The Holly chieftain., 1900-01-12

the People.
Apropos Of the recent agitation for
municipal ownership few facts con-
cerning the much talked OF Glasgow
will doubtless be of interest, says the
Cincinnati Enquirer.
Eighty years ago Glasgow was
flthy manufacturing city, situated ON
q muddy ditch. Today she stands sec
ond In point OF population and com
merce In the British empire and in
matter of sanitation and municipal
government century in advance of
poration 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
the surplus was put aside. and in 1Si5
they invested this accumulated money
In the purchase of ground right in the
heart OF the city, now known as the
common good" That purchase was
the foundation of Glasgow as she
stands today. At first the income from
the common good" was only little
over $4,000. 1t now brings in over
$4,000 yearly.
Glasgow is owned by her popula-
ton. They own the ground, the street
railways. the gas plants, the water
works. the parks and gardens and con
cert halls. And, although every one of
these institutions Is worked more
chesply than In any other town, each
one Is made to bring In q greater year
ly profit to the community, the total
profit per annum on municipal under
takings being 1914 500. The corporation
OF Glasgow has spent over Sl50,Ooo,-
coo in making their mud ditch into 4
river up which the greatest ships
afoat can sail and in raising their
town to its present position. And yet
Its public debt is. taking into consid-
GRAFTON its size. by far the smallest OF
any city in the world. The key to Its
prosperity Is that every common i'm.
proyement has been done by the cor
poration.
Take, for instance, the poorer dwell
ings. In 1914 royal commission was
sent in reply to II cry that sle poorer
districts were unhealthily overcrowd-
cd. The report of the commission was
that the death rate was over Al in ev-
cry 1000 OF the population and that
typhus fever was as well known as the
face OF the oldest inhabitant The cor
porntion took up the matter. and today
Glasgows model dwellings are the
very best OF the kind. To build these,
OF which there are now five. capable of
housing 2.0o0 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 one, man or woman, can get n
thoroughly clean bed for the sum of
cents. And, although over Si5o.UoG
OF the public money was spent in
erecting these houses, good yearly
return is paid on lt-ycarly per cent.
The death rate has been reduced 10
1919
Instead OF the city being supplied
with those necessities OF life. water
and gas, by private companies, the peo-
pie. through their own corporation sup
ply themselves at the nominal rates of
ond 81 as against II and Ga when for
merly supplied by companies. And it
may be added that not only is the
charge for water the very lowest of
any town, but the water itself Is ac-
knowledged by experts to be the very
purest supplied to any city or village.
Yet Glasgow renps from the water sup
ply alone an annual profit Of $4,000.
At the same time that Glasgow pur-
chased the common good property the
markets were also bought. And al
though the lightest tolls are levied. SO
that the sellers are able to dispose of
their goods to the Inhabitants at less
price than In any other town. the city
garners a yearly revenue of xlG.50o.
and STAT 800 is also gained from the
gas supply.
Working on the good results OF their
former enterprise In these directions.
they have now taken over the electric
al lighting of the city Mt a yearly profit
Of S1O.O7O. With this money the cor
poration has looked to procuring public
recreation parks, with the result that
In the matter OF lungs" Glasgow
stands first in the world. II hns some
100 acres allotted to this purpose.
which works out at one acre of public
grass covered ground for every 500 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 $500 for this purpose.
In one matter Glasgow stands alone.
All laundries are public property. BY
this means the inhabitants are able to