OUR PECULIAR STREET RAILWAY CONDITIONS
It would seem that there is no longer anreason why the gen- ;
oral public should refrain from admitting that it was beautifully "
"gold bricked" in the matter of the Citizens' Street Railway Co.
We were all sore at the disgraceful service offered by the Traction ,
Co., and sore against the non-resident boss whose sole desire seemed
to be to get all out of it he could and give back as little las possible
in the way of service. We hailed with joy something that promised :,
relief. .
When-a number of reputaible business men banded themselves
together and organized .a competing company we rejoiced. First,
because it seemed to us that competition would give us increased
service, extension of lines and emancipation from a seemingly in
solent management. The city council granted about everything
the new company asked for, and pretty soon we were all as happy
as clams because we were getting needed lines into new, sections
of the city, "increased service in old sections, and 'betterment in all
directions. But it was all a dream soon to be dispelled. We were"
so all-fired anxious to force the old company to do something that
we -failed to realize that competition ill such a public utility was
not only impracticable but really impossible. Some there were who .
knew it all the time and they are the ones who have profited by
the deal. -
Tnterurbari ahout 100,000 worth. The consolidated company owned-'
property not ' to exceed 1,750,000 in value. So far so good. But
that wasn't enough. As soon as possible after consolidation the
hydraulics were set to work and the water began flowing in. The
first act was' to issue and sell preferred stock to ( the amount of
$1,020,000. Then there was issued and distributed among the stock
holders common stock to the amount of $1,651,800. This is a total,
issue of $2,671,800 on property worth less than $1,750,000 or aqua
pura to the. amount of practically one million dollars. - County At
torney Tyrrell-sets the water at approximately $2,000,000, but we
want to be conservative.
But what of it? Did we not invite the hydraulic game when we
consented to give the Citizens' Co. permission to lay the foundatino
for the pumps? - - . - '..
In a short time shorter than might have been expected the
merger took place. The new company swallowed the old, and . by
the usual process. Holders of stock in the old company gave it up in
return for an increased number of shares in the new company.
A sort of bonus, you know, for getting into the game. ;
L Doubtless the new management, for all its activity in hydraulics.
js up against iti. Geraibly the public is n doubt about that. And
' ihe company says it is unable to do anything to afford relief be
..... cause it has no. money available, - and is unable to raise . money
: because of the unfavorable light thrown upon its financial efforts
bythe county attorney. We'can offer no possible solution unless it
:. is this: Let the company retire all that common stock. It was
issued for no consideration. Then'let it proceed to sell some stock,
, investing the proceeds in betterments. This may not be possible
; we can not. say,, for w .'admit our ignorance of high finance. But
we are not ignorant of the fact that the car service is not what it'
should 'be. ' , .,
What is the situation now? The present Traction. Co.' managers,
who were the managers of the once Citizens' Co., want relief from
a lot of things that they prof essed to be delighted with when they -were
asking favors from the municipality. They have secured a
reduction in the occupation tax that they really asked permission
to pay a eouple of years ago. They 'have abandoned in whole 6r ,
in part service along the newer lines, despite the fact that many
people invested their money along those lines under the impres- :.
sion that they were to have superior, street car service. . Today,
after giving up many valuable concessions, presenting an oppor- ;
tunity for a pretty bit of "high financing," Lincoln is no better
off, all things considered, in the way of car service than it was
before the Citizens' Co. began business, arid certainly not nearly
si) well off as it was six months before the merger. The Traction
Co.'s claim of "car mileage" may be quite correct, .but any man
of ordinary intelligence can take a pencil and a bit of paper and
demonstrate beyond a peradventure that fully 25 per cent of the
boasted car mileage is of no practical benefit to the people. Take
the main stem from Ninth street to Twenty-seventh street eighteen
blocks. That is1 a mile and a half, or three miles for the. round
trip. Seven car lines use this East S, Cemetery, Thirty-third and "
Vine, Haveloek, University Place, State Farm and Haveloek. Ap-:-proximately
376 cars travel between Ninth and Twenty-seventh
every day, covering approximately .1,128 miles a day,' or 400,000
miles a year. This is 25 per cent of the total car mileage boasted
of by the Traction Co. Will any sane man contend that this is
the kind of ear mileage service that is. of practical benefit? The
car mileage boasted of might all be confined between Ninth and
Twenty-seventh but it wouldn't help 97 per cent of the popula
tion a single bit. v'
County Attorney Tyrrell is seemingly determined to prosecute
his case against the Traction Co. to the limit. The company ought ,
to 'welcome 'this-' if it is honest 'in its contentions. The public ought
to 'back the county attorney, for if his contention is right the pu'blic
wants the mess straightened out. . If he is wrong, the company is .
entitled to pursue tsway unhampered by-litigation.. , . -
v in .th-jneitiitinlil disgusted and disappointed patrons are holding
indignation meetings and kicking about rotten service or no ser
v -..vice. a(tallw The":.: cars. .are..:bcoming dilapidated, and some of them
- - are really offenses"-to public-decency and menaces to public health.:
.The situatio Would it be possible for the
city to condemn the street railway, get it for a reasonable price,
issue bonds in payment?' therefor, and operate it just as it operates
the water department ? ' If it 'is,-isn't that the logical as well as the
sensible solution .of the. whole. problem?
'Time's in Nebraska have Changed since the days when the booze
., dispensary of the state ..house was in the northwest room onx the
..(first floor and 'the penitentiary contract was a lucious graft for
party workers. , ' ... '', :" '
, If M.r Whedon's letters to Senator Burkett are .written in," the
Funke, building, we advise the insurance companies carrying .the.'
fire r isk's to cancer their policies and demand -a higher premium for
new ones. : "V.'' "." V' ':' ' -" "- - 1 ' . ;-
,But all this is neither here nor there in the present contention.
In the language of the 'good old lady of our acquaintance, "Lincoln
having burned herself ought to sit on the -blister." That's what we
actually did when we boosted the Citizens' Co. and then permitted
the merger. And if we had possessed ordinary horse sense, the'
merger would have struck us as an assured fact from the very start.-
In brief, and to the point, should we take our medicine gracefully,
or should be plead the "baby act?"
And just to think that after all the trouble this,. county option
'jssueha'S forced upon us, we'll have to fight it all over again, no
matter how it goes this time. ' " '
Senator Burkett 's campaign managers' will have to. score Whe
don's latest as "too hot to handle." - .
Kir.
- By the way, is there any congressional campaign in the First
;.,-.! districj. this year?
. 7.Th,e. attention' of: the state department of public health. is called:
' to the odiferous conciition of Ne'braska politics just now.'
When the two street railway companies were consolidated the
old company owned property to the value of about $1,250,000. The
Citizens,' Co. possessed about $400,000 worth, and the Citizens'
A lot of men are, finding it extremely difficult to keep their politi
cal millinery on straight this year. .