The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-06-02

v.
~ EYOND all question t%ranspor-
tation occupies first place
among the municipal problems
now commanding attention in
Great Britain. Liverpool was one of
the pioneers in tramway construction,
though 1t was only recently that the
municipality came into full possession
Of tramwny properties. Its experience
with the boosted English conservatism
is fairly typical. After George Fran
els Train and other Americans had
demonstrated at Birkenhead. a suburb
Of Liverpool, the practicability Of
tramways the city authorized a com
pany to use its streets for that pur-
pose. h was IN Ts09. -four years
later the service was so insufficient
that the city served notice on the COM
pany to remove its tracks. Suisse
quently n compromise was made by
which the city reconstructed the lines
Mt the cost Of the company. In 1879
the company entered into az agree
ment with the city under which the lat
ter purchased the existing lines for
$4,000 and completed various other
lines, leasing the whole system to the
company ut n rental Of ~ per cent ON
the purchase money from the date Of
construction, the lines to be maintain
ed at the cost Of the city. In 1895 the
city made Il lease to the company ex-
tending until 1915. but reserved the
right to purchase under certain condi-
lions.
Two years later the patience Of Liv-
erpool was exhausted. The company
utterly failed to properly manage its
affairs. Its rates were extortionate
and its service worse. 1t absolutely re-
fused to Introduce mechanical or cleo
j. trical power, and after due elaboration
J the city decided to acquire and operate
the undertaking. Parliament granted
! the power, and in 1897 the entire
system passed into the hands Of the
! municipal authorities, the purchase
price being about $2.SOO,OOO.
. The city went about the tramway
: enterprise In a thorough business way.
! It proceeded to engage the services Of
: IC. r. Bethany. one Of the foremost OF
English civil and mechanical engineers,
: a man fully conversant with the sci
!: ence and practice of transportation on
= both sides Of the Atlantic. In W
years time the hundred miles of horse
: car tracks had been transformed to
:. electrical traction. and in addition
= there had been laid forty miles of new
:. track.
: The citizens were delighted with the
;. change. In the place of filthy, III light
!. ed and slow moving horse cars, run
= ming Mt long intervals, there was In
= stalled a system which In all respects
- compares favorably with the best mod
4. ern practice in the United States or on
40 the continent. More than that, the city
made a sweeping reduction in the
ha rates Of fare.
~ It reduced the hours Of its conductors
To and motormen from eighty to sixty 9
to week and actually paid them more To-
nv the shorter hour day than they had for
q merly been receiving. The private
"a. company sold the mems uniforms ant
ke received a tidy profit from the transac
to- ton. The city gave uniforms 10 ~
men and only insisted that they keel
lot them clean and in good repair, SO as Z
oh reflect credit on their employer.
"a The first year Of electrical tractlo
an, and OF a trial Of all of those radical r.
forms was 1901, and when all expense
1ct had been paid there remained a pron
sh- of more than 100000. The best tn
es. private company had been able TO sno'
with its high fares, low wages n MI
n gardly policy was $4,000. After pa!
ote ing into the sinking fund. meeting u
Va terest charges and setting aside Sl'o
md 900 for renewals and depreciation thel
remained q large sum.
The profits for the second year wei
lity SSG5,OOO, an increase over the prece'
yYr ing year of $4,000. The tramwa.
Resentment contributed $i25.Uoo @ a.
to the general tax fund.
In addition to It's voluntary contrlD
tho don to the general fund the municlp
tramway pays Its taxes just as Il
were 4 private corporation. ms pra
+,,,, tice Is common with the munlclp
No.. enterprises OF all cities In Great br
her ain. Municipal tenements ana cot.as'
and municipal gas plants ana e'eeup
Nchting and power stations. am"
dro- MARKERS ana aii o'ise' a,.u int al
ON INSTITUTIONS pay no' ,yarnoc
for income taxes. i"as. sum exce,
afed ing $4,000. The city owns the 81
d to trical power plant. but the tramWs
4 by department was charged WIN
,eed- unit Of power 1t used. II therel'
and stands squarely on its wv bottom.
Almost simultaneously with us y
CON chase OF the trnmways Liverpool
.ying about to ACQUIRE tue e a-,ro.e :,
and power Industry. lne :
RASH Dany was q fairly prospeo
ID In