New-York tribune., 1899-09-23

that the private corporations likewise erred in
this respect. For instance, the reports Of the
Massachusetts Commission stated that the gas
and electric light companies only charged off |
per cent to the depreciation account. whereas
1t was argued that the municipalities should
charge at least ) per cent for depreciation.
Private concerns with limited franchise Of
twenty-five years, for instance would be threat
ened with the great depreciation Of losing their
entire plant at the end of that period. The
temptation under these circumstances would be
10 make heavy charges for gas electric light and
street railway service On the other hand, a
municipality not being threatened with any loss
Of franchise would keep its various plants in
good condition.
EFFORTS MAKING BY OPPONENTS.
Professor Bemis also said that 1t was plain
that the opponents Of municipal control were
concentrating their efforts on the adoption by
legislatures Of laws for the alleged regula-
tiCn Of the gas electric light and street railway
conpanjes. with the intent Of maintaining the
excessive rates The Massachusetts, Gas and
Electric Light Commission was much praised
and pointed to by opponents Of municipal con-
troll as model; and yet right under the very
noses Of the members of the commission there
had been a watering Of the stock or companies
II was almost impossible to guard the interests
OF the State or Of cities against the able lawyers
Of corporations. 1t was charged that the spols
system would prevent the advance OF the mu-
nicIpal ownership idea that Civil Service reform
must precede IT.
Rut il was to be observed that even without
Civil Service reform the ablest men In any state
or civil service were retained throughout all ad-
mlnistratons. and that it was only the lower
ranks OF a service which suffered from political
changes.
THE only experiment in the private owner
ship Of a street railway system" said Professor
Rcmis thus far is the Brooklyn Bridge cable
7 think that no one will deny that the Brooklyn
Bridge management compares favorably with
that OF the elevated railroads in New-York and
Brooklyn The men were better paid, and the
road was managed with safety to life. But the
CHEF statistics in regard to this must be OBJ
tanned in England. There. certainly, municipal
tiles are successful in managing the street rail-
ways. Public ownership Will develop public
spirit. Private ownership subjects a city TO the
peril OF bad Common Council giving away a
valuable franchise for thirty years. Public own
ershp will enable a city to concentrate in one
plant its waterworks machinery and its electric
light manufacturing plant"
SEWAGE DISPOSAL PROBLEMS.
G. Everett Hill. Of New-York OF the staff OF the
late Colonel George f.. Warlng, read a paper
on Sewage Disposal Problems" The methods
OF sewage purfcaton. he said, were broad
irrigation and Intermittent downward hltra-
ton Broad irrigation process OF bac-
terial combustion, whose essential feature was
bo Of he I'M in
thin sheets over the surface OF a large area
Of ground so that each drop OF 1t might come
in contact with the atmosphere This was
the system which had been used for many years
with excellent results at Berlin, Paris and