Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-14
Get Full Pay While Learning.


The probationers receive full pay dur
Ing their instructions. They begin with
wages of "a shilling a week for the first
six months. A shilling month is added
to their pay at the end of every six
months of their service until they reach
a maximum of 81 shillings. which is the
highest pay of ordinary motormen and
conductors. But they understand that
they have their jobs for life. and we are
now arranging a pension system. There
Is f1ourishing friendly society. In which
membership is optional Of coure, but it
has more than 1900 men on the rolls. and
the city contributes its share to the funds.
Men who have been in the employ of the
company for fifteen years may retire with
a substantial weekly allowance. and those
who are i'll injured are taken care Of.
They get half wages, and, If they are
able to perform 1t, we give them light
work.
Men Must Be Teetotalers.
Il have never discharged a man except
for cause. and the chief. and almost the
only cause Is drink. The use of liquor
is absolutely prohibited Every man who
comes into the employ of the traffic de-
partment of the city of Glasgow must be
when he takes his holidays as we'll as
when he Is at work That is the mex
orable rule. If liquor passes the lips OF
any employe of this department he goes.
No warning is necessary. They all know
what Is coming to them. and when they
take drink they do it with the full UNI
Outstanding of the consequence. The dis
charges for this cause will average about
two week. We have very few cases OF
dishonesty. The percentage of discharges
for that reason Is inflnitesimal
we lose more men by emigration to the
United States and Canada than in any
other way. The average is about three a
week the year around. They go because
they can get better wages in your coun-
try, and they know they are sure of jobs
If they carry a recommendation. We al
ways give man his record any time he
leaves our service. He is entitled to 1t.
1t is the capital he has accumulated while
he has been with us, and it enables him to
obtain employment elsewhere. Unfortu-
nately ii Is the best men who go. The
most intelligent and ambitious leave US
because they think the prospects Of get
ting on in the United States and Canada
are better than here, and perhaps that Is
true.
only a small percentage of our men
ever leave us, however. They, most of
them. will stay with US for life. The city
opened the tramway in August, 1872 and
until 1894 they were leased by a private
company. On July I. 1894 when the city
government commenced to operate them.
we kept the force then employed, and the
uniform on our cars have been in con-
tinuous service ever since. You can't ex-
pect any such permanence in your coun-
try. In the first place. your street car
employees will not submit to the tests and
regulations that We require over here, and
they won't stay. Your working people
are migratory.
Americans Hunts Better Jobs.
"They are always looking for better
ioh
more play. and they 60 from one situation
to another taking their chances Of secur
ing what they want. You cannot separate
your service from politics. either. AL
though you may do SO theoretically, po
liticai influence will be exercised here or
there. Hence it would be impossible for
you to expect such service as We get here.
Furthermore our speed Is restricted.
Our cars cannot run more than six miles
an hour within the city limits, nor more
than sixteen outside. Your city authori-
ties cannot keep your tracks clear as ours
do. We allow only so many passengers to
a car. You are not SO particular and car
ry everybody who can climb on.
Glasgow Car Fares.
Our fares are very much lower than
yours and vary according to distance.
Our average per passenger is cents,
while your fare Is ) cents whatever the
distance. Our fares are as follows in your
money:
lone cent. Il mile: cents. miles:
cents, 3ls miles; cents. AZ miles; cents,
$50 miles: 6 cents. $50 miles: cents.
SD miles; cents, 0 miles.
Even at those rates, which are much
less than yours, we would be paying div-
dends of II and Is per cent II We were a
private company. Our object. however.
is to realize as small profit as possible;
to give the best service for the lowest
fares. while maintaining sinking fund
for the payment of our Indebtedness and
allowing for depreciation and repairs.
Our total investment is E3, $4,000;
bonded Indebtedness. E2.2S3. 900; surplus
and reserve. Ell, 1877 los; annual earnings.
1907. G01O,31S; working expenses, 1907.
G4OO, Az; interest on bonds. E53 152: con-
tribution to sinking fund, f6S, SO4: contr
button to depreciation. f1O0.OO0; taxes.
E15, 1876.
"Deducting our reserve fund from our
bonded indebtedness we owe 81, 14J 1872.
which is less than half what the road
cost. and the plant is now worth two or
three times that amount.
How many passengers do you carry?"
Immense Passenger Traffic.
Last year we carried 228,a4s. go, and
% per cent of them paid 1 cent for their
fare; 5O.GG per cent paid two-cent fare:
7.57 per cent paid the three-cent fare.
Our traffic and our earnings have doubled
during the last ten years"
Have any other cities been SO success
full as Glasgow In the operation of street
car lines?' l asked
Municipal undertakings in Scotland
have been generally successful owing to
the same policy We have adopted here.
In Manchester. Birmingham, Liverpool
Leeds, Sheffield. Newcastle. Bradford and
other English cities they have been en-
tirely divorced from politics. and wher-
ever that policy has been strictly enforced
there is a balance on the right side of the
ledger and good service. The London
county council has not been SO fortunate,
but the reasons well known