Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-06-09
New York CommercIal.I

New York Commercial
Even among the Dcstinform persons
here in the United States the extent
to which the system Of municipal so
c!alism" has gained ground in Great
Britain Is inadoQUatcly understood. !
That expression has been chosen by
United States Consul Boyle at Liver.
Tuol as better describing what most
Britons call municipal trading" and
what is commonly known in the Unit.
ed States as municipal ownership.
Here such ownership and operation Of
lils.less enterprises or undertakings
have been and are confined almost eX.
ciusively to public utilities-as, for in
ftance. water works. gas and electric
lighting. street railways and so forth.
Ir Great Britain they have been eX.
tended to include a great variety of un.
dcrtakings-a conditions that is rails
mg with increased nsistance the ques
ton. Where is the line to be drawn?
Ard pubic discussion OF 1t Is intensely
earnest throughout the United King
dom today Consul Boyle has prepar
ed an extended report on the subject
faI the information OF the Department
Of State.
We learn from this that while in.
Isis the capital invested in municipal
undertakings in Great Britain aggre.
gated $4G5. OOO. 900. in 1900 that form
, OF municipal investment comprehend.
ed the sum of $500 .0OO, 00O-an in.
crease Of more than 200 per cent in
twenty-five years. There are now 935
municipalities there ownirT and opcr-
aring their waterworks; 90 cities or
towns that own their "tramways"; 2iO
owning gas works. and ISL supplying
electricity for lighting or power. or
both. Most of these are in England,
although Glasgow seems to have gone
into municipal trading" more exten.
siyely than any other city in the king.
dom. At least half the consumers of
gas in England buy 1t of municipal,
ties.
Among the business undertakings
BY British cities that will impress most
Americans as an extreme, II not an
Iunwarranted, extension of the munici
ral function these best merit enumer
elton: bennington and Harrogate botf
operate Turkish baths for profit; thu
northern townships outside Of Londor
own the Alexandra "pala"e" and in il
provide organ recitals, industrial anC
ICiher exhibitions, vocal and instru
mental concerts. theatrical entertain
ments and all sorts OF "varlet,
shows; Sheffield has put $4,000 o
her tramway profits into a building
fitted up with shops and offices 70
rent; Torquay owns rabbit warren
Colchester derives profit from an oys
Ter fishery; st. Helens supplies stcl
iiized milk; Hull owns a crematorium
Dcncaster and Chester own rae
Il courses Ohe former actually manal
:, Ing the raCes); BOurnemouth own
I che OF the finest golf courses in Grea
, Eritain; West Ham, borough of Lon
don, owns a stone-hag factory; an
l Liverpool ton its waterwOrks prOpe
1 ty in Wales. Bristol has municipa
!. lied its docks and harbor at a cost {
between $l0,0OO,OO0 and $4,000 90
IhC docks OF Liverpool are also mum
ipali2ed in a modified way. Nottin
+ ham, in addition to owning park
0 markets, artisan dwellings, baths an
k hospital, has bought a castle and
forest, has naturalhistory museu
and a school of art, and was the fir
10 municipality in Great Britain 10 ha,
Ia a university college" And in Live
10 pool the municipality has gone exte
o. sively into the business OF buildiI
% houses and renting pem to the We
poor-chieny the dispossessed tenan
- OF demolished insantary dwellings
IL The slums.
All these and many other socialist
-, undertakings have resulted latterly
=. reaction OF popular sentimc
against the system Even its suppo
III Crs are beginning to cry n halt on
"a further extension. In Parliame
n. there Is now active opposition to N
to ncipal trading" According to Cons
Boyle there are among the British II
~ niCipal socialists what he Is pleased
NJ call two schools OF thought In I
IN first are those who not only advoci
lie, the Observation-Disclosures in certG
rv lines the naturalization such
- tcrprises as waterworks, street IT
roads, electric lighting and power s.
ply and railroads, but who favor
ro public control Of all departments