The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-11-06
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.

3
port has been received by the president
which viii attract attention every
where. II is from the commission APP
pointed by the president eighteen
months ago, composed Of well known
civil engineers and electricians, To iii
vestigate the subject Of subwuys ia
Washington and municipal ownership
of certain enterprises. The report
| presents probably the first earnest and
able argument ever made in this eOuu-
try in favor of municipal ownership of
street railways. 1t cites Paris and
other foreign cities TO show that rail
| roads may be owned ana operated
through leases by II city, so as to make
| large revenues and at the same time
prove in every way greatly to the add
vantage of the people. Electric light
| gas and water works, the commission
declares, should in every instance be
owned by the cities. The commission
| takes the unqualified grounds that
municipalities should own and control
everything that occupies streets above
OF below the surface. It gives neg
ative to the argument Of the telegraph
companies that it impairs the opera
tiOn of telegraph wires to place then:
under ground, producing the state
| ments of electricians from London
and elsewhere to show that telegraph
wires many times of greater length
under grouHu than would be necessary
here are not in the least impaired by
being placed under ground. It recon-
mends the immediate adoption of the
underground cable system for tule-
graph and telophuus wires, and says it
is humiliuting spectacle to see "A tel
| egrarh company defy the direction of
the United States government by re-
fusing to put iis wires under ground.
The report is able and exhaustive, and
will be sent to congress by the presi-
dent and printed for public use, and
will be of great interest III all large
cities.
BY municipal ownership all ques-
tions Of rapid transit, transfers, etc,
would lie better solved in the public
interests than is possible now, where
the profit Of tile corporation owning
the lines is the main consideration.
The report recommends further That
the municipality should in all cases.
own the gas works, water works and
| electric lighting wherever they exist.
The city Of Philadelphia is cited in
support of the recommendation fUr
the municipal ownership of gas works,
and the reports of the directors Of.
/ that enterprise are submitted for
years past, showing the complete sue
cess of the plan. 1t is stated that in
spite OF The scandals which at one
time or the other attached TO the gas
| works, the people of Philadelphia
/ have been bet ter served than would be
the case under private ownership.
The city has received a handsome rev
enue, and Las besides saved the enOr-
nous sum. that would have been paid
for the city lighting TO private cOmpa-
MES. Ia tile matter of owning water
works, the city of Baltimore is quoted
to show that with municipal owner
ship tile supply OF water is far more
generous, quality FAR superior and ssl-
pense stTikingly smaller, and that in
such cases the ciiy's own supply for
sanitary and fire extingulshing pur-
poses is out of all proportion TO those
cities where private corporations con
troll the business. Similarly tine iGea Is
carried out for electric lighting and 9th
er public works. The report is almost
vehement iH its treatment Of the tele-
graph companies. It aIIHdes ia the
strongest language to the defiant dis
regard by the Western Union telegraph
company Of the orders and ordinances
Of she municipalities, and refers to
the contempt with which the company
has in Washington treated the com
mand Of congress to bury it's wires.
The statement that burying the wires
impedes their working Is denied by the
commission. The proposition is adj
vanoed by the commission that the
| granting OF franchises to street car
lines. Suter companies gas companies,
etc, is the most fruitful source of
/ corruption IN Legislatures and cOuu-
ellis. Rarely, it is claimed, are these
franchises granted without the expen-
ditUres of large sums of money among
those entitled to v0tsaway these fran
chises- Scanning up the work tie
commission believes that experience ia
other countries and other cities amply
proves that the best service essn be
obtained in All municipalities by self
ownership Of al public works. and All
enterprises using che bed OF the streets
fUr services, these then . be rented cut
ay the m1uieipaliity 70 ths highest re-
sissHaihi- bidder