The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-19
w. w:Tbornton,. Pnner.

| w. w. Tbornton's Paper.
! W. w. Thornton, of this city. next read a
paper on 1.-THE Relation Of municipalities
to National Monopolies." In part he said
THE natural monopolies referred to I'm
| this address are the exclusive privileges to
provide sewer system for a municipality,
system of water supply. systems of gas
and electric lighting. a system of public
! transportation. end a system of communion
tlon-all practically confined to the limits Of
the municipality. These are termed natural
| monopolies without any just appreciation
of the word natural probably to dis
tingush them from those monopolies Great
ed by law or by some statute. or by COM
! phasize the fact that only one street rail-
way, gas, electric lighting. telephone or
water works at time can occupy a street
or given district with the best advantage
| to the company and TO the public.
| Two systems OF street railways In the
same street at Che same time are nn-
| oearable Nuisance: and two cystems Of
sewers, OF gas pipes. of electric poles or
n ninn coDduits and wires. of water
| pipes and of telephone wires intoer-
ant nuisanceS. They are little else so when
extended to a district. The furnishing of
| tatfon, or means of communication by the
| telephone stands on a very different footing
/ oy reason OF the peculiar nature Of the serv-
zee from furnishing the people of a city
or town with food. with clothing. With
DOCKS, with newspapers, with watches and
clocks or with libraries. These admit OF
| competition without annoyance to the pub
nc. The only limit Is supply and demand.
or the prohtableness Of the enterprise. There
may be any number of competing grocer
les, or meat shops. or dry goods stores,
or book stores, or jewelers. shops. and the
| ton; but within certain limits derives a
| oenent from their rivalry In trade.
r,at rs everywhere recognized that pure
water is one of the greatest agencies in
J the preservation of health. Every State,
every city. every town has an interest in
! the health of its Inhabitants. and 1t is just
| as much the duty of. municipality, even
tho state. to protect them from the evil
| effects of impure and disease-producing wa
| ter, as 1t is to guard their persons from
| assault or their property from theft or ar
SON Fure water can only be supplied by
streets, to which all the property owners
| are entitled to access under property re-
strictions. This water must be brought from
| distance, where the fountain heads are
| pure. A plentiful supply of water is also
| necessary to guard against fires. and it les
| sens the cost of insurance.
PUBLIC LIGHTING.
| The lighting of a city is a public neces-
sity, at least in public places and streets.
| 1t has been said that one lamppost is as
goo6 guardian of the public safety and
| peace at night as a policeman. No one
disputes that; it is the duty OF city to
| furnish such lights. 1t cannot be expected
| that the private citizen will furnish the
| lights; neither should he. The private citi-
zen cannot secure gas or electric light with
| out combination with others. and the agen-
| cy that furnishes light for the city or town
| can furnish 1t cheaper to the citizen for pri-
vate use than an agency which does not
I'm these modern times transportation for
| the public is as essential as water and light.
Without 1t, our cities would be very
| pactly built, thus rendering their Inhabitants
much more liable to diseases and epldem-
| ics BY means of cheap and ready trans
| portation our cities have been greatly ex-
tended, values in real estate have been en-
HANGED, while the poor man has secured
cheap and comfortable homes in remote
| parts of the cities. To say that the tele-
| phone is a necessity is not strictly true; to
| say that we could get along without 1t, is
| ience, and cheaper than the old methods,
| even at the present excrbitant charge, is
strictly the truth; and to say we will not
| dispense with its use, is equally the truth.
| 1t has become almost one of the necessities
| of municipal life, ana in time will be that.
1T Is clear that these natural monopolies
must be managed conducted either by a
| private corporation or by municipality; and
| the question that it Is now seriously agi-
| tating the public is, Which of these two2
| If by the private corpora ton. under what,
| If any. restrictions and control by the mu-
| any, supervision by the State? Suppose pri-
| vate corporations control these natural mo-
| nopolies? Let us look at the case of
| street-railway company The privileges OF
occupying the streets with it's rails and
wire. often called its franchise, especially II
| becomes of greater value as the city in
| creases in population. There is a feeling
! that a company should pay to the city an
| annual sum-a certain percentage of its net
| or gross income, in addition to the general
tax-and also pave part or the whole of so
much of the length of the street as its rails
occupy.
.Logansport built its works in 1s75-7s.
high. The construction was very costly
owing to the stone close to the surface
| over al least one-third of the city. The
| city issued bonds at high rate of inter-
est ard paid them by a general tax. The
money the city would have paid out for
| fire plugs, If there had been private COM
pany. would have amounted to sum equal
/ waie~ W crks The Inhabitants of that city
| are served as we'll as those of this. The
/ question is pertinent, Why cannot Indian
| apolis have as cheap water as Logansport?
| Nearly three hundred American munich
palities own and operate electric-ighting
/ plants. Only about Ten cities or towns have
/ abandoned such ownership. In 1895 only six
/ municipalities in the State of New YORK
| owned such plants; in 1897 the number had
doubled. Municipal ownership of these
plants in Great Britain is common. AT least
/ thirteen German cities own their plants,
/ and so do several cities in Australia.
Il am not aware Of any city in the United
| Staes that either owns or operates street
| railway. Port Arthur, a small town OF 100
| inhabitants on the north shore Of Lake SUI
| perlor, owns and successfully operates elsns
| miles Of street railway. Toronto owns ana
| leases its street railways. The cities of New
| York and Brooklyn Jointly own ana operate
! success fully the great bridge over East
| river, and also own and operate the pas
| sel.ger railway over It, At first the fare
| for loot passengers was l cent, and for
| railway passengers cents. The fares are
now nothing for foot passengers and cent
| for railway passengers This reduction has
! taken place within the last ten years. The
| corporation is now on sound financial
! basis and no better operated public en-
| terprise can be found 10 you believe If a
| private corporation had owned this bridge
| and railway 1t would have thus voluntarily
reduced the fares?
CITY SHOULD OWN THESE
The discussion of Mr.. Thornton's paper
was led by A. l.. Mason The best schol-
arship is agreeing" said Mr.. Mason. that
water, gas and electric-light works and
similar enterprises should be undertaken
and owned by each city for Itself. that
these enterprises should be operated at cost
and without profit for the benefit of the
whole people Of the city Why should a city
| grant the use of its streets 10 any one for
the purposes OF private profit? If there is
to be private ownership there must be pri-
| vate profit. The people are thus Indirectly
| taxed for private, and not for pubic, ben
eft.
MANY conservative persons. however, are
of the opinion that these enterprises cannot
| be satisfactorily administered ~ our cities
i 1t is feared that tho operation Of such
| terpriSeS would prove cXtraVagant and
| build up corrupt political machines. IL may
be said that we would burden our cities with
an overwhelming debt II we at