New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-04-21
FREE TRANSPORTATION.
Chance for Father Kmickerbocker to
Bring II about.
By John Martin.

After years experience OF the municipal own
ership and operation OF the ferry from Manhattan
10 Staten Island. boroughs Of greater New
York that four miles apart stock may advap-
tageously he taken OF the results
PunctuaIity and frequency the main items by
which 20 test the efficiency of transportation SER
vice on both counts the municipal operation is
more than justified.
So FAR as the experiment goes IL demonstrates
that municipality, even handicapped by politi-
cal machine VIGOROUSLY corrupt and By the eXi-
gences OF new form Of municipal service under
taken before the equipment compete, can
actually the business 20 the satisfaction Of the
people.
What are tho financial results? y loss on tho
year OF $3.50 GOO. Ultimately II is expected. the in
OF population and greater use Of the ferry,
following the improved service viii make the
annual income balance the expenditure.
Every month the number OF passengers increases.
each month shows an increase over the correspond
ing month OF the preceding year. Land values on
the island soaring with dsquetlng speed. II
the assessors do their duty the cIys treasury Will
be reimbursed Immediately for the quarter million
deficit the ferry. Last year the total assessed
value the property In the county $50,57S $50
the total amount raised in taxes was $1s4156 (be-
ing $Is5O96. less $3.50 allowed for insolVencieS.
erroneous assessments, s5c3 therefore 10 secure
Is big increase, but values have risen fully that
amount.
Had The city been 2 little more entterPrisinE and
long sighted II might have got back the capital
IT not have followed the German precedent and
bought the land on which 70 settle its workpeople
while yet it was cheap, before tho municipal ser
vice had turned the tide OF population this way?
What. rich plums would then have fallon TO its
share. In Germany the possession by cities Of
much land IL known 10 be necessary for tho
public good that five years ago the Prussian gov
eminent issued directions TO the governors of lin.
twelve provinces that they should all their in
huence 10 induce all PrussiaR towns 10 buy ag
much land as they could obtain and to retain nos
session OF all that they then held and should aftor
ward acquire.
Several cities had already adopted this policy
and had steadily purchased land as opportunities
occurred Frankfort Mannheim, Breslau N4gde
burg. Dortmund Aachen. Dantzic Stettin and
Strasburg have large estates Strasburt. owning
3641S square yards Il head OF the p0pula ton
an equivalent to a municipal estate of more
than 2637 square miles for New Nn-li's thrpe ma
a half millions OF population, And the German
cities actively increasing their holdings Since
1880 Cologne has increased its holdings thirteen
times, ChemnitZ six times, Munich three and a
third times and Dresden three times. Berlin de-
spite its very rapid increase OF population. added
in ten years 70 its communal holding an acreage
equivalent 10 2l.0 square yards for every inlabi-
tant.
Similar enterprise, accompanied by muni~Ipal i'm
pTovements OF transportation. would soon make
New York fabulousy rich that the transporta
ton might be made free the use OF the
streets.-The Independent.