The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-14

4
New York, May 14.-That the sub
ways in this city carried last year
more passengers than the total popu-
lation of the United States, Canada,
Mexico, France and Germany com
| bined, and three times the present
population of this country is the as
founding fact just brought to. light
| through figures compiled by the pub
lilo service commission. During the
twelve months covered by the report
no less than 256,76S,9S1 persons were
carried by the underground lines. In
| other words the number of tickets
purchased would provide three rides
for every man, woman and child in
the United States, and the tickets
| themselves would make a strip long
enough to stretch from New York to
San Francisco and half way back
again, or 5000 miles in ALL The great
est point of congestion continues to be
down town, since more persons pur-
chased tickets at Brooklyn bridge than
at any other station. At this point
6,980,474 persons bought tickets DUR
ing the year, but in spite of the fact
that it is the terminus for the great
downtown and Brooklyn travel. it's
lead over more northerly points was
extremely small. The grand central
station, on Forty second street, was a
close second while the Times square
station only three blocks away had
tWo-thirds as many. Together these
two uptown stations, which only a few
years ago would have been considered
as lying in the outskirts of the city.
accounted for over 100000 passen-
gers, or so per cent more than Brook
lyn bridge, furnishing one of the most
striking illustrations of the northward
growth of the city. Taking into ac
count the passengers carried by eIe-
waited and surface cars, 1t is probable
that nearly 100000 900 persons are
carried by the local transportation
lines every year thus giving to New
York by wide margin the greatest
traffic of it's kind of any city in the
world. Indeed when the new subways
now planned are completed, it is es-
timated by experts that within a few
years the number of passengers ham
died annually will equal the popuIa-
ton of the whole world
Figures have just been compiled
here dealing with the cost of living in
this city as compared to the country
in general not only show, for the first
time, just how any given income is
distributed, but also reveal some as
tonishing details of the method of liv-
ing among the classes which they COW
err. The figures deal with incomes
ranging from $500 year to $1,000 and
are divided into five classes 500 apart.
Based on all five classes the figures
show that the average part of the in
come spent for rent is 21 per cent in
New York as compared to 1T per cent
for the whole country; IS per cent for
food as compared to 43 per cent for
the whole country; while for clothing
the figure is the same in both cases,
that is IA per cent. In the case of in
comes of $500 or $500, the balance is
much heavier against New York, rent
taking one-quarter more than else
where and food considerably less, not
because food is cheaper but because
there is less to spend for it. Details
of the mode Of living possible with the
incomes mentioned leads to the con-
clusion that considerably less is actu-
ally gotten for the money here as COM
pared to the whole country. This is
borne out by the statements appear
ing in the report which show that in
this city half the $500 families and
more than one-third of the $500 fam
lilies cannot afford to buy fuel, but
gather it on the streets. One third of
the $500 families cannot afford gas.
Only one family in ten in the $500
group and only one family in six in the
500 group spends anything on the