The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-05-19


cottages for 5000 people; another land
this is on an estate outside of the London
boundary line) will accommodate 5000
people; and a site has been bought where
Y, 600 are to be accommodated in pretty
little cottages. with gardens. London IN
deTtakes to provide for the artisan class,
as well as for the casual" and in that
particular 1t is In advance of Liverpool.
Strange to say, the housing question is
getting to be an acute one in the country
districts, well as in the British mu
inequalities. 1t Is claimed that one Of the
reasons why the rural population flock TO
the cities is because many of the great
landowners not only fail to erect decent
residences for the laboring people, but
some of them ac~u-uy refuse to allow
cottages to be e sc'sI on their estates,
either because of aesthetic reasons or be-
cause the labOTers' cottages would have
a tendency 10 depreciate the value OF the
estates to prospective wealthy purchasers.
Electric Car Traffic
Liverpool boasts of having one of the
best street railroad systems not only in
Great Britain, but in Europe. The corpor-
alton got control Of the system in Sep
TENDER, 1897. and has substituted electric
for horse cars. At the date named there
were sixty-eight miles Of tracks within
the city and about seven miles in the sur
rounding district There we're then 2S7
cars, 1856 omnibusss, and 2.s23 horses. The
municipality paic g, S36, SIS, the purchase
price covering tram cars, omnibuses, good
viii, vested rights, etc. In November,
an experimental electric line five miles in
length was opened The work of recon
strUcting the new lines commenced in
January, 1893, and by the end of 1850, 100
miles of lines were completed, including
extensions. The overhead trolley system
is used. OF the entire 102 miles Of the
track laid down, only six miles were laid
with American rails and FIVE miles with
German rails; the remaining ninety-one
miles were laid with rails of English
manufacture The first fifteen motors and
fifteen trailer" cars for the experimental
line were obtained from Germany. Suisse
quently fifteen Brill cars were obtained
from the United States. The balance of
the cars are Of English make.
Most of the cars in use and ali those
now being made are OF what is known as
the standard Preston type" This car is
shorter than most American cars, and
seats. Each car accommodates twenty
two inside and thirty-fOur outside. In
fine weather the outside of cars and
omnibuses Is preferred IN England to the
inside. Experience has shown that the
style of car used in Liverpool gives the
most satisfaction to the British public
There are no summer cars of the
American type here; the weather is too
variable
Fares According to Distance.
The fares charged are by distance Two
cents is the lowest fare for which miles
can be Travelled; miles 3O8 yards. can
be Travelled for 4 cents; miles 2S7 yards
for cents. and miles ass yards for
cents The total traffic receipts during
1901 were s2,31, 9I5.
Drivers and conductors work ten
hours per day. Under the old system. be-
fore the municipality took charge of the
tramways, the average working day of
conductors and drivers was fourteen and
one-half hours. The system already ex-
tends outside the city boundary, and it is
proposed to connect it with lines of a new
enterprise in which American capitalists
are interested known as the South Ian
cashire Tramways Company. and which
viii form a network of street car lines
between Liverpool and important towns
in South Lancashire.
Several municipalities have adopted
what is known as the direct" system Of
labor as contra-disunguished from that Of
the contract system This is notably
the case in London. The county council
of London employs workmen on princi-
pie which is biased on the rates of wages
and hours Of labor recognized by associa-
lions of employers and trades unions and
in practice obtained in London" There
is also a stipulation that where in any
trade there is no trade union, the council
shall TX the rates OF wages and the hours
Of labor, and shall from time to time re-
wise the same as may be necessary" A
great deal of opposition has sprung up
against this system Of direct employment
and the opposition has made much capital
OF the alleged fact that the bricklayers
employed by the London county council
under the above conditions only lay down
one-hah or even one-ffth as many bricks
per day as contractors get laid even by
union labor On the other hand, the claim
is made that the municipality gets its
work done cheaper in the end because #
does nos have to pay profits to contract
OTIS and other middIemep.
Contract and Direct Labor
Speaking generally, nearly all Of the
work done by municipalities, even where
municipal ownership prevails, is by con
tract; but, as a rule, these contracts are
given out subject to what is known as the
''Iatr-wage'' condition, which is substan-
TALLY the wage condition adopted by the
London county council In connection
with this question of direct labor, if is
interesting to note that many British
railroad companies adopt it. they max
ing all their engines and rolling stock
themselves; and this, by the way, is given
as one Of the reasons why the outside
British makers Of locomotives are not
able to meet foreign competition, be-
cause they have not got patronage enough
TO warrant them in keeping their plants
up to date
One Of the greatest examples in Eng
land OF direct labor is furnished by the |
Liverpool Dock Board. This board for
merly did all its work itself. The ques-
tion Of cost did not primarily come in,
but the principal reason for direct labor
was the belief that it would not be safe |
to trust contractors with the kind of !
work to be performed For two or three !
years past, however, a great deal Of work |
has been given out by contract, and 1t is |
claimed that the contract work is done |
just as well as that performed by direct |