Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-10
Ownership Of Street Car Lines.

Ownership OF Street Car Lines.
The city government of Vienna owns all
the street car lines. which are well man
aged and kept in excellent condition. VI
emma has one Of the best systems in Eu-
rope. The regular fare before am. Is 2
cents for any distance for the benefit of
laboring classes. After o'clock 1t ia :
distance. The business does not pay as
we'll as it did when 1t was under private
management, and the burgomaster, who
Is " great believer in municipal owner
ship and state socialism, explained to me
that this was due to higher wages and
shcrter hours for the employees and
more liberal policy Of management. The
gross receipts have increased since the
city took hold Of the lines, but the ex-
penses have increased more rapidly. so
that the net profits are only about 35 Der
cent as much as they were formerly. This
is not a disadvantage from, the burgo-
masters point of view. His idea Is that
the municipality should not attempt to
make a profit out of public utilities. but
should manage them for the best inter-
csts of the citizens without q deficit.
In June. 1905. for political and other
reasons, the municipal government pur-
chased large brewery which was start
ed few years ago in opposition to the
trust by company OF private citizens,
and did not prove remunerative. The bur-
gomaster told me that the sole object OF
the purchase was to protect the people
from the monopoly called the Crauher-
renverein The plant cost 100000 kroners
Ga kroner is worth 20 cents in ou.- money!
and will be enlarged at the cost Of an
other million in order to make 1t pay bot
ter. The burgomaster is quite sanguine
about the prospects. The net profits dur
ing the first year. ending June. 80, were
Polio kroners about $4,000 in our
money; and what Is more important, from
his point Of view, the people have n
chance to buy good beer at a nominal
price and are not in danger Of being rob-
bed by the Brauherrenverein.
The City Saloon.
The beer is sold at saloon maintained
by the city government under the SPLEEN
did new city hall, where the basement,
since it was finished In 1899, has been
dedicated to Gambrinus. 1t is one of the
finest rathskellers in Europe, with ac-
commodations for thousand customers
at one time, who can be served with
bread, sausages, salads. cold meats of all
kinds and other viands. Thousands of
people get their lunch there every day. II
is very popular institution. The object
as explained in the law is ito encourage
wine growing and provide a safeguard
against adulteration, thereby raising the
standard of Austrian Wines.
Since it was opened IN 1899 the city OFF,
cial rathskeller has been running at good
profit, the net surplus last year being
"A 152 kroners, or. nearly $4,000. But, of
course, 1t is very unpopular with wine
dealers, saloon-keepers, private restaurants
and cafes because they have to pay rent,
taxes and other expenses and cannot afford
to serve lunches at such low prices.
The municipality also has several flower
shops at which it sells the flowers from
the parks and cemeteries at a handsome
profit 1t has contracts to furnish certain
amounts of flowers every day to hotels,
restaurants cafes 1t supplies undertakers
and caterers and makes enough money to
pay the wages of all the gardeners In the
employ of the city and a portion Of other
expenses of maintaining the parks. Last
year the net profits were about ST 600 OF
course the private florists complain bitter
ly of government competition, but the
burgomaster makes the same reply-that
the business is conducted in the interest
Of the public, which is more important than
the prosperity of a few private Individuals
He takes a broad view of the case
Exposition Buildings Utilized.
In 1873 there was an international expo
sition in Vienna conducted at the expense
of the government, and at Its close the
authorities found themselves with several
fine large buildings on their hands. In
Chicago and st. Louis the exposition build
ings were sold to wreckers for little or
nothing, but, with the wisdom and pru-
dence that characterize their race, the
Viennese preserved them for practical uses.