New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-30
MUNICIPAL TRAMWAYS.
LOT RELIEF MEASURES FOR TANPAY,
Frs SO MUCH AS PERMANENT IN
yESTMENTS WITH Low FARES
AND MANY INDIRECT
ADVANTAGES.
London. September Il.

London. September Il.
-o-,nIete control OF local and suburban tran
-, is one Of the principal objects Of municipal
-n,s-nrise in the United Kingdom. Municipal
rnershir Of the tramways was the first goal:
s.. II was speedily transferred into the halfway
touse 10 municipal operation, with the substitu-
-, n electric for horse traction The munc-
.,sutjes being unwilling TO give up control OF
ne streets and highways. were forced to con-
-,c- rhe rrarllways themselves. While it was
uozable under the Tramways act Of 1870 for
,-ix.ara CORPORATE tons TO take possession Of the
..-eets and TO lay down tracks with the consent
o+ -be governing body. the traTnways in nearly
- -ne towns were constructed by the local au-
,no-iries and subsequently leased Municipal
.nerston was prohibited by the general act.
80 standing order Of the House Of Commons
,ithheld permission for the conversion Of the
-,anway service into a branch of local admin
,s+ration The Glasgow act contained. however.
. clause allowing the municipality to take over
che -rar1wavs and to operate them after the
exrrstion OF the lease; and complete municipal
cation after tventy-one years was facilitated by
9 clause STIMULATING that purchase should he
arranged on terms based upon the original cost
Of plant and equipment. with deductions for de-
,recistion Controversies arose With private
co-no-stjons and test cases were carried TO the
TIouse Of Lords. but the final judgment was that
cor1panies obtaining the use Of streets for TWEEN
-v-orA wears were not entitled TO any claim for
GOODWILL based on the profits Of the business.
nor 10 CONDENSATION for compulsory sale HUI
6ersfeld was the first town 10 operate It's tram
WAYS: Glasgow Leeds and Plymouth followed
Sc example although the results OF the earliest
exneriments were not satisfactory; and in 1890
She House of Commons suspended the standing
order with its prohibition Of municipal Work
ing With the necessity for dispensing with
- with intro
d,,cing electric traction in connection with cleo
-rfc lighting supply the municipelization OF
rramHavs is now proceeding rapidly
The main motive of municipal ownership and
,narstjon of trarways is not the relief of tax
r,svers through the development Of new source
Of local revenue. Municipal tramways may be
come in time highly profitable undertakings
when the investments required for construction.
purchase and re-equipn1ent with electric trac-
-jon have been covered by the operation of sink
sne funds At present the amounts turned over
- the town treasures for the common good are
small and the benefits from municipal opera
ZION are indirect 4 reduction Of fares Is the
first object and closely connected With II Ifs the
tnlprovernent and extension Of the service. SO
that the suburbs be brought into rapid COM
7ounication with the business centres. Aber-
deem NAV be cited as illustration In 1898
the last year Of management by private COM
NAMES the number of passengers carried by
horse traction was 1915, 415. with outside seats
at half the price Of inside fares. and with IN
creasirg rates according to distance Under
municipal management the number Of passen-
gers had Increased in 1901 TO $751; III for about
the same length Of lines. with uniform rates Tor
;nsi5e and outside seats. with halfpenny fare
IN one section and with reductions throughout
the svstern. About one-haf of the mileage had
then been converted from horse to electric trac-
ton on the overhead system, and the equipment |
Of the remaining portions has been nearly COM |
pleted this year, current being obtained from |
the works owned by the municipality al the rate /
Of about twopence per unit Local transit mas |
been cheapened and improved and authrity has |
been obtained for the construction OF five miles /
Of double track The working balance for a |
years operations is about fsTe9, and is alb |
sorbed by PAYMENTS for sinking fund, interest |
and depreciation
Glasgow has a completely r1unfcipalized tram !
way system Under the Tramways act Of 1Sfo !
the municipality constructed the lines ana |
leased them private company for twenty
three years receiving during that period an /
aggregate profit Of t63,62S, after interest and |
sinking fund charges had been paid. the high |
est sum handed over the common good in any |
one year being 1860. The private company !
meanwhile was paying dividends ranging from !
TO u per cent The lease would probably have |
been renewed Il the company had been willing /
70 reduce the working hours Of the men en-
ployed ty it and TO increase their wages They |
were working the average rate Of 19 shillings |
g week for fourteen hours service day, were |
fined for trivial offences and were overcharged
for their uniforms. Public opinion was IN sym
patty with the men, and the corporation or
Glasgow instead Of making concessions to the |
private company and renewing the lease, or
dered its own supply Of tramcars and horses |
and organized q municipal service for thirty
miles Of double track. Municipal tramcars |
were all the lines the day after the ex- |
piration OF the lease, and after 4 period Of
futile competition with onnibuses by the old |
company the town left in complete pos
session OF the business. Since July l, 1894,
when the change Of mana cement effected.
the tranway system has been greatly enlarged.
and electric traction has been in good measure
substituted for horse traction. The working
balance between receipts and expenditures in
1901 was f117.3SS. Of which f12, 800 was paid
into the town treasury for the common good.
The remainder being appropriated for interest,
sinking fund. depreciation and q general
serve tuno- This sum is double the largest an
H0a4 Proht from leasing in a single year, yet
IL lie small in comparison with what will
De the ultimate returns Of the service
when the capital invested and the loans
negotiated have been repaid from the sinking |
fund Tie indirect benefits Of rnunicipaI man
1seifent are material reduction of fares and
a marked improvement q. the co,si.,ors If |
local transit
Ahese pubic advantages fully Justify TN. mol
ICY OF municipal operation. without reference
70 'Ne HhaaclaI Benefits which will be derived |
ultimately from it Glasgow will have when |
me process Of introducing electric mower
Is completed a model trannvav service The
- = q passengers conveyed has increased
n.