The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1901-07-04

MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP.
The following item from Rock
Hill, 8. c., appeared In Q recent
issue OF the Charlotte Observer:
Crock Hill, s. c.. June H.
ownership Of the water
works and electric light plant Is be-
fore the people OF kock Hill. Alta
citizens meeting some time back
r1plutions were passed endorsing
the idea, and q petition, asking for
an election for the purpose Of the
authorizing the city council to issue !,
bonds TO the amount Of S75, 900, has
been circulated among the real
estate owners, and at last the nects- |
sary names have been secured"
It Is very gratifying to see how
rapidly the correct and wholesome
principle OF municipal ownership Is
growing In every quarter of the
country. We are especially delight
cd 10 see that g paper like the Char
lotte Observer no longer bars out
from its columns such news items;
indeed, . few weeks ago the Obser-
yer had An editorial speaking favor
ably Of the principle Of municipal
ownershihp. This indicates great
progress for that paper as well - for
this correct principle Of government.
It has been only . short time since
the Charlotte Observer was ridicul-
Ing municipal ownership and refer
ring to 1t o. Populistic vagary and
Is rank psternalism, etc.
When the Peoples party was Or
ganized ten years ago 1t was the
only political party that dared to
advocate municipal ownership.
Every town should hot only own
Its water-works, but It's electric light
and gas plants, Its telephone systems,
and Ii street Car lines. 1t is Q
proper function Of the municipality
to furnish all Of these necessities to
al Of the people Of the municipality
at cost, and, furthermore, give .
better service than private companies
ever have or ever Will.
The city Of Raleigh 10 at present
. striking object lesson as to the
necessity for municipal ownership.
We have here three telephone sys-
toms, and the result Ii that fewer
people are connected by telephone
than If there was only one system,
In the first place, each system
charges more for the service than II
d worth, and after person has sub.
scribed to one system he reaches lesd
than one-third as many people as he
would reach If there was only one
system In the city. Why? Because
It Is necessary for q person to gel
any satisfaction from the telephone
service to have all three Of the tele
phones In his house or in his Office
This makes the cost Of the telephone
service to q person who has thu
three phones in his Office or resi-
hence over 500 Q year. Thus, aftel
paying over 500 a year the subscri
Der can talk to fewer people than II
there was one system operated at ,
cost that would enable every one t,
be subscriber. If the city ownet
the telephone system In Raleigh i
could be operated at less than one
half the cost that any one of the pre-
sent systems charge and would b
worth Ave times a. much as al
three Of the systems now in opera
ton. If the three systems nov
doing business In Raleigh can liv
with less than one-third Of tn
patronage that one good system
ought to have and would have, thel
one system controlled by the cit,
could be operated for less than one
third Of what each one Of the pre-
sent systems charges. This is to
evident for controversy.
Again the price charged by h
water company Of Raleigh Is NOR
than twice what water would COS
the people Of the city If the cit
owned and operated its own plant
and the same Ii true Of gas and Gle,
tricity. There Is no way the cit
government Of Raleigh or of an
other city can accomplish so niue
tor Its citizens as by taking hold {
these matters and managing ther
In business-like and common SEM
way. The people have this matt.
entirely In their own hands an
when they see fit to save money
their own pockets and at the sam
time double their comforts they q
do SO.
Municipal ownership Of the.
necessities Is so correct In princip
and 90 necessary. for the comfort an
convenience Of the people Of Il
municipality that The enemies
municipal ownership no longer da
to combat the propdsition In Il
open. The public ownership of nj