The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-11-23
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.

New York World.
In the chief cities public ownership oil
water works plants has become the rule nv
large majority. OF the fifty largest cities
In the United States only nine are now de-
pendent upon private companies for their
supply. namely. San Francisco. New Or.
leans, Omaha, Denver. Indianapolis. New
raven, Paterson, Scranton and Memphis.
Inc changes from private to public owner
snip of water works have been very rapid
since 1880. The strength of the tendency
is shown by the fact that while zoo cities
and towns have changed from public to prl-
vate ownership, only twenty have made the
reverse change, The verdict of The coln-
try, therefore, is as 10 TO in favor OF pub
nelly owned plants.
Massachusetts leads all other States in
FER preference for public over private own
ershlp or water supply plants. There re-
mann In that State low only thirty eight
private against 113 public works Not n
single water supply plant in Massa ,husetts
quit by city has ever been turned over
10 private company. In the middle group
OF States, on the other hand. there is still
preponderance Of privately owned water
plants. Pennsylvania has only SO public
TO 2b9 private plants New York State has
almost tie, having IT, public to 10 tri-
Vate water plants.
Twelve American cities now own and on.
crate gas plants, the most notable exam
pies being Philadelphia, Richmond, Wheel
Ing aud Louisville. Over 200 American
municipalities have experimental with pub
lie electric lighting plants. Included in
this numtcr are the cities OF Chicago De-
troit, Jacksonville. Fla, Little Rock, Ark.
Bay City, Mich, and Dun.sirk. N. Y.
Philadelphia's gas plant experiment. Is
said by the opponents OF municipal owner
snip TO have been failure 1t is admitted
that Its management by irremovable trus.
tees has been bad. Yet gas has been fur
nished steadily and is today being furnished
TO Philadelphia consumers at rs cents per
1000 feet cheaper than to New Inrk con
sumers In 1896 the net balance of re-
ceipts from the public gas service o. Phil
adelphia was Sll5,S5S,tS, and the sity used
SoSs,0o0 worth of free gas besides, making
total net profit to the city OF $751;. 347.
And II the Philadelphians had paid 81. 25 a
Thousand for their gas, as did New York
ers, they would have paid $685. $50 more for
II than they did. so. granting that It's
management has not heen what II should
be, II is nevertheless true that for the yenr
1895 the publicly owned gas service Of the
Quaker City saved to Its people in one wav
or another grand total Of 81, 762 100.
Chicago became the owner of its electric
lighting system In 1887 Today the city
owns 2254 are lamps OF 2Ooo candle power.
Their average cost, including al. items. Is
$3.50 per lamp per annun. Chicago is at
the same time leasing 200 lamps OF exactly
the same power from electric lighting com
panies and pays sis7 per lamp per year for
them. Here, then. In the same city Il
plainly appears that municipal ownership
saves to the taxpayer :t050 on every lamn
ON the 1864 lamps which Chicago owns n
saves, therefore. over $50, 900 a year calcu-
lated On the basis OF the price II n sct,,a,-
" paying for the lamps It leases from
private corporations. 's--
In Wheeling. w. Va. the privnte %.
worn were bought by the city MANY y.Sr.
ago and paid for by the sale q. honJ. Al,
the bonds have been redeemed oit Of The
profits ON gss without levying one dollar m
the people, and the public service r. ro Nv
yieidAng yearly net income Of about COZ
ooo to tho city Treasury, besides snnrIv-
Ing the people with gas at Is cents ~
Thousand. The books az the CITY Tor Co, CO..
snow that besidea supplying gas "A az
psopie e the price named. tho citv t,ssSs
burned 5000 worth In its own puh,ic MIA
'nss. for whach It paid nothing. Ths $1,000 1900