Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-30

the Director then declares that a seductive
feature Of the present financial plans foi
the construction OF the rapid transit lines
is found in the proposal to issue city
bonds under the provisions of the recent
act providing for a life OF so years, the
payment of the interest and sinking fund
charges during the period Of construction
and one year thereafter out OF the pro
ceeds of the bonds themselves, and q
! gradual sinking fund-all features eN-
pected and intended to place as much OF
the burden as possible on posterity The
J seductive feature is in the fact that the
burden will not be realized until possibly
four years after the lines are authorized.
LOCAL TAX SUGGESTION.
An idea entirely new in this city for
| financing transit development, especially
! development In the suburban districts, is
| advanced by the Director. It Is simply
| the proposition that outlying districts. or
sections which obtain elevated or subway
advantages, shall be forced TO pay for
| them by extra taxation or assessment He
advocates new legislation TO this effect
Discussing this, the Director says
THE principle Of assessing the property
for at least a portion Of the cost Of the
city improvements necessary for It's mod
orn development is recognized in a more
or less complete form in Philadelphia. II
may be well here to discuss its application
to this transit problem of Philadelphia and
show how localities benefited should divide
the burden.
"The chief benefits resulting from the
construction of rapid transit lines will
accrue to two zones of the city: (a) The
business district which may here be de-
fined as the district contained within a
one-mile radius drawn from 11th and
Market streets. and (b). the districts lying
outside of circle drawn with radius
of four miles from the same point. The
middle zone lying between the first and
four-mile circles will probably be affected
very little by these lines and only along
the lines themselves.
"As all estimates of growth of popula-
ton in Philadelphia show that within so
years or less the population in Philadel-
phia proper and the vicinity will exceed
5000, 900, and inasmuch as the available
land now lying within the four-inile circle
is practically all developed, excepting
south Of Oregon avenue the future growth
will be largely distributed over the area
outside OF the four-mile limit, and In this
district will occur the greatest rise in land
value.
THE district lying between the one and
three-mile circles will receive compare
lively little direct benefit from the build
ing and operation of these lines but there
seems to be no feasible way of leaving this
section of the city out of the calculation,
as this land is already improved and
fairly well served now by the present sur
face car system. Actually this zone should
carr, but small part of the burden, and
that part only on the section lying along
and benefiting by the lines.
while the rapid transit lines will draw
some business from the territory inside of
the four-mie circle. they must be con-
sidered in that zone as trunk lines or
channels connecting the residential dis
trict with the business district, and not
built primarily to serve the intermediate
district. consequently these form the main
and terminal sections of the system, and
may, therefore, be paid for by general
bond issue"