The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1896-04-04
5PUBIIC G TT BRA RIES.
EVERY TOWN SHOULD HAVE "a FREE
READING ROOM.
They Are Common In the United King,
dom and Supported by the Taxpayers.
Scotch Idea Of Town Government More
Progressive. Than Americans.

-~~~A~~O
:Scotchman's idea of the value Of free
public libraries and his views on munic-
ipal ownership Of public utilities. He
says: II
The American objector will probably
regard free municipal libraries and art
galleries as outside the sphere of local
government. Let the millionaires and
philanthropists,' he will say, 'provide
luxuries of this kind with their surplus
wealth. The shrewd Scotchman will
shake his head and rejoin: "Why wait
for millionaires to have generous i'm
pulses upon their deathbeds? There ought
to be a free library, reading room and
art gallery in every town, and the tax
payers should provide the money. It
will cost only penny to the pound and
will be Of the greatest possible assist
ance in diminishing crime and promot-
ing intelligence. -
United Kingdom to take advantage of
the free libraries act. It has an excel
lent public library, with over 100, 900
volumes and most ingenious system of
registering books There is large read
ing room, with reference library,
which is open to all corners and is
crowded every night with mechanics,
and there are municipal art galleries
and museums, with collections which
are doing something to promote public
taste and to increase the stock of public
knowledge. This institution is support
ed by the taxpayers. In other towns
there are municipal technical schools.
Dundee has very good school Of this
kind III connection with it's college, bnt
it is not under municipal control.
Indeed one cannot remain long in a
town like Dundee without being i'm
pressed with the fact that municipal
government in Great Britain is at once
more efficient than it is in America and
also more progressive in meeting the re-
euirenents Of new conditions Of over
crowded, industrial communities 1t is
not necessary to argue that a system Of
municipal ownership and activity which
works we'll in Scotland may not be suit
cd to the social environments Of an Amer
lean town. That may or, may not be
true. But certainly the English and
Scotch municipalities, borrowing some
Of their best ideas from Australia and
New Zealand, are not standing Still; but
a1e going steadily forwar and accom-
plishing great results i'll The art Of gov
erning large towns. Americans mean,
while are tagging behind and contentins
themselves with the trite generalization
that "tLewo,ld is governed too much .
and that it is not the business Of the
municipality to interfere with The fnnc-
items Of private corporations or to de-
prive millionaires Of the privilege of
doing good to their fellowmen.
An American critic would DO likely
to object to municipal ownership Of the
gas supply as an invasion of a field
which should be reserved for private
corporations. The s:rewd, canny Scotch
maa does not take that view Of the CUES
tion. 1.-THE city," he will say, ''is one
Of tie largest consumers Of gas, and has
to light many public buildings and hun
dreds Of miles Of streets. Why should
not the municipality go into the bust
ness Of manufacturing gas and conduct
it III such a way as to reduce the price
and to improve the quality of light il
every household"
Tie does not understand why a town
cannot regulate the gas as we'll as the
water supply and believes that every
community would be better served by
public agents than by private corpora
lions. Outside London there are 900 or
more cities and towns which now own
and control the gas supply. The rates
OF gas have been reduced, even when
there has been @ necessity Of providing
for interest charges and sinking funds,
and eventually, when the debts incurred
through the purchase of the property Of
private companies have been liquidated,
the bills will go lower.
In the same spirit the canny Scotch
man will advocate municipal ownership
Of street railways. lie will assume that
the city ought never to surrender control
Of the public highways; that all improv-
ed facilities for rapid transit should he
regulated by the municipality; that the
tracks ought to be laid at the expense OF
The town and the cars operated either
by municipal servants OF by companies
which pay a good rental into the city
treasury. These ideas may be novel to
IN American, but England and Scotland
are accepting them as logical and prac-
tical. Municipal ownership Of tranaways
is no longer d crude experiment. It has
been Introduced with satisfact DRY results
in many cites and is working admira-
bly,. The Dundee municipality does not
operate the cars, as does Glasgow, but
it has leased the roads to the; highest
bidder under restrictions which secuse
low fares, a seat for every passenger and
4 good rental for Tie local treasury.
Shs Moved Not.
She stood upon the bathing beach,
: - So eyauisitely fair
That strangers tuurr1ured, ttShe's peachiv