Weekly journal-miner., 1909-04-28
sKY-scRAPERs AND STREETS

The modern skyseraper ir connee- tion with electric rapid traction has revolutionized the science of municipal housekeeping. There is the crush of everybody to the business eenters re- sulting from the facility with which one can do business there and live long distance out in the open. The sky-scraper makes this concentration possible and there is great economic gain when one wishing to do business in half doen offices can reach them all without leaving the block or per haps the. building, remarks the Chron- icle, of San Francisco.
 The question is how streets planned to accommodate the occupants of three and four story buildings are going to take care of the multitude which are brought together by ten and twenty story buildings covering the same area. Of course they cannot do 1t. The people of San Francisco do not have any trouble at present. The next generation will have plenty of 1t. New York is in the thick of it and not only the original streets, but the streets, elevated roads and subways together fail to afford space to handle the crowds when taxed to their fullest ca pacity. And, what is worse, the pub lie authority which was created by the legislature to make sure that nobody makes any money by providing neces- ssry facilities is 80 much occupied with that prime object that nothing can be done.
 President Shonts of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company of New York, which is presumably wicked and cor rupt institution, declares that it is ready and willing to relieve an into!- erable situation, and invest $50,00o,oo0 to do 80, if only the community which demands relief will permit it. In a paid advertisement President Shonts declares that the subway, built to ear " 100000 passengers a day, IS carry ing O0,O0O, while the elevated lines have 10 bear the strain of 50 per cent more traffic than they were planned for. The present subway was built with public money, some say with the waste which always accompanies pub. lie expenditures. The InterbOrough off fers to bnild two new subways and do it now and turn them over to the city at the end of a lease. But there, as elsewhere, there is party which insists that "tbe public" shall do all these things for itself, and while they quarrel over what the public" should do and try to eontrive ways by which it can get the money, time flies and nothing whatever is done. In New York at the rush hours people fight each other to get on to ears 10 get home. The weak wait until the strong are served. If the wicked pri- vate "eapitalists could be let alone, they would increase their facilities with the population and make lot of money by it. But rather than let pri- vate concerns get rich on what the public would waste in doing the same work, a good many New Workers are compelled to plod home afoot. The people of any eity are silly to try to do for themsel1S anything which pri- vate capital will do for them. Private capital is efficient and economical. The public is shiftless and wasteful.
 In Los Angeles, there is already such congestion of traffic on Main street that it takes from ten to fifteen min utes to make five blocks during the heavy traffic hours and there is a!- ready serious talk of building an ele- vated line on the next parallel street east of Main to relieve the blockade of the interurban cars. That city has magnificent trolley system but there are so many ears on some of the streets that it takes one-half of ones time in getting home nights to ride five or six blocks in the downtown dis trict. The only relief from this is te' construct overhead and underground lines to carry the people to and from home.
 The California brake-beam tourist