The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1905-05-05
OPENS THE
CAMPAIGN
JUDGE HUMPHREYS SHOWS
WHY THE CITY SHOULD OWN
THE ELECTRIC RAILROAD

tfL IT. N@ nv fffF'Nf
Judge John T. Humphriea Thurs
day night at the Heuton Hlll rluH
house opened n campaign for mu.
nicipai ownership Of local street car
lines. which hc hopes 20 prolons
until "A municipal Ownership ticket
b. elected next spring. lie said II
was coming sooner or later. a. II
has In Chicago aud san EfanciHHH
and be called upon the women 81
welt as the men % help the cause
along
We now have a state law b.
said. which empowers ua 10 con.
denim or acquire OF regulate M
fares and prices of public utility
eorporationn We should take adj
vantage OF Il while we have a. The
Seattle Electric company Will prob.
ably succeed tn repeating Il at iha
NEXT session Of the legislature II
would undoubtedly have worked to-
wards that end last winter had the
present agitation then existed That
monopoly rs getting more powerful
every year
you remember how II attempted
at tho last session 10 pass a Law
which would practically make II
impossible for persons to bring
damage suits against H. The pro
posed statute would have put at
torneyH representing the people cut
Of business Local lawyers had -
send n man 70 Olympia 10 prevent
tho passage Of the Ubiquitous meas-
ure."
incidental 10 his street railway
discussion Judge Mumphries took
a slap al the city officials for their
delay IN supplying municipal elee-
tricity 10 private houses. and for
the manner In which they are over
charging water consumers.
'~rhe Seattle Electric company
has n stronger hold upon the city
administration than f. Imagined.
he said. 1T does ifs work while
we sleep II spends money a. the
primaries 90 put It's men On both
tickets Tho people vote. but theT
can vote only for corporation men
Il was pointed out that muniei-
pal ownership would be q lever 70
bring about the annexation Of Scat
Ties suburbs.
Judge HUMPHREYS vent into hIs
subject eXhausliVelY.
The Seattle Electric eompany'8
gross earnings Ia 1905" he said
were t2.32i .2s5. and ne, earnings
f7ii.5e5 The whole city tax levy
last year was only f7ti.703. n the
city had owned the system last year
therefore. q could have made
enough out Of Il b make Il unucces-
safy TO levy any taxes.
but the f7tf 585 does not really
represent one half Of the eompany'a
profits The company is capital
red At so COO 600 It's personal
property is assessed At only ti.7Q2 =
GOO Il Is paying 6 per cent div
denda on 5000 600 bonds Last
year Il paid off a note on the pur-
chase price Of tho Yealer Way cable
road OF fsi5 zoe
when you add this amount 10
the net earnings you have fi.c26.-
SOS which the company shipped 10
Boston last year.
AaH NNhAN lHNAH kA1 n AaAAA tAAh "a
about 800 a year on every voter in
the city.
IL pays us only = per cent a It's
gross earnings The Toronto street
railway pays TO the city from = to
- per cent Of SIS gross Gaming
according 90 the amount 81 the
latter. Tickets are sold AZ the
rate Of for - ceuta They are
the same price ia Ottawa The fare
IN German cities Is a trifle over .
oentG
= have the balance sheet 10 MAY
81 is8l. o. the Glasgow system.
which ls owned by The city After
paying for all expenses and i'm
provcments Glasgow cleared s4d3. =
600. and put ta25 600 In the sin kinR
fund besides The fare there Is 2
cents