The Topeka state journal., 1897-06-22

ton owns all but seven miles. The
privilege of running cars is rented to
companies for not longer than 20 years.
The city received from these rentals
last year $4,000 The working popu-
lation receives the additional benefit
of a cent fare during certain houIS
morning and evening. The maintenance
of the lines is paid for by the city. The
property is reValued every uVe years
and deductions are made for wear and
tear and depreciation just as rigidly as
a private business man would make
them in his own business. The same
rigidly exact system OF business man
agement and bookkeeping is applied to
every detail of the city's business
1.-The municipal gas plant was to me
one of it's most Interesting enterprises.
Manchester always did its own street
lighting since the beginning in 1924.
For many years this department was
under the control of the police commits
sioners. Now 1T is a department or the
city government.
Manchester supplies all the gas used
over an area of 46 and a half square
miles. 1t maintains nearly 5000 public
lamps and supplies nearly 10000 private
consumers. 1t sells gas at an average
rate of so cents thousand feet, the
rate varying slightly between different
sections beyond the city and beyond the
River Mersey. The daily consumption
of gas varies from 5000, 900 cubic feet in
summer to p, 500, 900 cubic feet in win
ter. And the city does more. To peo-
pie who want to use gas for cooking
and heating it will sell or rent gas
stoves. The people get all this for less
money than they would have to pay
private companies, and the city makes
a fair profit.
"One of the most radical departures
Manchester has made from our accept
ed theory OF the province of municipal
government is in the building of homes
for artisans. The time came in that
old town when the buildings where the
laboring men lived became unsanitary
and unfit for human habitatiOn. There
was need that something be done to
provide better homes. The leading clt1-
zens Of Manchester had learned that
sanitary and comfortable homes, at
tractiVe surroundings and practical les
sons in the science of living were many
fold more efficaciOus in making good
citizens than all the abstract preaching
of morality in the world. Without stop
ping to think, therefore, that the under
taking might SAVIOR of paternaHsn, the
corporation of Manchester undertook to
provide better homes for its artisan
class. The old ones were condemned |
and new ones built
THE tenenents so provided which l
visited 1 found built around court 200 1
feet long by 100 feet wide. There was
abundance of pure air The buildings
We're hreprOOf, perfectly ventilated and
supplied with the most sanitary appli- !
ances and bathrooms. A central laun-
dry, with hot and cold water, was at
the disposal of the tenants free of
charge. A fair sample of one of these |
tenementS consisted of a living room of
good size, supplied with a cooking !
range, a bed room probably 10 by feet, |
and large closet. 1t was not large,
but 1t was clean and cOmfOrta BILE, and |
it rented fer about 81 a week.
"A unique feature of these tenements /
was 'penny-in-the-slOt gas device. 1t
was so arranged that the tenant could |
deposit a penny in the receptacle and |
would have at his disposal 80 feet of
gas. The flow would stop when the |
penny's worth was exhausted.
Another radical paternalistic depar- !
ture was made when the corporation of
Manchester established its municipal
lodging house. This est8 bliShment is !
large enough to accommodate 300 lodg- !
ers is hreproOf, we'll ventilated, and
heated with hot water. 1t contains a
smoking room, a reading room. a libra
~ and bathrooms with hot and cold
water. The lodger gets the use of all
these -adjuncts, with a room to himself
and a comfortable spring bed, for 10
cents a night or 8 cents a night when
he stays a week.
Unique facilities are provided to help
the dodgers board themselves. In the
kitchen there is a large range, about u
by feet in size, 6urmOunted by a cop
per tank always full of hot water. !
There is a store in connection where the |
lOdger can buy a bit of tea or coffee and /
sugar for farthing-one-fOurt of a
cent-a quarter of a pound of ham or
bacon, one egg, and so on. The house |
WlIl do his cooking, keep the cooking
utensils clean and provide him an in
dividual locker where he can keep his !
food supplies.
ity and it is such, but it is run on bust !
ness lines. Last year, after all expen- !
SeS of care and maintenance and inter
est charges had been paid from the re-
ceipts, there was left 81 900 to turn into !
the sinking fund for paying off the debt |
incurred in building the lodging house.
For the very poorest class the city
also mas care-fOr the men who have |
not enough money to patrOnize the |
municipal lodging house. Instead of !
being herded in police stations they are
rfTr FErN Eaeara
clean place to sleep-and with it food. !
They pay for a nights lodging and
breakfast by breaking stone three |
hours
THE public hall system was an inter
esting feature of municipal govern |
ment The city maintains II of them, !
ranging in seating capacity from 100 to
2.OOO- They are rented to the people at !
prices ranging from shillings for a
single room to $3.50 for the use of the |
main town hall for ball or other. pur-
pose occupying more than three hours
The main town hall contains, also a
splendid pipe organ, purchased by the !
city, and for small additional fee
users of that chamber have the use of
the organ and the services of the or
ganist paid by the city. It is a notable !
piece of architecture, this town hall,and
land.
The system of public paths deserves
mention. They are not merely swim
ming pools, rudely constructed and
maintained at little cost but the best
of modern bathing establishments with
facilities for plunges, Turkish baths
vapor baths and the like, and are for
men and women. For the year ended
November 5, 1896, these baths were pat
rOnized by 7SS, 664 persons and the re-
ceipts were about $32. OOO In these pub
lie baths one can get a first-class plunge
and swim in a tank so by 25 feet for 8
cents, and a second-clasS plunge for
cents. On certain days the charge is
only cents. Children, when in charge
of a teacher or monitor, have the privi-
lege of hrst-class baths for 2 cents and
secOnd-class for 1 cent.
Why does Manchester exercise these
n