Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 11.djvu/874

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THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY

sanitation, except as the latter is treated from the physicians' point of view by the American Public Health Association, and many other avenues for municipal improvement, await the assistance of this society in their development.

The above considerations might give the impression that there 5 is left for us only details of administration and construction ; but such is far from being the case. We may treat as experts of the broad subject of the relative values of various utilities to a modern city which are essential, and which nonessential, to its most profitable growth. We shall be doing a better work in persuading a city to adopt proper sanitary garbage-disposal than in designing the details of its plant To demonstrate and convince of the sanitary superiority and greater economy of a sewerage system over cesspools is as important as to build the system.

To a certain extent it is a weakness, but to a much greater extent should it be a strength, that our membership is not composed of one class only of officials, but that mayors, aldermen, engineers, and street and other superintendents all meet here to exchange ideas and learn each other's point of view, and our discussions should be, and to a large extent are, demonstrations of the value of this. A. P. Folwell, Municipal Engineering, October, 1905. H. W.

The Municipalization of Street Railways in Rome. The tramway com- pany ought to be paying 400,000 lire to the municipality instead of the 290,000 lire which it is now paying. [A lira is 100 centesimi, equivalent to ca. $0.20.] The tramways are, however, more than a source of income ; they are a public necessity.

The Societa Romana dei Tramways-Omnibus points out that its stocks are quoted very low, and that the company is losing money. Such statements show the intention of the company not to share its gains with the municipality, and justify the proposition often made to municipalize this service. Judging by the statements of the officers of the company, it would seem that the stockholders ought to welcome municipalization ; instead of which, they are its bitterest oppon- ents. This fact itself naturally tends to increase the number of those who favor municipal ownership.

It may be well, considering the question on its own merits, apart from the statements made by the company, to compare conditions in Rome with those in Milan, where the street railways are semi-municipalized. In Milan the municipality owns and maintains the roadbed, having absolute jurisdiction of the lines, with power to extend them or discontinue the use of them at will. The Societa Edison, the operating company, provides the service, namely : the erection and mainten- ance of the wires, the generation and distribution of power, the acquisition and maintenance of rolling-stock, and the employing of the operating force.

The gross earnings are divided between the municipality, as owner of the lines, and the operating company. The municipality received (i) 4,500 lire per kilometer of single track to meet the cost of construction, including interest and amor- tization, and maintenance of the track and (2) a fixed sum of 125,000 lire for the maintenance of the streets in which street-railway lines are operated. The Edison Company recives a payment to cover the cost of operation calculated on a basis of 26.38 centesimi per car-kilometer, divided as follows: traction expenses (power, etc.), 15.13 cent.; maintenance, 1.17 cent.; maintenance of rolling-stock, 2.65 cent.; general expenses, 3.12 cent.; amortization (i. e., sinking fund, or other means of retiring the debt), 4.31 cent. The surplus is divided, 60 per cent, going to the municipality and 40 per cent, to the operating company. In 1903 Milan received, according to this arrangement, 1,390,000 lire, a sum equal to 20 per cent, of the gross receipts.

The tramway company of Rome, on the other hand, pays to the municipality only 9.6 per cent, of its gross earnings, although its receipts average 68 centesimi per car-kilometer, as against 44.03 cent, in Milan. It is evident that the street- railway service of Rome could be more productive, and that whatever the stock- holders of the company may say the share of the municipality in the net profits could be greater.

We do not believe, however, that it is absolutely necessary to municipalize the service in order to attain this result. If we follow the example of Milan and