The Advocate and news., 1899-03-29

light plants, The new venture meets with
general approval.
by vote of more than four TO one the
people of Mobile, Ala, have voted in favor
of city waterworks and a system OF sewers
to be owned by the municipality.
"The city of Vienna, Austria, is soon to
erect and operate a municipal brick kiln,
the product of which is to be used in city
buildings, but selling also to private par
ties.
Southampton has followed the example
of other British towns in operating a street
railway. July | last it acquired the same
at price determined by arbitration.
paris gets her public lighting at cost
and 20,0O0,000 francs year as her share Of
the profits of six companies, whose rights
all revert to the city at the expiration of
the charters
'The city of jena Germany, owns
brewery which yielded profit OF $4,000
last year.
six years ago only twenty cities of the
United States owned their electric lighting
plants; now the number has reached 200
and in no case can it be said that munich
palizatiOn was not a success.
SIN Manchester, England, the municipal
gas works bring in a net profit of 100000
year, while 100000 a year ia received
from the management of the markets
slaughter house.
"ln Indiana every town of any size has
its own ice factory, some of them capable
of turning out from 500 to 1000 tons of ice
a day. And the same thing holds good in
Egypt and the Southern States Of Amer
lea"
The city OF Glasgow, Scotland, receives
sufficient revenue from gas, electric lights,
street railways, public bath houses, public
lodging houses and public laundries to pay
all expenses for conducting its city affairs,
and the people, beginning with the year
1898, are wholly relieved from taxation.
In consequence, rents are lower and thou
sands Of new buildings have been erected
and employment given to thousands of men,
who of course have added hundreds of thou
sands of dollars to her commerce and again
given employment to hundreds of idle men.
Municipal ownership is no longer "Pop"
doctrine; neither is it a Republican or Dem
Ocratic doctrine, but is purely non-parti-
san, as we believe that all political parties
are driving for the self-same goaI-the bet
terment of the conditions surrounding all
and this idea is taking possession
Of the minds of men in all parties.
The mayor and council of Topeka, on the
18th day of November, last past, submitted
% the voters of TODeka a DroDositiOn To |
vote $44O00O to purchase the waterworks
low located or build new waterworks. The
proposition carried by vote of l,703 for
md GIG against-nearly three to one in
avOr. Let us review briefly the history
" the Topeka waterwoTks.
In the year 1881 franchise was granted
" the mayor and council of Topeka to the
Topeka Water Company, and provided in
he charter the right Of the city to pur-
hase the works at the expiration of the
harter in twenty years
The mayor and council bound the city
o pay said corporation the sum of $l4,500
er annum as rentals for water Corpora
ion bonds to the amount of $4,000 were
ssued and sold, and $4,000 in cash was
ubscribed If the bonds were sold at par,
he entire first cost was 100000 --the city
greeing to pay sl4,500 per annum,
aid interest on the whole amount of the
ivestment at IA per cent per annum, lesv-
lg out the amount received from the pri-
ate consumers. But in reality the corpo-
alton had but $4,000 invested, as the bal
Continued on page 81