Evening journal., 1906-07-25
City tf Glasgow Runs Its Own
Cars, Gas end Power
Plants
CHEAP NECES ITIES FOLLOW

cars; the people Of Glasgow, Scotland,
pay cents. Wilmington pays 81 a.
thousand feet for gas; Glasgow pays
i3 cents II 1t wants the gas for power
purposes 81 cents if II wants it for
/ lighting. Glasgow pays $25 year for
an unlimited telephone service; VIII
mlngton pays from S3G to S4S.
An interesting statement Of what
Glasgow IS doing under municipal own
ership Is given in an article by Fred
eric c. Howe in the July number Of
scribner's magazine
Glasgow had tramways owned by
private corporation up to 1894. Then
the city took hold. They charge you
by distance there, and not a set price
for a single ride on the cars, no matter
how long. A ride Of a half mile costs
you a cent; you pay cents for
ride OF two and one-third miles, and 3
cents for three and a half miles.
Two-cent carfarcs.
Here is how it averages up. In 1905
the average rider paid 1.S9 cents for
his ride. while the average fare charg-
cd per nile was ninc- tenths of a cent
or the 195.OOOo0O pass ngers carried,
70 per cent. paid / cent. GO per cent.
? cents and 10 per cent Of the total
number carried paid more than cents
The city no, only reduced fares. but
II also increased the wages and re-
1uced the wages Of the employees:
II gives free uniforms to the employees
and It gives each Of them five days
holiday every year. with pay.
Furthermore. the tramways turn
over to the city an enormous profit each
year. In 1905 It was s1.s52.S55.
One Cent Faro Possible.
The cost TO the city Of carrying the
'vcrage passenger IN 1905 was< less
than a cent aolece. Says Nv Howe:
"An examination Of the earnings and
| expenses show that the Gloe~ow tram
ways could pay all operating expenses.
-0uld maintain tho system, could pay
focal taxes tho same MS a private COM
~any, and still carry passengers at
universal fare OF I cent. It could do
his and mike money. on tho basis
= last voar'r earnings. It would make
'bout $4,000 oven II there was no
increaso in traffic.
"Rut thore would be an increase in
'rafir. Ct74~cw r-cvod that IN 1894.
-~hcn - reduced tn fo~es bv ~ per
cont. In th~oo vo1rs' time the num-
hor NJ r7s-enrore ca~~ied doubled: IN
IONS the number Nad r-cro 'h1n treb-
ed. Thi~ wns accompanied by n great
increase in tho mileqve OF tho system
's VOL as tho electric equipment OF
"a iinoe."
-i',o So-.,i~c. Tco.
Ana wit'al thew viva gco1 service.
Thev are said TO have tho best t~qn-
way system in the United Kingdom
1.-THE service Is as freeuent as could
80 asked. and you get a seat for a
'c-e. You get It on top Of the cars.
II You want sn'c'se an1 the cove on
evcrvwhere. Thev are clcaned AMI dis
'nfeotod o~o--- n'~ht they arc BRIGHT
no fresh paint can keep thcm; they
have no Embellishments on them. thov
're e1~v riainF. and oro laid on con-
"rcte Foundations. with grooved rails
witch oTer no obstruction 70 Other
.-af1". The corSrcto~s arc courteous .
90 at Fortv-Thrce Cent?.
The tramway system is Glosgow's ca ei
success in the municipal ownership line
but g IS not the only one. The city run
its gas supply. 1T is run fer tho baref
Of the people and not for the sake o
dividends. Gas is sold at 81 cents a thou
sand cubic feet fer domestic use; fci
power purposes the price is but % cents
The very poor are encouraged TO use "a
by pcnny-ln-the-slot dev'c s. b. VIII q
one can set enough gas with which (,
cook a meal for cents II also eucour
ages industry by low prices This d.
mlnished the smoke nuisance. Despite tn
reduction in price, the net profits in 19
amounted TO s27l,sso.~
And Telephones.
sled with Parliament to get the RIGHT =
gled with Parliament to get the right I
operate a telephone system. They wer
then paying high rates to a private com
pany for bad service. In 1901 permissio
was got and the system started. It no'
has 1900 subscribers. and covers J..
square miles. Unlimited service cost
S2555 limited service s17.O3. Profits frcI
the telephone service last year were 800
Sol
Cheap Electricity
The city owns its electricity supply sys
, tenn. II paid $4,000 for a plant and ha
spent 100000 in extending its system.
reduced prices. II sells power to III
tramway department and to the mani
, featuring establishments. For very sma
consumers the rates for lighting are
cents per kilowatt hour and cents f,
, all current in excess OF a small minimum
For power and heating purposes n
charge is from ~ cents to cents, az
cordng to the quantity used. The ave
age price received from all consumers
500 cents. The citys profits from this sy
r tenn last year were S5i3952.
i, Water Supply Too.
II owns its water supply system
= course. 1t gets its water from Loeb X