Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/840

 824 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

The Glasgow tramways have often been cited as especially successful, and hence they are singled out by the Times writer for detailed criticism. He ends his remarks with gloomy prophecy as follows :

When, in due course, heavy charges for renewals in connection with the tramways have to be met, and the reserve funds are found to be inadequate to meet them, because the "profits" have been given to the tramway users in the form of reduced fares, it is at the risk of these very ratepayers that the further sums required will have to be raised. The whole enterprise is a case of "heads, the tramway patrons win ; tails, the ratepayers lose."

The writer of the article cited is much exercised because the "profits" of the tramway traffic do not compare with those he supposes a private company might have made, but he com- plains bitterly that the surplus money obtained was devoted to improving the service and reducing the fares. This, he says, is favoring the tramway patrons at the expense of the other rate- payers; but it does not occur to him that whatever money was made above running expenses came straight out of the tramway patron's pockets. As to whether the sums set aside to meet various contingencies are sufficient, time alone can show ; but the article cited was published in 1902, and I am indebted to Mr. John Burns for a copy of the report of the Glasgow tramways for the year ending May 31, 1903, showing things to be in an ever more flourishing condition than heretofore.

It must not be supposed that municipal management com- pletely does away with labor disputes; nor would it, I think, be desirable that employees should always be ready meekly to take what was given to them. Last summer there was a sort of con- spiracy among certain tramway employees in the London area, to offer to strike on the eve of a bank holiday, when they well understood that their services could not be dispensed with with- out heavy loss to the London County Council and great incon- venience to the public. They accordingly drew up a list of grievances, some of them not unreasonable, and sent it in when the sittings of the Council were over, and the members were dis- persed everywhere taking their holidays. This came to the knowl- edge of Mr. John Burns, and he spent two whole days riding about