The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-12-21

372 shops forty nine stores. forty-three
warehouses, torty-three workshops. twelve
halls, two churches, two hotels, one tAEa.
ter one powder mill. one panorama tsltel,
one nursing nome, one bakelouse. one golf
course and one gospel tent; IL farms over
100 acres Of land. where large crops are
grown, Including all the hay used ~ the
stables OF the cleansing department, as
wei as large crops Of oats, wheat turuips.
Ctci Il converts the city sewage into solid
matter, which II sells TO the farmers for
manure; IL carries on business as market
gardener; IL possesses stone uuarres and
mas 700 railway wagons; Il bnlds tram
cars, rcClalms hogs, conducts a civic gra-
nary; raises flOO0 wear on the clukr
from the refuse crematiug furnaces. col
lects and sells waste paper, and is not
above melting and disposing OF tue solder
from the old tin cans IL hnds IN the dust
heaps-all these things being done or SUI
peryised, IN their leisure time. by the mis-.
cellaneous group Of persons who constitute
the Glasgow corporation"
The taxpayers supply the capital for
these various enterprises, but they begin
to grumhle and affirm that their affairs
are wastefully managed; that the managers
are making losses right straight along
Capital expenditure has grown from S00i,
0C0 In lss7-lSSs to Ss0s0,000 in 190o-190i,
though annual revenue has little more than
doubled In that time. The assessable
rental has Increased from S16s2a.5lo TO
S24764,s20, but debt has increased from
$4,000, coo to S6I.000,Ooo. The investments
10 various kinds OF industrial plants II
profitable. ought 20 reduce taxes, nut they
do not have this effect, Taxes have gone
up from 81 20 per 500 TO Sl.62 and are
still rising. lhe, credit OF the city is IN
consequence declining, It's Sl5 per cents
now selling at IFS, against 1891 a few
years ago. Profits are shown IN the Of
hcial reports on various municipal enter
prises, but these profits are changed into
dehcts when proper allowance is made for
interest, depreciation, reserve, sniaries
etc, as would be done in private busi-
ness The Glasgow street railway systen,
for example, claimed gross balance" Of
81, 0I6GjO for last year. but on examination
ii is found that Oh q strictly business
basis there was o less OF 100000. This,
too, when no proper allowance Is made for
depreciation On the strength OF the sup
posed fine showing car fares were reduced,
an order that users should benent from
profits the increased dehcit thus PRO
duced beius saddled on the taxpayers The
municipal telephone business 10 which
81 600 900 Is invested reports yearly
profit az $1,000 but this without allowing
ANYTHING FOR depreciation and with but
5000 allowed for sinking fund The re.
proft" and covered a real delct On
S4Sl0000 Invested in an electric lighting
plant. 10 serve 1874 subscribers. an annual
surplus this year of $4,000 Is reported, but
this surplus, the report confcsses is OBJ
tanned bv emitting "a provide Tor deprec.l-
ton So Of hougebuildng and other enter
prlses They are Improbable, however
much they serve 20 give employment u
pettv politicians and their retainers Stun
districts have been cleared and expensive
n1uniclpal houses erected. but the rents are
100 hirh for the slum population, which, 70
tbe number Of 81 900, has mad 70 and new
Sums FOR Itself n the suburbs, aud some
tboussuds Of the new houses are unocr
cuniei some few businesses, which are
uatrral monopolies, may very well be un-
dertaken by cities, according 10 their eX-
igences. but il 70 obvious that Glasgow.