Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-14
and as far as I can learn Is in excellent

and as far as can learn is in excellent
condition.
Mr.. Lewis tells me that the field for the
sale OF electrical machinery in Great Brit
ain Is large and constantly growing. His
company Is not trying to introduce Amerf-
can machinery nor to crowd in American
goods to the exclusion of English. Its aim
Is to find out what the people want and
give it to them as they want II. In the new
Rugby factory the most of the machinery
Will be American, as the Americans are
farther advanced along such lines than any
other people. but the output Will be made
by British labor and In this way the SEN
sitiveness here as to the American invasion
Will De catered to. Indeed, the company is
using British labor as far as possible and
so far no trouble has been experienced with
the workingmen.
The British Thomson Houston Company
mas some interests IN tram lines and other
undertakings in different parts of the
united kingdom, but it's chief business will
be to make and sell electrical machinery,
appliances and supplies 1t is manufac-
turer and seller rather than an operator of
concessions.
Concessions Hard to Get.
There is one thing I want TO emphasize
as to the electrical field here. This is that
it is entirely different from that OF the
United States. Americans are coming to
England with the idea that they can get
concessions for nothing. and penniless pro-
motors land expecting to go back on the
next months steamer with valuable char
tiers in their breeches pockets. There is no
chance whatever for such men. 1t costs
from $4,000 to $4,000 and upward to test
any sort OF street railroad concession.
You have to pay that much before you
can know whether the concession will be
granted. 1t takes months and months to
learn, and at the close there is a fair pos
sibility that the undertaking is one not
worth carrying out Both promoters and
contractors have all sorts of difficulties
which are unknown in the United States.
No contracts or concessions are awarded
except by special act of parliament. and
that only after a costly and thorough in
VeStigation undertaken at the expense oi
the promoter
L had chat yesterday with Mr. 4. r.
Monks, the solicitor of the British Thomson
Houston Company, on this subject. He
showed me the methods of procedure neces-
Sary to acquire a street car concession,
giving the different steps that are abso-
lutely necessary before such concession
can be granted. We took up one car line
which has been recently built and looked
over the papers. They embraced detailed
maps and plans made by civil engineers of
high reputation, showing every inch OF
grade, every street corner and every detail
of the line of the road There was great
deal of printed matter necessary to present
T.,
act which had to be made before the work
could be begun covers forty-eight foolscap
pages and embraces all the details of the
construction of the road and its operation.
including regulations to the dividends
on the shares and the fares for the labor
ing classes as well as to Sundays and holi-
days.
A Talk With a London Lawyer
Said Mr.. Monks:
cession in England, you must first take
your civil engineers and go over the route
and make out plans showing that the road
will be built according to law. The gradi-
ents have to be of a certain measure and
the streets wide enough to allow a space
of nine feet on each side of the track If
they are not so wide you will have to tear
down buildings and widen them. and. of
course. build new buildings and pay the
damages necessary to put the property in
the same condition before you began to
work. In constructing the Chatham rail-
road it cost the British Thomson Houston
Company 100000 for widening a street
Maps showing all this must be laid before
the commissioners of parliament. The
plans must be gotten out by civil engineers
and every detail filed with the commits
sioners.
After all this is done notices must be
served upon the landowners and the local
ana railroad authorities, ana upon all par
ties who may be affected by the road, and
they adj have the right to oppose the
granting of the concession.
when the matter comes up before the
commissioners it is necessary to have good
counsel to present 1t, and this is expensive.
At the same time deposit of 4 per cent
Of the estimated cost of the undertaking
has to be made as a surety that dam
ages to public and private property will
be repaired If the undertaking is not car
ried out. This amount is released when
the road is completed, but if abandoned so
much of it as is necessary to indemnify
damages and losses is forfeited. Quite a
lot of printing and advertising has to be
done. and the result is, as l have said, that
the cost is from 5000 to 10000 pounds be-
fore you really know whether you have
anything or not
Low Fares for Workingmen.
Take. for instance, this Hamilton tram
way which was recently built In a small
city near Glasgow. The act Of parliament
granting it lies before me. 1t has all sorts
of provisions to fares. 1t provides that
from 5 until O'clock every morning and at 4
o'clock in the afternoon the company shall
run cars for artisans, mechanics, daily la
borers and clerks at fares not exceeding
one ha'penny, or one cent, per mile. 1t re-
quires that no baggage shall be taken into
the cars that cannot be carried in the hands,
ana also tndl the company small not use the
line as a freight line, although it may carry
parcels up to twenty-eight pounds The
rate for such parcels is fixed at cents up
to seven pounds. 10 cents to fourteen pounds
and IA cents to twenty-eight pounds.
There is provision that whenever the
profits of the road exceed per cent on the
capital certain amounts shall be paid to the
municipality and district through which the
road runs corresponding with the increase
Of the earnings, and also a provision that
after a period of twenty-five years, and at
periods of seven years thereafter, the COM
pany shall sell the road to the locality at a
fair market value if the municipality wishes
to buy 1t.
How Roads Are Equipped.
Another important matter is that of con-
struction and equipment. The plans for
these have to be presented to the London
board of trade and the rails and equipment
must correspond with its ideas of what is
necessary. On this Hamilton railroad to
which 1 have referred the company had
adopted a rail similar to the Glasgow rail.
1t was an excellent rail, but the board of
trade objected to 1t, and it was only be-
cause the road went into Glasgow and con-