Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-07-09
THE GLASGOW WAY.
Institutions Run at a Profit by the
Municipality

Municipality.
Apropos of the recent agitations for
municipal ownership a few facts con-
corning the much-talked of Glasgow
will doubtless be of interest.
Eighty years ago Glasgow was a
filthy manufacturing city, situated on
a muddy ditch. To-day she stands
second in point of populate and COM
merce in the British empire. and in
matters of sanitation and municipal
government century in advance of her
nearest rival. Till 1S45 the corporation
levied no taxes. The whole Of it's reve-
nue. 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 surplus was
put aside, and in 1S45 they invested
this accumulated money in the pur-
chase of ground right in the heart Of
the city. now known as the common
good" That purchase was the founda-
ton of Glasgow as she stands to-day.
AT first the income from the common
good" was only a little over $4,000.
1t now brings in over $4,000 yearly.
Glasgow is owned by her population.
They own the ground, the street rail-
ways, the gas plants, the water works.
the parks, the gardens and concert
halls. And, although 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 be-
ing 1914 800. The corporation of Glas-
gov has spent over $3.50, 100000 on MAX
ing their mud ditch into a river up
which the greatest ships afloat can sail
and in raising their town in its present
position. And yet it's 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
ooret hoc 1rupo
by the corporation.
Take. for instance. the poorer dwell
ings. In 1874 e royal commission was
sent in reply to a. cry that the poorer
districts were untheaithily overcroWded
The report OF the commission was that
the death rate was over forty-four in
every thousand of the population. and
that typhus fever was as we'll known
as the face of the oldest inhabitant
The corpora ton took up the matter.
and to-day Glasgow's model dwellings
are the very best in the kind. To build
these, Of which ther are now five, capa
Die OF housing 1000 persons every night,
the foul rookeries, which are still the
curse from every point of view Of nearly
all other large towns, were swept away
Any ore, man or woman, can get a
thoroughly clean bed for the sum Of
seven cents. And, although. over $3.50
600 of the public money was spent in
erecting these houses, a good yearly
return is paid on it-nearly per cent
And the death rate has been reduced
to 1873.
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. in
the first case, twelve cents, and in the
second, thirty-seven, as against seven
teen and sixty-four when formerly sup
r>1ia NV v,'f<,e. A nd no
added that not only is the charge for
water the very lowest Of any town.
but the water is itself acknowledged
by experts to be the very purest sup
Piled to any city or village. Yet Glas-
gov reaps from the water supply alone
an annual profit of $4,000. AT the
same time as Glasgow purchased the
common good property the markets
were also bought. And although the
lightest tolls are levied, so that the SELL