rir., III, to sixteen hours fifty six minutes
80, 1,,tv and ~ thirteen hours twenty lone MIN
u,es' actual work. without moment of rehel
f,r meals In addition. every man must hol'
himself NJ call even when off duty ana II ne
Ioas not AZ once respond 10 call he may De
dismissed and his wages forfeited And fol
such service under such conditions, the mel
cot a ~ a day or 80 80 week; for they work
. only six days week
such IS the system which this progressive
and phllanthropic Council imposes upon It's EN-
nloves ON due consideration We are inclined
70 repeat our judgment that municipal con'ro
b ~ s,reet railroads Is not necessarily the best
p Much depends upon the municipality.
I, Venezuela would have shown better sense
~ the fitness Of things II she had postpone,
her revolution TIL the Boundary Commission
+ had wound up its speeches and adjourned
y AL is there are no precisely defined lines 10