The sea coast echo., 1901-08-31
nuNIclPAL OWNERSHIP THAT
FAILED.


utilities has apparently ceased to
appear to the people of Toledo,
Ohio, as a boon. Toledo is the
city in which "Golden Rule"
Jones has endeavored to put his
ideas of political economy into
effect. For awhile Mr.. Jones
seemed to have a large majority
of the people of Toledo so hypno-
tized or so charmed that they
were ready to his bidding, no mat
ter what it was, or to follow him
wherever he cared to lead. But
both Mr.. Jones and his idea, are
apparently going out of fashion in
Toledo where the municipal nutu-
raj gas plant has, after having
been run by the city for ten years,
been leased to a private corpora
ton. X
This plant has cost the. people
OF Toledo over a million dollafs
in bonds and half A million more
in interest, while IL is found now
that the rental will be much less
than the city will need to keep
up tho annual interest on the debt
incurred when the experiment was
undertaken. The Toledo Bee. a
Democratic paper that has sup
ported Mr.. Bryan and stood for
free silver and been against the
trusts, referring to the failure of
the Municipality to operate It's
own natural gas plant at a profit
says:
"a little over ten years ago q
few politicians and learned editors
made the people of Toledo be-
lieve THAT by the judicious expen-
diture OF a paltry million or SO in
building municipal natural gas
plant the dear people would not
only get fuel gas dirt cheap for
themselves, but could sell enough
of it to manufacturers and others
to pay the cost of the plant, and
also in practically no time, pay
off the city debt. So the good
people of Toledo voted to issue
bonds to the amount Of $3.50, 900
and went into the natural gas bus
mess. Altogcthersince May, 1889,
the city has issued $l,050, 900 nat
ural gas bonds, and has paid. or
will have paid October / of this
yeas, $499, 800 interest on the
bonds. But it was q great pipe
dream. Last night the pipe went
out. The couucil leased what
was left of the plant Of the Tole-
do Gas Light and Coke Company
for term of twenty years at $6, :
500 a year. Our annual interest
account on natural gas bonds out
standing is $47, ,250. And we will
keep on paying that for many
yea.'t to come. incidentally many
OF the men who shouted loudest
for the gas plant got their start in
life out of their connection with
it, and, having become taxpayers,
managed to bob up and help urge
the council to lease the plant to a
private corporation--so as to save
them taxes. - In passing we
might say that in kicking the city
natural gas plant downstairs and
out INTO the great American out
doors the Toledo council necessa-
rily unrooted a few of the proud
est tail feathers of the chesty roos-
ter known to fame and politics as
the Municipal Ownership of Pub
lie Utilities"
The time may be coming when
every city shall own and operate
its lighting plants and its other
public utilities, but before such a
condition can be satisfactory it
will be necessary to get rid of the
persons who are always waiting to
"get start in lifo" out of their
connection with such schemes. At
present they seem to form a pow
erful element in the population of
nearly every important munich
pality.