e road and the
public is yielded to so seldom. But there have been cases where railway
managers have secured excellent train service and low rates of fare to
benefit places where they held an interest in real estate, while other
and competing places were given poor service and high rates. And the
entire abolition of long-established commutation rates has happened more
than once.

But turning now to the city railways proper, those carrying passengers
through the streets, it is evident at first sight that we have another
case where competition is a factor of little account. The power of this
monopoly for harm is greatly intensified by the fact that its use is
largely a necessity. In all our great cities the business sections are
far removed from the residence sections, and the great mass of the
industrial population is _obliged_ to ride at least twice each day in
going to and returning from work. In nine cases out of ten there is one
route so much more convenient than any other as to overbalance any
slight difference of fare. Thus, even on the supposition that every
different line was run in competition with every other line, the amount
of really competitive business would be but a trifle. But besides this,
as is well known, in a great many cities consolidation has gone on as
rapidly among street-railway companies as among the great trunk-line
railways. The three lines of New York elevated roads were originally
projected by rival companies; but they were not long in coming together
under one management. A Philadelphia syndicate has secured control of
most of the street railways of that city, and in addition has purchased
a number of the lines in Boston, Chicago, Pittsburg, and St. Louis.
Although the benefit in economy by consolidation is much less in the
case of street railways than in the case of steam roads, yet
considerable is gained, and the competition which is killed by the
consolidation is, as we have just seen, of no great importance to the
public. The so-called street-railway trust, then, is really of no great
moment. The monopoly in street-railway traffic arises from the nature of
the business rather than from any especial effort of capitalists to kill
competition.

But the railway companies are not the only monopolies which have the use
of our city streets. Water, gas, and steam pipes beneath the pavements,
and wires, either in subways or strung overhead, carrying electricity
for street and domestic lighting