The San Francisco call., 1913-08-03
DOLCE PROVES
GEARY LINE PAYS
Clear Profit of $4,000 for
7 July Over Every Charge,
Says. Expert
Figures Showing Facts Ad-
vanced as Argument
for Bonds

The Geary street railroad-a railroad
without a deficit-a railroad that has
been profitable from the start, is the
Characterization of the municipal sys-
tenn by William Dodge. financial expert
of the board OF supervisors finance
committee.
Mr.. Dodge departed yesterday for Los
Angeles on the steamer Harvard. and
before sailing he made statement of
the financial returns from the city's
line.
Every one IN his right mind knows
i that the Geary street road has been
making a profit from the start" said
j the accountant.
For example, take the figures for
one month. In June the operating ex-
penses were $4,000. Let US increase
this by one-half for July, when through
| service was in operation. For July the
lTeceipts averaged more than $1,000
+ day or $4,000 for the month. From
this take the operating expenses, S2l,-
600, leaving $4,000. From this we
must substract s7.40o, which Is the
interest for one month on the entire
amount of outstanding Geary street
| bonds The remainder is s1s.6oo
CLEAR PROFIT or $4,000
! Now. there remains only the, sink
/ ing fund for the bond redemption. which
tfor the month would be SS,400 on the
basis Of SOLO for the year. sub
: tract this sS,400 from s1S,600 and you
have $1020o--a clear profit over every
charge for the city road for single
months operation. You can't GET away
ny @h0EA a
I the other months the road has peen IN
operation"
Assistant City Engineer Ransom Is
,sued q statement in regard to the pro
Dosed extension OF the municipal rail-
! ways He said in pert:
More than $4,000 persons, whose
businesses are in San Francisco. i've
across the bay or down the penlnsuia, .s,
largely for the reason that they Will
not submit to the inconvenience and
loss of time incident to travelling from
their businesses to their residences on
the San Francisco streetcars.
San Francisco is today at least SIX
years behind in the construction or
necessary street railways. At least "
miles of additional street railway
should be constructed at once and SO
miles in the near future.
NO HEAVY SALARY EXPENSE
IL IS true Iudl I0c WdSCo pdiQ ~
subordinate employees on the municipal
railways are higher than those paid
for similar positions IN privately owned
end operated street railways, but the
additional cost of operation is offset
by the savings which will be made by
reason Of the facts that no expenses
are incurred for high priced officials,
such as president, assistant to the pres
ident legal bureau, ETC., and that the
bonded Indebtedness of the municipality
owned street railways viii be limited to
the actual cost Of construction.
I'm this connection it is interesting
10 know that while the Geary street
railway has cost the city approximate
~ 100000 per mile of track for con-
struction and equipment, the United
Railroads are capitalized at s320,00o
per mile of single track.
The question before the citizens
of San Francisco today is not do you
or do you not believe in municipal
ownership of public utilities?' but do
you desire that additional street rail-
ways be built at once In order that
the Panama Pacific exposition may be
a success and the population Of the
city may increase2
URGES sUNKEN LINE IN PARK
Henry Colombat. 2s9 Geary street,
has again suggested to the supervisors
in communication that the Geary
street municipal railway be carried
across Golden Gate park from the Rich
mond to the sunset District by means
of a sunken way. He advises an open
excavation rather than a tunnel for the
greater part Of the road, with short
subway for crossings. The open air
portion would be provided with suit
able barriers of an ornamental type to
larmonize with the beauties of the
park. Colombat declares that the park
extension would be a profitable invest
ment and of great convenience to the
residents of the districts TO be con-
nected by it.
The Preside and Ferries Railway
company reported to the supervisors
yesterday that its July receipts totaled
S27,211.60, of which the city receives
as its percentage $107.10. The city's
share of the receipts is drawn only
upon that portion collected from the
Larkin and Vallejo streets loop, as the
condition does not apply to those parts
of the system constructed earlier