The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-10-18
Munieipal ownership supreme.



In his pursuit of big things, the Amer
lean is apt to neglect the cities Of med
ium size in Great Britain and to concen-
trate his attention to London, Glasgow,
Birmingham or Liverpool This is a mis-
take for among the cities of 100000 OF 20O,-
600 population there are instances OF mum
icipal enterprise not excelled by any met
5 Y6grRs hire town of 100 900 situated in the
midst of the British textile industries
management The waterw0rzs have been
satisfactorily maintained for years In
1872 the gas works were taken over Ln9
object being to reduce the price OF gas ana
increase its use by the poorer class. 10
this end the department introduced pen
ny-in-the-slOt meters, which have been 50
well received that about one-htth the
population is now supplied IN TINS way
When this meter is used, stove IS sup
piled and fixed free OF charge. Not one
penny need be invested except Ior rI Ine
thirty feet Of gas sold for two cents. rms
is a great boon to the poor, VINO ma y
very d1f1cult 70 save enough 70 putCaa i
fittings outright. Stoves alone may De
rented for 10 per cent of cost price per
year. and the department has its own
stores containing styles to suit the poor
gas has been steadily reduced until now
It is Is. Sd (66c) for lighting and Is, 949c,)
the city has been 50 considerate of public
welfare in every way that practically the
How does this compare with some of our
cities-St- Paul, for example, where not
more than One-fOurth OF the population
The workingman and the taxpayer have
cause 10 rejoice as well. The hours OF
labor have Eeen reduced to eight-Hud-
dersfield was the first city. to adopt the
eight hour programme About S21,gjO IS
annually used TO decrease taxes and yet
adequate amounts have. been set aside
for depreciatiOn, renewals and amortiza-
ton of debt. The object, however, is not
raoiiIv as possibIe It is cheaper IN some
other cities. but the density OF population
is very low being only per acre. which
makes it necessary to have an unusually
large number of miles of pipe me N
terest and maintenance charges are cor
The city did not allow electric lighting
to fall into the hands of private com
pany but constructed its own plant in
1888 From the first electricity mas Deeh
very popular and consumption has been
Stimulated BY the same methods as in
the gas department. All fittings and ap-
paratus are rented on very reasonable
Jeruns- show rooms are maintained: and
the price for cooking, heating, motors and
trade purposes fixed so low-45c per unit
the price is lie per unit.
shows the municipal esprit de corps at its
best Huddersheld was the first city in
roads, and it was forced to do so because
no company would lease its lines Beiev-
ing that adequate transportation IdeLl-
ties were necessary for the best develop
begin operations, although it might in
voIye loss; such indeed: was the sass, Gase
there has been a surplus
Huddersfeld has often been pointed to
as an illustration of the failure Of NUM-
cipal operation; but IN truth the Guy
ought to be praised, not blamed a deficit
5 a
Tor out a large pIOllC Is not the SS4S
object of a efficient city government No
one viii deny-and citizens of Huaders-
field the last of all-that the tramways
have been worth the city all they cost
not due to lack of good management. but
principally to the nature OF the city The
many hills; wages are above the normal;
hours are short teight per day.; fares are
penses of operation That the system is
greatly used and meets a want IS shown
are carried annualIy-equal to the pOpula-
ton of London Every man. woman and
times per year-a wonderful record for
city of 100 600 population
tached to each car, into which one can
deposit ms mall %Ith i o etIa fI 4
f,I1is is a great Convenience to all eSpee-
faIIv those living in outlying districts, for
! letter boxes are not SO plenthuI as with
The housing of the poor has always re-
ceived marked attention The hrst model
strIcted by HuddersheId as far back as
Is53-about twenty years before Glasgow
bufIt a Similar one. Separate departments
are provided for men and women at six
cents each per night, and another portion
Of the house Is allotted to married
couples. A mechanics home, intended for
a better class than the nomadic lOdgerr
/ supplies accommodations for ten cents
19er night A grade higher are the artf-
| sans dwellings. of which there are 100
1 to the working class.
The city's health is not as well guarded
/ as its Industrial life There is an ample
municipal bath, the charges varying from
/ two to twelve cents Parks and recrea-
ton grounds, where musical concerts are
/ given during the summer, AFFORD the
! poorer classes abundant fresh air and
| sunlight The city also maintains pub
| lie halls municipal hospital and sani-
1 torfum, a public library, art gallery, re-
/ fuse destructor. sewage disposal works
/ and a technical school in addition to the
| schools maintained by the school board.
/ Markets and slaughter houses are owned
J and controlled by the city, annually yield
! ing a considerable revenue And finally
I there is a municipal cemetery. which
/ shows a profit of some $1,000 per ye& r
/ What more SOcfaIistiC town Beginning
! lie in a municipal artiSan'S dwelling the
| Young man rides to his work on rnuui-
1 cipaI tram. He gets his gas or electricity
from the city. His wife rents a gas stove
| from the city. purchases her produce
! from municipal market and buys meat
| that has been prepared in a municipal
1 abattoir Both use the public baths, en-
| .ioy the cfty's parks and send their chill
| Sireu to the city's Fairgrounds. Their
| house refuse is removed by the city
| When sick they go to the city hospital, or,
| If unfortunate. to the municipal lodging
/ house Their mail is collected by city
| tram And in a thousand other ways
| their daily life comes in close contact
/ with the city government At last the5
| are buried in city cemetery. This may
be socialism, or it may not be- One thing