The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-04
MUNICIPAL GASAFAILURE.
PHILlDELPHIA's aREATMON0PoLr
WHITE ELEPHANE

The Antiauatsd Pinnt In Imperative Heed Or
olo, 900, 900 Repairs 10 ss 20 Furnish Gas
THAT viii Make LiEht-The Mayor Pre-
poses to Lease nc to = Private Corporatisn.
A proposition has beon made by Mayor War
wick Of Philadelphia to get rid Of the city's gas
works BY leasing thoIn to the United Gas I'm.
provoment Company. Philadelphia gas bust
ness has been for q long time known by Phila-
delphians a. tho biggest municipal ownership
white elephant in tho country. Outside OF
Philadelphia the municipal ownership cranks
have based their arguments In support Of their
socialistio ideas on tho success Of the. Philadel-
phis gas business. Every time q gas company
has been assaulted Philadelphia has been
! pointed at with pride. Tho city owns the
works." tho oranks have said. "and the people
got their gas for 81 q thousand"
All the while tho cranks were pointing with
pride at Philadelphia the people of that city
have been swearing at the gas business. Tho
gas they got was just good enough to enable
them to say It was gas. They travelled around
the streets In semi-darkness or remained at
homo In gloom. There was no such thing as
bright gas light. All the time. too. the gas
kept getting worse. The works kept getting
worn out, and tho time was in sight when the
taxpayers would have TO put their hands deep
into thor pockets and pull out ten million dol
lars or 90 to make repairs.
Philadelphia went into tho gas business .
number Of years ago, when tho cry OF munich
pal ownership Of everything in sight was at its
height In that city. A law was passed by the
Legislature enabling the raising of the millions
necessary to build q plant, and then It was do
creed that no person or corporation in the city
should 60 Into tho business Of supplying gas to
the citizens. The city had q perpetual monop-
oily of the business. BY this method 1t was
hzn.l a. .l.a,. ,,z.tl -. r..I. -,aaNah1A tN
tho city as well as economical to the citizens.
The result has beea directly the opposite, and
tho experiment of municipal ownership and
operation has proved q great failure in the
minds of the officials who have had chsrg aud
the people who have had to foot the bills.
Council written on Thursday and accompanied
by, a proposition for the lease Of the works,
said that II the works were leased II would re-
suit in their immediate. repair, Improvement,
and enlargement He said:
within bins three wSJ ye.r w,a Of at 1s9 isssi s. in 'eoS s1 oSo. Which,;
the city cannot obtain except by increasing the
tax rate, The subsequent enlargement Of the
require. at least 100000 900 moro during tho
term of the lease, for which also the city has
e% cS f1iSrt cons fisUsi tho iS'e matter. which is one
of great Importance to the city, and | submit 1t
to y2n, deeming 1t worthy OF your most earnest
While tho gas business Of private corpora.
tons all over the country has been profitable
- ffANA NbSA0 Noo w W &aAS
the private corporations were spending millions
upon millions In improvement of plant and
were. giving their customers as good gas as
owned and operated by the municipality. and
having an absolute monopoly, has been on q
t%osogsan slide. Here is q statement of the con
dition OF things to-day. 1t Is taken from an edi.
torinl printed in one OF the Philadelphia papers:
But there are elements In this problem
which do not leave 1t as simple as 1t would
otherwise appear. The gas works, as Is well
known. are In a sadly decorated condition.
They are not only not up to date, but arc great
~ dilapidated. Through antiquated equip
ment the quality OF tho gas is roor. Through
old and inadequate mains nearly a qucrter OF
the product Is wasted. II would require from
eight to ten million dollars to put the works
in good order for tho efficient and economical
manufacture and distribution of gas. How 10
the city to meet this requirement. Where 10 1t
to set the money! II II had tho money could IL
under existing political. 81 stems eSpend II in
construction as prudently and effectively as a
private company devoted entirely to that bust
nessi And is the city TO go on as now. with Its
ancient and decGyed plant and its inefficient
operation. or is IL to try some practical measure
of securing a complete modern equipment and u
saving administrations
Tho private corporation that wants to lease
the Philadelphia Gas Works offers to spend
10000 900 In bringing them up to date. TO
pay the city 81. O0O, 900 cash. and TO pay q ran-
tai that in thirty years will aggregate S36, 725.-
600. The 1nnnciers who are in the company
say. That's the difference between municipal
ownership and private ownership"