People's Pilot, Volume 4, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 April 1895 — “Paternalism” in Toronto, Canada. [ARTICLE]

“Paternalism” in Toronto, Canada.

Toronto, Canada, has a population of about 200,000. It sells its street railway privileges—not for boodle, as our American cities do, but to the highest bidder at public auction, and as a result that city is deriving a large income from the street railways, and enjoys cheaper fares and a far better service than under the old system. No long-time franchises are granted, but periodically the companies are compelled to bid for the privilge of 1 using the streets, which, as can be easily seen, compels companies to operate their lines for the accommodation of the public. At the last letting, despite the stringent conditions imposed by the municipal authorities, three companies submitted bids for the privilege of using the streets, and as a result the city receives $1,600 a year for each mile of double track operated, and a graduated tax on the gross earnings of 8 per cent on the first million dollars, on the next five hundred thousand dollars 10 per cent, and so on in a progressive scale, the rate going as high as 20 per cent on all receipts over three million dollars. The city determines the rate of fares, ordinary tickets being sold six, for 25 cents, or 25 tickets for sl. Tickets for working people, good morning and evening, are sold at eight for 25 cents, while school children ride for two and a half cents. The revenue derived by the city from this source is $125,000, a s-m four times as large as f'e r n vcn”e Arrived by the city of Chicago from its street car lines, and yet Chicago has ten times the population of Toronto. When it is suggested that it is possible to have such things in this country we have a class of people who are at once seized with spasms of “paternalism,” who lift their hands in holy horror at anything that would have a tendency to relieve the people of monopolistic burdens. In spite of the fact that hundreds of cities in this country ovu their own water works, gas and electric lighting plants, and in every single instance entire satisfaction being rendered, you hear foolish people saying every day: “That won’t do; that’s paternalism,” and nine out of every ten of these people who are having the shivers for fear we may have a little paternalism in this country, wouldn’t know it if they should meet it in the road.