The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-21
THE MODEL MuNIcIpALIrY.
A Concise Statement of Glasgow
Many Advantages.

Many Advantages.
Glasgow is the model municipality of
the world. and we may all profit by its
experience and example. The city
council, which is the governing body.
recognizes three duties as being laid
upon it: To fulfill their trusts by. econ
omical administration of the city's f.
nances; to improve public health, both
physical and moral, and to give bright
ness and the possibility of happiness to
civil life This high conception of the
duty of a corporation has not been car
ried out in full, but no one Will deny
that very satisfactory and successful
attempt has been made to live up to the
lofty standard which has been estab-
lished. The city council undertakes to
supply the demand for water, gas,
electric lighting, parks. public baths,
warehouses and street railways, street
cleaning. building, police protection
and various minor services.
The water supply is obtained from
Loeb Katrine thirty-five miles distant,
and is copious and pure. There is
no better water furnished any city in
the world, we believe that Dublin IS
the only city that gets it cheaper
There have beer nearly twelve and a
half millions invested in water works
LII 1871 IL Iullu W d. cSldDllShCds
through the merium of which nearly
three and three-quarter million dollars
have been paid off up to the present
time, and it is expected that the sink
ing fund will pay off the whole debt IN
1871, when the WaterWorkS will be the
unburdened property of the corpora
ton. In the meantime the supply of wa
ter has been enormously Increased, the
quality improved and the price re-
duced more than 80 per cent. In addi-
ton TO the supply of water for usual
purposes it is now proposed to drive
machinery by hydraulic pressure OF
1000 pounds to the square inch
throughout the business area of the
city.
The Glasgow corporation has long
been in the field as a manufacturer OF
gas. In 1869 it took possession of the
gas plants, which were owned by two
private companies and commenced the
production and sale of gas. The quail
ity of gas was improved while its sale
was reduced. The city furnishes
twenty-five candle power gas at the
rate of so cents per 1000 cubic feet.
The street railways of Glasgow up to
June 80, 1894, were operated by pri-
vate company. Six years ago the coun-
Gil endeavored to impose certain cOndi-
lions on this company, such as regu-
lating the fare and limiting the hours
of work for the employees. The COM
pany refused to make any concessions,
and as a result of the unwillingness to
act in a fair and generous manner to-
ward the public and the laboring
classes the couKcil decided not to re-
new their charter. but to take possess
sion of the street railway property it
self and operate it. It put on 300 new
cars. 5000 horses and LOO new men.
The city introduced % 1 cent fare, hith-
dT~tn 1IrlSnnVru and hA
maximum. The experiment of operat-
ing street railways h5- the city has
proved a success. The city has made
money and at the same time improved
the plant and reduced the fares 1t
now carries 100000 a week for cent
fares, 100000 for cent fares. $4,000 for
3 cent fares, and 10000 for cent fares.
The next step will be to abolish all
fares above cents
The distinguished feature of Glas-
COWS financial management is the
sinking fund. 1t is nov applied to
every municipal enterprise of the city
On examining its accounts one finds
that all serious debts are on the way
to be liquidated by the automatic oper-
alton of this device. The present finan-
cia1 condition of Glasgow seems ex-
tremely satisfactory. The liabilities
are million pounds and the assets
1O12 million pounds, With a clear bal
ance of ~ million pounds on the right
side of the account.
The ability, the honesty and the
economy which have been brought to
bear in the administration of the pub
lie affairs of Glasgow have been Sc
cured by the elimination of politics.
The council is composed of solid bus
mess men. Politics is practically I'M
known in the meetings of the council.
nor is eloquent speech in great demand
there. The success of Glasgow in mu-
nicipal government has been achieved
by the rigid exclusion of politics from
the city offices and by entrusting the
administration of the city to trained.
capable and honest business men.
There is no city in the world so well
governed as Glasgow and none whose
affairs are conducted so thoroughly in
Keeping with the principle that public
officials of the city are to be re-
garded as the directors of a great
cooperative undertaking in which
every citizen is shareholder and
the dividends of which are paw
able in the better health. increased
comfort, recreation and happiness of
the whole opulation.-American Law
and Title Reoicter '