Britain at Work
A Pictorial Description of Our National Industries

OMNIBUS AND TRAMWAY TRAFFIC. Council’s Tramway system is probably the most self-contained to be found anywhere. It builds its own vehicles at Penrose Street, Wal- worth Road; makes its own harness ; prints its own tickets ; and even manufactures its own punches. As in the case of the private companies, provision has to be made for maintaining a continuous supply of enormous quantities of forage. No less than one-half of the hundred odd millions of passengers who use the Council’s trams in the course of a year are halfpenny fares. An immense proportion of this number are women of the working class, going to the cheapest markets “ cable ” line, employing between them about a thousand men. In the United Kingdom there are thirteen hundred miles of street tramway open. Of these, one hundred and forty are claimed by London, sixty-three being in the hands of the North Metro- politan. The building of street-cars for the various companies is an industry of very great im- portance, and is steadily growing. The North Metropolitan Tramway Company has its fac- tory at Leytonstone, where cars are turned out at a cost of about Z"2OO each, twenty cars being a fair year’s output. The construction of an omnibus occupies at least a couple of months. A walk through the factory of the London General at Highbury, where two hundred Ågwwawjy MØ - • WORK AT THE FORGE OF THE ROAD CAR COMPANY. to do their shopping. The municipal tramway employees receive from 4s. 9c!. to 6s. 3d. a day, a rate of wages which is somewhat higher than that usually paid by the private companies. Very well paid men amongst the legion engaged in the street-passenger traffic, are those in the service of the \\ aterloo and Atlas Omnibus Association, which is affiliated to the London General, their wages ranging from 6s. to 8s. a day. A number of small tramway companies still survive the efforts of the two principal proprietors at amalgamation. 1'hese include the South London, the London Southern, the London Deptford and Greenwich, and the Highgate artisans are kept busy, is full of interest. The department in which the work commences is distinguished by the ghoulish name of the “ Body-shop.” The Body-shop is appropri- ately full of skeletons, some of which are omnibuses in shape, but lacking paint, and glass, and staircase, while others are merely four bare planks. Here one realises, with just a touch of surprise perhaps, what diversity of skill the production of a street-car calls into action. When the coachbuilder has completed the hull, it is mounted on tempo- rary wheels, and passes successively through the hands of the glass-fitter, the upholsterer, the smith, and the painter. Next-door to the