The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-24

Wonderful Changes Effected in
Glasgow I'm the Past Eighty Years.

Glasgow in the Past Eighty Years.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Apropos of the recent agitation for mu-
nicipal ownership few facts concerning
the much-talked-of Glasgow will doubt
less be on interest.
Eighty years ago Glasgow was a filthy
manufacturing city, situated on a muddy
ditch. To-day It stands second in point of
population and commerce in the British
J empire, and in matter of sanitation and
municipal government a century in adj
| vance of its nearest RIVAL TIL ls45 the
corporation LEVIED no taxes. The whole
| OF Its revenue was derived from duties
made on all articles of food brought into
the city. Every year this revenue was
In excess of the expenditure, and the sur
| plus was put aside, and In 1915 this accu-
mulated money was invested in the pur-
chase of ground right In the heart Of the
city, now known as the common good"
That purchase was the foundation Of Glas-
gov as IL stands to-day. AT first the in
come from the common good" was only a
little over $4,000. II now brings in over
$4,000 yearly.
Glasgow is owned by It's population. Tho
people own the ground, the street railways,
the gas plant the water works. the parks
and gardens and concert halls, And, al
though every one of these institutions Is
worked more cheaply than in any other
town, each one is made to bring in a
greater yearly profit TO the community
the total profit per annum on municipal
undertakings being 1914 800 The corpora
tion of Glasgow has spent over $3.50 100000
on making its mud ditch into a river up
which the greatest ships afioat can sail
and In raising The town 20 it's present po-
sidon And yet its public debt Is, taking
into consideration its size, by far the
smallest of any city In the world. The
key TO Its prosperity is that every common
Improvement has Been done by the corpor-
alton.
Instead OF the city being supplied with
those necessities of life, water and gas
by private companies, the people, through
their own corporation, supply themselves
at the nominal rates of, Ia the first case
~ cents and In che second, 81, as against
II and Ga when formerly supplied by COM
panies. And IL may be added that not
only is the charge for water che very low
est Of any town. but the water Itself is
acknowledged by experts to be the very
purest supplied to any city or village. Yet
Glasgow reaps from the water supply
alone an annual profit of $4,000. Al the
same time as Glasgow purchased the COM
mon good property the markets were also
bought. And although the highest tolls
are levied, so that the sellers are able 70
dispose of their goods TO the Inhabitants
at less price than In any other town. the
CITY EafHeTS IN "a yearly revenue OF 3lO 80.
And $147,500 Is also gained from the gas
supply
Working on the good results OF their for
mer enterprise in these directions they
have now taken over the electrical light
ing OF the city at a yearly profit of $1,000
Z With this money the corporation has look
ed to procuring public recreation parks,
with the result that in the matter OF
'lungs Glasgow stands first In the world.
1t has some 700 acres allotted to this pur-
pose which works out at one acre OF pub
lie grass-covered ground for every 800 of
the population. During the spring and
summer bands play in each Of these parks,
and there is no collection They are paid
by the corporation, which puts aside s., 500
for this purpose.
In one matter Glasgow stands alone. All
laundries are public property. BY this
means the Inhabitants are able 70 have
their clothes washed in the very best man.
ner at the very lowest price And one can
feel, when INDUCING In an extra clean
shirt, that any profit made on Il goes 70
the public welfare
There is one great source of evil which.
up 10 the present Glasgow has not been
able to cast off Millions upon millions OF
tons of coal are consumed yearly, and the
black suffocatng smoke hangs continual
ly over the city like a death pain. But
II ls not Glasgow's fault that 1t has not
been removed. The corporations are will
ing TO pay any one Slo00O,00O who win dash
IL away
BY running their own street railways.
gas plants and water works, and also be-
ing owners OF their own city they have
been able 10 build Glasgow at PRACTICAL
ly no cost to themselves And NOT only
this BY improving their city they have
saved every year an average of over 200
lives and seourging diseases are known no
more