Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-04
LONDON SSTREETCARS
Successful Operation of Munich
pal Ownership.
LINES RUN AT A PROFIT
Liberal Treatment of Employees and
Low Fares.
MANY MORE LINES NEEDED
Only One Mile Of Track for Every 3d.
900 Inhabitants-This City Has
Five Miles for Every 1000.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Herald.
There are 100 miles of street car lines in
| the city of London, and practically all OF
them have been acquired by the county
council, which Is the municipal govern
ment of Greater London. The only excep-
lions are four miles which belong to the
United Tramways Company and two miles
known as the Harrow Road Line. the
franchises for which expire in 1907. The
London Southern Tramways Company has
short line from Vauxhan to Camberwel,
which will doubtless be acquired within a
year or two 1t Is the policy of the gov
eminent not only to own but to operate
all street railways In the greater city and
the suburban lines SO far possible.
During the last two years the city has
taken over forty-eight miles of track in
the northern district parishes and has ''elec-
trified' 1t, as the phrase goes. Ninety
eight miles are now run by electricity. the
balance by horses. The motors are usually
of thirty-fve horsepower, sufficient to pro-
pei the car at q speed of, twelve miles an
hour. There Is one at each end of the car
entirely independent of the other. The
cars can accommodate sixty-four passengers
-twentysix inside and thirty-eight on the
roof.
During the year 1905 the 1000 cars in use
ran IA, OS1, 1897 miles and carried 1874, $50
passengers The following table shows the
operations of all the roads belonging to the
city during the last three years:
Mile. rum lo 1893 5 ssSt 1881 1881 .ss7
Traits Traits 5sse hsss a5 sd
Charges According to Distance.
1t will thus be seen that the average re-
ceipts per passenger for the three years
named were a trifie less than cents, and
show a slight increase. The London street
car companies charge by distance, and the
fares range from l cent to cents in our
money. This zone system. they call
it, is universal throughout Europe, not
only on the street cars. but on the buses
and with public cabs. The conductor goes
through the car after stations are passed
and collects a new fare from passengers
who cannot show ticket When pas
senger pays his fare he always mentions
the point to which he is going, and pays
accordingly cent, cents. 3 cents.
cents. 5 cents or cents-which is the
maximum, and the average charge is
about half a cent per mile. Each pas
senger receives slip or ticket showing
how much he has paid and retains this as
a receipt until he has reached the end of
his journey. Inspectors enter the cars at
frequent intervals and ask to see all tick
cts. Whoever is unable to show a ticket
has to pay another fare. No transfers are
given by the London lines or by any of
the lines In Europe so far as 1 know.
regulation prohibiting a conductor from
admitting more passengers than he has
seats for Notwithstanding the clamor OF
the people who want to get home as soon
as possible. In the early evening when the
working people and shop hands are trying
to get home to their supper there is al
ways a crowd around each of the sta
lions at which the cars stop and they howl
with rage when they are not permitted to
board a car. Nevertheless. the regulation
Is strictly enforced.
Mostly Short Distance Rides.
The surface car lines are chiefly in those
parts Of London where the people Of the
poorer classes reside, two-thirds of the
mileage being south Of the Thames in the
manufacturing district. A very large pro-
portion Of the passengers use them for
short distances only. If they have a long
distance to go they take the underground
or the elevated railways. Last year more
than SO per cent of the passengers rode
less than three miles. and cent fares;
1897 per cent paid cent; 47.10 per cent.
2 CENTS 9.12 per cent paid cents: sol per
cent paid cents; 1.18 per cent paid
cents, and 1.62 per cent paid cent fares.
This form Of municipal ownership Is au-
thorized by what Is known as the tram
ways act of parliament. passed in 1870
which was designed to enable local authori-
ties to promote the improvement of the
transportation facilities by allowing them
to divide the cost of construction with pri-
vate companies The city government
could lay tracks in the streets and lease
them to individuals or corporations, which
would furnish the cars and motive power.
The act also authorized municipalities to
bond themselves, for such purposes. The
restrictions placed upon private enterprise
by limiting franchises to twenty-One years
prevented the investment of private capi-
tai to an amount sufficient to lay the tracks
and furnish the rolling stock and motive
power. Capitalists in English cities took
the same position that they have in Chicago,
that nothing but a franchise Of forty years
would justify the investment of the capital
necessary to lay the tracks and furnish
the equipment.
The act of parliament authorized munich
pal authorities to purchase the equipment
at any time on structural value TERMS"
and at the expiration of the franchise the
holders were required to sell on those terms
II the city authorities desired to buy.
For twenty years or more the municipal
authorities confined themselves to laying
tracks and leasing them to private corpora
lions, but about ten years ago. when cleo
trio lighting and power began to be intro
duced in English cities, the authorities of
several cities entered into negotiations with
the individuals or corporations owning the
cars to purchase their franchises or to fur
nish them with power. Several cities made
such arrangements contingent upon the in
stallment Of lighting plants because the
street cars, which used the electricity
chiefly in the daytime, and lighting plants.
which used 1t at night only. could be op-
Grated by the same machinery, which was,
Of course, a great economical advantage.
About half of the cities Of England took
over the horse-car lines and equipped them
with electricity. In other cases they leased
electric power to the street-car companies.
but the tendency has been toward munich
pal ownership, and today three-fifths Of all
the street-car lines in the united kingdom
are owned by municipalities, which have q
total of about $15O.O0O 900 invested in them.
The city of London. for example. has in
vested q total Of $55.OO0,O00 in street-car
| lines, which represent debt bonded Of
more than $45.00OOOO.
Last year the net profits Of the operation
of ia miles Of track in London was $685.
275. The year previous. 1904. the net profits
were $140,940, on an investment of, as I
have said, Of about SOS. 100000. During sew
eral years of the early experience in this
| line there was a deficit, the largest being
in 1898, when 1t was about $45. 600. Since
then the balance has been annually on the
right side Of the ledger.
Why Profits Have Decreased.
The profits have not been so large under
the management Of the municipal authori-
ties as they were when the cars were oper-
ated by private companies. This is ex-
planned by increased wages. shorter hours,
yar oF