The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-14
GLASGOW SOCIALISM.
NEW EXPERIMENTS IN MU-
NICIPAL ENTERPRISE.
Sir Walter Besant's Ideal Peoples
Palace of Pleasure q
Failure.

AAuACs
Glasgow has the distinction of being
the most progressive town in the United
Kingdom 1t has led the way in the
evolution and municipal enterprise, out
stripping even Birmingham, Manches-
ter, Huddersfield and Bradford. 1t has
carried the principles of municipal own
ership and collectivism into the water
supply, gas and electric lighting, mar
kets improvement of the slums, opera
ton of tramways, public baths and
wash houses, the housing of the poor,
the maintenance of museums, art gall
leries and public halls, and the organ
ization of a labor bureau, where men
and women out of employment can be
aided in obtaining work. 1t is to Glas-
gov that the municipalities now look
for new ideas and fresh experiments in
town government on progressive lines.
Not every venture succeeds, but cour-
age is never lacking for undertaking
any new work tentatively for the COM
mon good. There is a group of munic-
ipal reformers in Glasgow known as
the Stalwarts, who regard municipali-
cation as a practical substitute for So
cialism, and welcome every new pro-
posal for broadening the scope of local
government.
Among the projected measures, which
are. either under debate or in stage
of arrested development, are the regu-
lation of the drink traffic, the establish
ment of a works department and the
introduction of a municipal insurance
on a large scale. The corporation in
clearing out the slums obtained posses
sion of many public houses and grad-
ually closed them; and it has been con-
siStent in refusing to allow liquor to be
sold in the parks or on any portion of
the municipal property. The evils OF
intemperance are constantly increasing,
and there is a strong body of public
opinion in favor of the municipalizatiOn
of the drink habit as the only effective
temperance measure. This is one OF the
debatable questions and so also is the
creation of prominent works depart
ment modelled after that of the London
County Council which is strenuously
opposed by the conservatism of the me-
tropoiis. Municipal insurance has been
adopted in principle, but has been con-
fined to the risks on corporation prop
erty. There are advanced reformers.
who advocate the extension of the sys-
tenn to all classes of property. They
believe that the time is coming when
the great municipalities of England will
provide the cheapest of general insur-
ance against fire.
OTHER SCHEMES PROPOSED.
Many other schemes of municipal
ownership and enterprise have been
debated in the Town Council and re-
ported upon by special committees. The
establishment of a municipal pawn
shop has been proposed. A resolution
in favor of municipal banking has been
carried through the Council. COM
mittee has carefully investigated the
scheme and reported in favor of an APP
peal to Parliament for power to open
and conduct banks of deposit and to
issue corporation notes. Another re-
form which is earnestly advocated by
advanced thinkers is the municipaliZa-
ton of the medical service of the town.
A municipal telephone service is de-
manded by the business community,
and labor agitators who address pub
lie meetings in Glasgow talk fuently
about the blessings of municipal work
shops, foundries and even bakeries.
Soma of these projects are vagaries OF
socialism, which will not be taken up
by the Town Council, at least in this
generation; but Scotch municipal re-
formers are not easily frightened by
radical proposals, and are disposed to
discuss every question on its merits and
to listen patiently to every expedient
for increasing the efficiency of local
government.
Among other problems which the
Glasgow corporation has undertaken to
solve has been the recreation of the
working classes. Public parks, with an
acreage of 700, have been opened and
improved on large scale. The McLel-
Ian Galleries were purchased by the
town over forty years ago, and this art
collection was subsequently enlarged
and provision made for classes and lee
lures. The Kelvingrove Museum was
founded about thirty years ago, and the
collections have been steadily enlarged.
In 1879 organ recitals were begun in
the City Hall, and these were followed
by penny concerts with vocal and IN
strumental music. Similar entertain
ments have been offered winter after
winter in several of the eight halls
controlled by the corporation. Five
years ago a permanent art gallery was
established at Camphill, and in Janu-
airy, 1898, the Peoples Palace was
opened on Glasgow Green. With a
dozen or more large public parks and
many minor open spaces, with the Cor
poration Art Galleries, the City In
dustrial Museum, Camphill Gallery and
the Peoples Palace, with swimming
ponds and golf courses and concerts in
the open air and in municipal halls,
Glasgow does much to provide enter
tainment for the working people. The
art galleries and museums alone repre-
sent an investment of $2.oO0,000.
The Peoples Palace is the newest
and most original of these municipal
institutions designed for the promotion
of public recreation. 1t is fine