BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-10-17
SAN JUAN, OCTOBER y
A Socialist Experiment

The London "Times' has been pu-
blishing a remarkable series of articles
on municipal Socialism in England, with
the intention of showing that municipal
trading results in all manner of extra
vagance and decentralization. So mark.
ed is this bias that the temper recalls
Sir Theodore Martins observation on
the Education Bill" If free and COM
pulsory education, why not free and
compulsory bread and butter?" But
no conservative preprossessioD vitiates
the formidable statistics of municipal
extravaganza which have been present
ed, article by article. One might choo-
Sc as characteristic the little city Of
Cardiff, which conducted vatious enter
prises capitalized al. 12S3,o5I (viz. light
ing. baths, markets, and cemetery at a
net loss, for the year ending March 81,
1901, of $3.50. But the dangers OF
municipal Socialism are best studied III
the case of the great county borough OF
West Ham, manufacturing suburb OF
London, which includes the Victoria
docks, and has population of more
than 275 5ooo. =,
AS an outcome of the great d3ck
strike of 1890 the Socialists came into
a gradual control of the Town Council
which became complete at the elections
of 1898. The majority OF Socialists In
the Council took its instructions from
the party organization, which had re
quired each of it's Councillors 10 deposit
his resignation, for presentation at any
time, with the committee. The first
move of the Socialist regime was TO
reestablish Works Department to do
al borough work BY direct employ
ment". From this time forth economy
was thrown to the vinds, and the Coun-
Gil set itself vigorously to supplying EN-.
pIoynent rcggaTuTes5 Jl Tue cost Stt{rtln2
in with 6Iooooo hospital. AS mat
ter Of course only union labor was en-
ployed, the eigh hour day was univer-
sally adopaed, and the union scale OF
wages with 20 per cent. increase be
came the borough scale The shorten
ing of the day meant that, in the case
of the steam roller, for example, the
city actually got about five hours o.
work after the time of firing up and OF
going and returning had been reckon d
while the carers of the stabiing depart.
ment reduced their trips from three &c
two day, the depar nnent ITSELF bein2
run at an annual loss Of 5000 a year,
as compared with contract prices.
Housing schemes were the next III
order. The twenty-seven rellings ac.
tually built we're occupied largely By
corporation employees who paid nomi-
nal rents, ard, fer one instance, got
electric lightinh at Cd. per week, which
cost the borough one shilling. The
whole venture resulted it' lsss on the
investment of about 81 per house.
Mean shlle tile laziaesS uf the emplc-
. yees became a scandal. and it was al
most impossible to discipline Them, be-
cause they were prosected BIZ the
unions. lns.ead, The Socialist members
of the Council passed a Law grantia
pensions to city laborerS upon 1beral
terms and after short service, rejecting
a sch me for pensions which required a
stated contribution for a term Of years
from the beneficiaries. When it be
came difficult to pass the more extrava-
giant measures, the Socialists changed
the. sittings Of the Council 10 the even
ING, and debates involving the employ
menr of labor we're attended by en.hu-
siastic audiences Of employees, who cla-
morously expressed their desires ano.
upon occasi n we're even admitted to
the floor of the Council chamber.
Apparently it,oecurred to no one to
inquire Who was to pay the piper. The
annual increase in expenditure grew to
100000 as against 6I3, 600 in 1880
cialist times, outstanding obligations
and the public deb were Largely. mere
ased, the, rates rose from an average of
less than os. in the pound 10 los Cd, the
proportion of thi levied by the Borough
council rising from IS. I'd. in 1890, to
rs. sgd. in 10 But all this expendi-
ture meant more and easier enploym-
ent. and il was assumed that the
money coming out of tie capitalist class
was in the nature of a compulsory dole i
to lab9r. Aud as matter or fact the
ten thousand rate payers assessed at
81 aud more were sabject toexcessivel
advances in their assessment, while The
great manufacturing enterprises were
mulcteG FOR an undue portion Of the
borough expenses.
BIT even sp9liation 81 The capitalist
class can os go on indehni. 81 j, and the
Socialist CounciIsas soon found ccTtain
flaws IN their financial theories Rents,l
Tor example, We're raised bg 1913 10 2sr
per eens. Tie manufacturers aefased tol
expsndtheir plants proporqionst with
tue ex panslof of heir assessments but Z
concentrated their efforts upon tfeir
Dtf1er works; the Great Eastern LOGON
otlve Works actually considered abandc-
Ing its West Ham ablishment. AtIl