New-York tribune., 1902-12-26

practical spirit, and advantage is taken of every
resource for attracting visitors and increasing
the public welfare. The Harrogate Corporation
owns the baths and springs which are the chief
source of the towns wealth. and it has i'm
proved the estate by expending over 100000 in
the construction Of winter gardens concert
rooms and a theatre, and in opening parks and
promenades. Bath. in the West has witnessed
a similar series Of improvements, the hot and
cold springs being owned and managed by the
Town Council and the Grand Pump Room and
the Roman Promenade being municipal works.
hach Of these watering places has a municipal
electric supply, surprising in this respect Lean
ihSton, in Warwickshire, which also conducts
Its baths, mineral springs and pump rooms as
municipal enterprises.
The seaside resorts are improved and
bellished by the town corporations with equal
energy and enterprise Scarborough has its
new marine driveway and seawaH around the
Castle; Torquay has it's baths. concert rooms,
promenade piers and marine gardens and East
bourne has transformed its sea front and in
troduced electric lighting. The Doncaster cor
poration owns the famous -acecourse which at
tracts throngs of visitors, and so shrewdly have
the councillors supplemented their revenue from
II by profits from gas, water and electric sup
pies that they are enabled to discontinue the
borough rate and even to dispense with school
board and to solve the religious question with
out the meddleson1e intervention of Parliament.
The corporati tion with the racecourse behind II.
has made financial grants in aid of Anglican,
Wesleyan and Roman Catholic schools, yet has
retained for itself and for the parents Of the
children the privilege Of representation in the
management.
Miscalculations have been Inevitable in the
development Of the resources of English towns
under the stimulus of the municipal coilectivist
movement. There have been enthusiasts in
some OF the town councils, and ambitious
schemes have been adopted long way in ad-
vance Of local requirements. Dewsbury, for eX-
ample, with population of 2S, 600, has acquired
and extended its water supply, purchased a
large gas plant and maintained public baths,
markets and technical schools; and it is paying
heavily for its enterprise in an increased debt
service and high rates. There are numerous
other instances in which councils have been
unduly sanguine and have ordered electric light
ing plants and tramways with premature zeal,
and overweghted communities with financial
responsibility for public works and improve
nents
On the other hand, the inertia of conservatism
has obstructed municipal progress in many old
towns. oxford, with dozen university dons in
the Town Council, has not encouraged municipal
industries, and, apart from the construction or
several PUBIC DullQlngS ana lne ItHioNdi VI
Carfax Church. has displayed little energy IN
promoting the Improvement OF the town, con-
tenting itself with enlarging the water supply
introduced early in the seventeenth century, and
with establishing free library and moderate
facilities for technical education. Cambridge
also has a free public library, and the corpora
ton grants allowances for technical instruction.
but the supplies of water, gas and electric light
are controlled by private companies. Winches-
ter Worcester and Rochester are almost as
backward in their public services as DR.. john
sons birthplace. Lichfeld. and are outstrippeo
by both York and Lincoln, which have eau
tiously entered into various branches Of munich
pal trading. Some of the old boroughs are lag
ging far behind in the march Of municipal i'm
provement and some Of the new towns are
pushing ahead recklessly; but the average re-
suits of municipal ownership in England are
evidences of enlightened civic energy and whole
some emulation in progressive local govern
ment l. ~ +