EAPTD-TRANSTT SUBWAYS IN M1':TR( )P()LITAN CITIES. 767 



the tuniu'ls so luii-i'ow (hat only those cars can he nscd that are 

 especially coiistrncted for the snb^ay. 



Another ]5oint ii])on which the inunicii)al council and the central 

 government did not agree was as to who should opt>rate the lines. 

 The council wished not only to own but to operate the road. The 

 central authorities objected. l)ut finally conij)roniised upon municipal 

 ownership and private oj)eration. This jjlan olTers many advantages. 

 According to a general law passed in 18-l-i^, a [)i'ivate company gets a 

 franchise for seventv-five years if it builds a railroad ; but if a public 

 authority constructs a line it may shorten the period to thirty-five 

 years. Further, under private ownership, a company would find 

 considera])le ditficulty in raising sufficient capital to build and operate 

 the whole system. Paris could borrow the money easily, and not only 

 easily, but at a lower rate of interest than a private company. This 

 saving would be no small factor and \\'i\\ enable the road to lower 

 fares ultimately. 



The contract between the municipality and the operating com- 

 pany is most interesting. The franchise runs for thirty-five years, 

 but at any time within seven years from date of construction the city 

 may acquire the lines. The company agrees to maintain the highest 

 degree of efficiency, to give to its employees an annual vacation of 

 ten da^'s with full salary, to gi^'e them full pay during military 

 instruction and sickness, to insure them against accident, and to pay 

 the city 2 cents for every first-class ticket and 1 cent for every second- 

 class ticket sold, with the a<lded provision that when the annual 

 passenger traffic exceeds 140.000,000 persons, this sum shall be 

 increased, reaching at the highest mark 2.1 cents for each first-class 

 and 1.1 cents for each second-class ticket. As the concession fixes 

 the rate for a first-class ticket at 5 cents and for a second-class ticket 

 at 3 cents, and for school children with teacher at a uniform rate of 

 1 cent, about one-third of the entire receipts will go to the munici- 

 pality and two-thirds to the company. iVs the cost will l)e about 

 $35,000,000 for the lines thus far authorized, an annual revenue of 

 $1,100,000 will be necessary to pay the interest, sinking-fund charges, 

 and incidental expenses; operating expenses are paid by the com- 

 pany leasing the subway. Thus, if the entire system should carry 

 only 125,000,000 passengers annually, the city woidd more than pay 

 all expenses. As this is considcM'ed a very low estimate and as it 

 seems almost certain that the traffic will far exceed this mnnber, the 

 city will probal^ly find the subway a paying investment. The roads 

 in London, Berlin, and New York carry nearly 5,000.000 [)assengers 

 per mile per year; the Paris subway ought easily to i-each the nec- 

 essary 3,000,000 per mile per year. 



The entire system of subways is not to be constructed at once, but is 

 to be divided into six sections (two more have not been apj^roved by 



