The San Francisco call., 1898-03-11
LEASING PUBLIC UTILITIES.

IT MORNING contemporary expresses the hope / ! that if the Freeholders retain in their charter the provision already adopted relating to the acquisition of "puhlc utilities" by the people they will consider the propriey of amending 1t so that ln case the people ind it unproftable to manage their utilities afterward they may lease them Concern ing the abstract sense of this hope it unnecessary to speak. Ordinarily a business who owns property which he cannot make profitable esteenls tic privilege of leasing to better qualified to handle 1t than himself as of considerable value, ard we know of no sound reason why this privilege would not be valuable if conferred upon the people in their aggregate capacity.
 But the chief objection to making provision for leasing the public utilities which to be acquired under the proposed charter IS that any such arrange 1nent will be entirely useless Is our contemporary so silly believe that the politicians of this city would relinquish the management of public utility? Did 1t hear of good thing which these gentlemen turned to anybody else? Doubtless the County Clerks office, the Street De partment, or, in fact other purely administrative bureau of the city government, could be managed for half what 1t costs to conduct them they leased to an individual or a corporation. What would the politicians say however, were contemporary to propose in cold blood that these departments should be leased?
 So long the public utilities of this city con- tnue profitable there is little likelihood that the peo pie will care to purchase them. Elections may be called for the purpose of acquiring them, but the propositions submitted will be rejected while dvi dends continue in sight But if the charter adopted the moment the street car lines the gas and water plants and the telephone system to pay, a great agitation will be set foot to sell them to the people. The people do not always understand or try to understand the schemes of the politicians to fleece them and therefore 1t IS not at all improbable that when this time arrives utility" two will be packed off upon the municipality.
 The fact that it is poor utility" indeed which will not yield lot of patronage renders any further bother about managing it entirely irrelevant The leasing of the Philadelphia gas plant, and to which our contemporary refers, unusual occurrence Evidently some one stole marcll the politicians in that case or perhaps they were asleep. At all events, the howl of fraud" which has followed the action of the Council indicates that unfair advan- tage was taken of the bosses.
 It is always easy to imagine the history of public utilities in the hands of the politicians The first thing to be done after of them is acquired Is increase salaries all around Then it is in order to divide up the work Two men under the Govern ent cannot render as much service as one in private employment. Finally, to get the utility in such shape as to constitute it potent force in elections is highly desirable Such thing making it pay never occurs to anybody, for not the taxpayers rich and able to have their business conducted as should be conducted?
 We are of opinion that contemporarys sugges- ton is out of order. Leasing public utility in this city would be impossible and therefore no such pro- vision need be placed in the charter Our bosses cannot be fooled as those in Philadelphia have been
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