The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-22
SYMPOSIUM; BRITISH TRANS
CgIIC FEDERATION EXPERTS CON-
TIME TO DISAGREE.
Municipality Ownedllne Not So Good as the
Privately owned Lines. or Are Better,
According as IOu Look at It-If Fares
Are Lower Wages Are Hair Ours.

According rs You Look Al I'LL Fares
Are Lower wages Are Hair Ours.
Another Of the series Of reviews on owner
ship Of public utilities based upon investiga-
tions under the direction OF the National
Civic Federation was made pubic yesterday.
The subject treated in this report is the
operation OF British street railways by
municipal ties and by privately owned
corporations respectively. The reviews are
the result Of technical reports compiled by
expert engineers who, with the reviewers.
spent several MONTH in British cities.
The reviews are 10y William j. Clark. general
manager of the foreign department OF the
General Electric Company, and Prot Frank
Parsons Of Boston.
! Mr.. Clark declares that the American
traction systems under private ownership
are far more progressive than those Of
England. Scotland and Ireland, that they
give far better suburban service. that cars
are less crowded and that lines are being
extended with far greater rapidity. This
he attributes TO the absence Of restrictions
in the United States as compared with Great
Britain. where. he says. private traction
enterprises get franchises only on almost
prohibitive terms. The difference OF rate
OF fare in the two countries. Mr.. Clark says.
is more than Offset by the great number
Of free transfers given by the American
systems. The private companies in the
United Kingdom give a superior service
az compared with the municipality operated
lines. While the Briton paid an average
Of 2.2s cents, against an average Of $40
cents in the United States. facilities for
travel were from ~ to Is per cent Of those
nuinxal hty tha Ap,ariran paaaapn.r In
1892 there were two British cities Of more
than 20 900 population. seven with popula-
tions OF from 50, 900 To 100000 and thirty
nine with from %. 900 to $1,000 inhabitants
without street railways. but in the United
States there was no city Of more than %. 900
people without traction service,
The American street railways pay prac-
tically double the rate for salaries aud
wages that are paid in the United Kingdom.
In the State of New York a decrease OF
wages TO the British standard would reduce
the operating expenses Of local t%ransporta-
ton lines about sIi. 900. 900 annually. an
amount equivalent to about 81 per cent.
of their gross receipts.
Few Americans realize the obstacles
which Brit sh private companies meet IN
attempting to obtain franchise rights. The
fact that the consent Of the local authOri-
ties is required is used by the local authori-
ties to force the companies To make ex-
CeSsile payments, and even when a
franchise i obtained IL ia for a brief term,
scarcely long enough to warrant the heavy
expenditures required for modern electric
ra'lroai construction. Against his the
municipalities at comparatively slight ex-
, pensa obtain their Parliamentary rights to
perpet ual and monopolistic franchises A
city which de sires n franchise for itself.
or a city which opposes a private company.
has at its command a more powerful polit-
iCal influence than any that exists in the
United States. The town clerks possess
great political power, especially in the cleo
ton of members Of Parliament. SO that.
MIR Clark says. when a town clerk makes
a request Of "A member OF the House OF
Commons the usual result is not unlike
what occurs in America when a political
boss makes a similar request OF some public
official whose election he made possible.
Prof. Parsons, ON the other side. saws
that the principal reasons for the munich
paliIation Of British have been
poor service by the private companies.
their i'll treat ment of employees. their re-
fusal to assent to the adoption Of electric
traction. extensions TO suburban districts
aud other vital improvements; the con-
slant difficulty experienced by the cities,
amount ing to practical impossibility Of
securing a reasonable regard to The public
interest or even the fulflment Of actual
contracts the growing belief on the part
oil the nuDllc tIJI Nlt streets anu HI mODOp-
DIV uses of them are public property which
should not he handed over TO private int err
,stS. and the desire that the profits Of the
undertaking should inure to rhe benefit
OF the public.
The British companies opposed extern
sions. saws Prof. Parsons. plastered their
cars with unsightlv advertisements and
refused IN reduce fares. saying that they
could not afford il. But when the munich
palit lea took the lines electric traction was
adopted, the service was extended. adj
vertisements were reduced to due subordi-
nat ion, fares were lowered and hours of
labor were s~hortened; all of which. instead
Of producing a loss, AZ predicted, made
comfortable profits for the people.
The service is good. according TO British
standards, and in some cases excellent even
according to American standards The
speed Of Brit i-h cars il low a. compared
with American. but the speed limits are
fixed by the boards of trade. There IN no all
night service except on the London County
Council public ownership system
Prof. Parsons also says: Under the
pressure of new standards and an educated
public sentiment developed by municipal
operat ion in the fun publicity created by il
in respect to all tramway costs and methods.
the present companies at their best are
ged with so much regard and to the
common int erest that n casual observation
might lead one 10 think there Is nothing TO
he gained by further municipa'ization.