the government for a much longer extent of the time of 
the government ratification, and the petition was really 
granted in as much as the ratification of the management 
by the companies was extended till the year 1949. Since 
the law which pertains to the legal affairs of tramways 
makes it possible for contractors to make up for the refusal 
of ratification by the municipality by securing the ratifi- 
cation of the government, there was sufficient reason, under 
these legal conditions, to fear that the municipality would 
meet with obstacles, should it wish in 1919 to assume con- 
trol of the tramways. Considering the powerful position 
of the G. B. T. it would also be difficult, in case of a pro- 
longation of the contract, to acquire for the community 
those advantages which the Town-Board would be obliged 
to acquire as a return for an extension of the ratification. 
All these circumstances caused the Town-Board to make 
resolutions the purpose of which was to prevent the 
further increase of the power of the G. B. T., and to pro- 
vide for a permanent competition, and by undertaking the 
management of a small tramway to gain experience for 
themselves and prepare themselves for overcoming the 
difficulties that would later arise. It was therefore decided 
to buy up the greater part of the shares of a company 
which had not yet been absorbed by the G. B. T., which 
owned two lines built and run by Siemens & Halske. It 
has also been considered to add other municipal lines to 
these lines which lead to the centre of the town (Behren- 
strasse and Treptow, Mittelstrasse and Pankow), and to 
join them by crossing Unter den Linden. It was further 
resolved, in 1900, that as a rule new lines should no more 
be built by contractors, but established and managed by 
the municipality itself. For the execution of this resolution 
the Town-Board has appropriated means for building five 
municipal lines, and the government has been petitioned to 
grant permission for the establishment and working of them. 
in forming these resolutions the City-Board did not 
suppose that the municipal management would obtain grea- 
414