The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-01
How London Town
is Now Governed.
A City Within a City-lnteresting Details
OF Its Municipal Administration.

sewage is conveyed 70 Barking and
CroSSness. where the solid matters are
precipltated, the iiuid draining into the
rivers, while the sludge, about 1000. 900
tons annually, is carried far out to sea
In vessels constructed especially for that
purpose. The condition of the river
has, by this method. been SO greatly
improved that fish are caught it's en-
tire length Under a recent parliamen-
tary act enlarging the powers OF the
| council there is now a technical edu-
cation board, composed of twenty coun-
| cillors and fifteen representatives of
| other bodies or interests. which has
charge of all the duties created by the
technical instruction acts. The council
Hprovides for it's expenditures in two
ways-by issue of stock and by rate.
The total rating for the year '95- '96 is Is
pence to the pound for the whole coun-
try, though that includes a tu-penny
! which the dwellers in the city have not
to pay. But equaliZe taxation the coun-
Gil Is authorized to levy a healfyearly
rate of pence In the pound 10 make an
equalization fund.-" which will be dis
tributed ON the basis of population. 1t
should be said that the London county
council Qike the alderman Of the city)
| Is composed of men of character and
personal worth, it being no mean dis
tinction to be member of that body.
which includes earls, lords. baronets
knights queens coupnsels, NJ. P.s, doc
| tors, clergymen, etc. and is anything
but a political job machine. 1t Is. per-
haps, the finest and ablest municipal
administrative body in the world-and
| 1t can account for it's income.
Functions Or the Police.
The metropolitan police Is an inde-
pendent institution, over which the
county council exercises no control
and is wholly removed from the inter-
| ference of politics. The Office Is at
| New Scotland Yard. There is q COM
missioner Colonel Sir Edward Ridley
Colbourne Bradford, X. G. b.. X. c. $.
ID. at salary Of $1O.5O0 IL year; and
there are three assistant commission
ers. at a salary of $500 each; numer-
Gus clerks, a surgeon-in-ch chief, solicit
ors. chief constables and department
| superintendents. The force numbers
| 595 inspectors, 1869 sergeants and l2.-
7S5 constables (policemen). The hourly
| street life of London-the busiest city
l III tiiV pei PCtueli
to the superb and unparalleled eEcel-
| lence of this corps and its system of
| administration. The London police
| man Is unarmed: he carries neither
club nor billy" and you never hear
his voice believing orders for remon-
| strances: he is quiet. courteous. calm,
| undemOnstrative; but the lifting of his
hand will bring to an instant halt the
| traffic of the busiest thoroughfare And
by that lifted hand il explained how 1t
| Is possible to conduct in the narrow
winding crowded streets of London the
| incessant vast counter-current of traf-
tic and travel without confusion. with
| out waste of time and with scarcely
ever an accident The London police
seem to represent the highest degree to
which efficiency may attain in that d.
rection. Whatever they are required
to do they do thoroughly and with
military precision. l haven't space to
describe the styeet cleaning system.
1t is enough to say a corps of scaven-
gers and sweepers is constantly en-
ployed, and 1t Is marvellous that the
streets are kept so clean In spite of the
| prOdigiOus teaming.
The estimated expenditure by the
county council for the year ending
| March 81, 1896, is SIS, $50, $50. The popu-
lation of London Is 4,392,346 it's area,
| l21 square miles.