The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-17

tenth of this TO the state ms rental for I
the use of the streets and Is able to de- I
clare dividends Of Z per cert. per nnnum.
It's stock is quoted far above par.
For each passenger carried one pfennig
goes intolt the tax fund. Hamburg and
Altoona have combined population OF
more than 100000. There are enough
passengers to enable the company to cs-
tabl!ah q two-minute service on all It's |
main lines.
There are two street railway companies !
and there Is a sharp competition between /
them. These lines are Il very pleasing
contrast to the municlpally-oWncd traWs !
of the cities Of Great Britain. The bur-
gfers have solved the problem OF secur-
in revenue from the street cur dnes
to their entire satisfaction. No one has
any desire to gee the city take them
over. 4
One of the mysteries Of my European
trip has been the difference in revenue
between the private street car lines OF
Hamburg and the municipal lines of
Great Britain. The Hamburg lines pay
the city more, thnn half million dollars
a year; few OF the English lines are
paying expenses. Yet nowhere In Great
Britain did I And as low fares or as
good service rs that In Hamburg.
1 received o partial insight into the
difference In cost between the systtms
in the two countries while making some
| inquiries about the electrical comp nies.
here. ] discovered that private cleo
trical company Is buying Scotch coal de- /
livcred at the free port on the !:'he Tor SO
per cent. less than the city OF Glasgow
buys the same coal delivered on tho
Clyde.
Apparently Glasgow is powerress in the
grasp OF the bnrons OF the Scotch coal
fields. a victim OF trust Witch care
into being about the time Glasgow as
sumed control OF her electrical and tram
way systems.
But the Hamburg electrical company
| Is not permitted to keep all the profits
| from this cheap coal. The rental which
| It pays to the state Is seemingly inapos-
sible. The license OF the chief electrical
company Is subject to the following pay
ments:
| L. Fifteen and fifth per cent. Of
! the gross receipts for current furnished
| for lighting and power purposes.
| 2. Twenty per cent Of the gross re-
ceipts for current furnished to the
'strassenbahn gesellschaft" (the street
! railway company
9. The following share in the net gain:
One-fourth OF the surplus after paying
! a 6 per cent. dividend; one-half OF the
| surplus after paying an s per cent. divi-
dcnd.
For the year 19o4-'o5 the Hamburg
Electrical Company paid to the state
l 394.90 marks for current dues and $4,000
marks as the states share In the ne.
profits. For tho year ending June &,
1906, the company paid 1.11s.400 marks
FOR current dues and 317 900 as the state s
share in the net profits.
Light Is furnished the public at the
ratio OF 6 pfennigs for 100 watt hours
and power for pfennigs for 100 watt
Il hours
The statement OF the electrical COM
pany for this year is as, follows: Cap
ital, $4,000, 900 marks; reserve fund. $780,
Z 600 marks; writing off account for de-
probation and renewals. Z, 400 700 marks;
7 bonded debt, 6,ST5 900 marks. Dividends
paid from 1901 to 1905 were Z, T. ",
y III. 8 per cent. The stock OF the COM
pany is quoted ut 160.
II should like to stay here long
! enough to break through 80 secre-
tiveness OF these German captains OF
industry and discover how they do it,
The State of Hamburg owns and
operates the gas plant, and peculiarly
enough, gas-is expensive In hamburg
The price Is IA pfennigs per cubic mo-
ter. But the State operates the plan,
solely for revenue. There is. no dis.
: position to give cheap gas. The sur
+ plus goes to the general revenue. II
: 1904 this surplus amounted to s,525, c0O
marks.
About this there is a manifest un.
: fairness The citizen who uses gas II
compelled to pay not only for the cos
. Of the service, bat his pro rata OF thi.
q 100000 mark surplus which goes into
; the tax fund. In othor words. lie |.
e paying a goodly portion Of the take!
4 Of his more fortunate neighbor who
r does not use gas.
These statistics are respectfully sub
| yy,{tt cd uyif ha tIor3
public service mig. be rendered d,
y discovering why these Hamburg com
panies make such remarkable protit
while similar utilities operated by tn,
English Socialists fail to pay ex
penses
= The tipping system here extend
:. even to the street cars. The conduc
> ;, tors orespaid only meagre salaries blu
= they about double these by reason 0
the tips. The first few times I rod
! on the Hamburg cars I was seriousl
# annoyed by conductors who appeare
not to BIO able to walk through tn
q cars without stepping on my feet.
= mentioned this to tho master at M
hotel, TRY 5-pfennig piece mex
t!me," he advised
l. WHAT A TIP DOES.
s. did so, and the conductor shove
TO mo marked courtesy, He would eve
lF't dpo1oa 1Ao ~ NsStIudu WueA ITO Wake
It through tho aisle.
To the next one gave 10-pfenni
r. tip. He Strengthened up, gave me
n, military salute and grabbed a WORK
g. tngman sitting .eside mo by the nee
and hustled him out on the back Of Il,
r car. ! had that seat TO myself to tn
I'd end Of the line.
r 10 one conductor handed a 20
pfenning tip. o little more ,,lan 4 cent
7. In American money. I received tn
oy military salute. and when we came
Z my corner he stopped che car. hoppe
ne off and stood with cap In hand unit
ne reached the sidewalk.
Steam railway limos In Germany q,
!, Disappointment. Tho Germans al
na no better than the English at steal
railroading, I rode from Hamburg
= Berlin on tho blue ribbon train tne
sr' leaves Kloster Station at 1889 p.
~ THIS Is the fastest train In German
no 1t covers distance OF fifty A.lometol
- in III minutes, q speeu OF q lit. 10.
" a las !,