New-York tribune., 1903-02-26
FOR MUNICIPAL REFORM.
PROBLEMS DISCUSSED.
Suggestions For and 4g1anst City
Control at National Contention.

"A large gathering or NeW-YOrECr5 Interested
in municipal reform problems attended the
opening session Of the National Convention on
Municipal Ownership and Public Franchises yes
terday morning. Two sessions OF the convea-
ton held yesterday. and the meeting IA
TO be continued to-day and fo-morrovv in the
assembly hall of the Reform CLUB. at No. D.
Fifth-ave. About forty delegates are in attend
ance. responding to the invitations OF the Ee-
form Clubs committee city affairs. and the
general public is admitted the extent of the
halls capacity.
Many leaders Of the Citizens Union were
the convention yesterday. among them r. Full
ton Cutting. the chairman and Thomss 4. Full
ton. the secretary of the organization. Among
representatives of educational institutions pres
ent were Professor John Graham Brooks, Of
Harvard; Professor Dyer, of Vanderbilt Univer-
sity, and Professor Hawkins. of Syracuse Uni
versity. Mayor Urquhart of Toronto. and Mayor
Sullivan of Hartford. Conn. were among the
delegates Commissioners of Public Works in
several American cities were in attendance H.
D. Macedonia Of counsel for the Metropolitan
Street Railway Company, listened TO the discus
sions.
1t had been planned to have Mayor Low make
the opening address of the convention. but his
absence in Albany made change in the pro-
gramme necessary. John G. Agar, chairman OF
the convention. made the address Of welcome to
vention, he said in part:
The conditions In American cities to-day are such
as to make the thoughtful and patrouc seek some
method OF improvement. taxing New-Y ork as an
and inadequate: the lighting services are extrava-
Coming overworRed; and ali the material cOndition
be eenjng behind | rafhsr than in front Of All Of
the demands OF the vast population ., -.
municipal activities cannot longer be exercised in
11s so as 20 s09 @ es r9GFe9
unless another method Of administration be ap-
The first step in that direction should be rnade
by the adoption OF the principles applied elsewhere:
public work In other words that non-partisanshp
In municipal government is the first requisite in
municipal betterment
DUE TO POPULAR INDIGNATION.
Discussion of municipal ownership Of fran
chises started at the morning session by
the reading of a paper by Clinton Rogers Wood
ruff, of Philadelphia He said that popular in
terest in municipal ownership has been due
mainly to popular indignation at ''the corrup-
ton and degradation incident to the policy OF
private ownership" and he added:
As yet I doubt whether there is any very general
feeling on the essential impropriety and lnIoralIy
of a policy which permits private concerns TO enjoy
public privileges for their private pront wat
through the grant Of a municipal franchise or
privilege? have used the term municipal owner
ship throughout my remarks as distinguished
from private ownership have not used II I"
other question: because for some time to eome
in most places will have to utilize private con-
Germs and their experience and business capac tF,
but only as agents and not as principals In oth@r
most moss be t9f ed to fair RETURN for the
rendered and more
CONDITIONS IN TORONTO
Mavor Urquhart of Toronto who said -
owed his election to the votes of the p2-.T
opposed to him. told of the operation of munich
nal franchises in his city follows:
Toronto for quarter of a ceEtury has owned 9f,
its own waterworks ana m fPS iP comment of amer
lea In 1897 the receipts Were $rg s aiiG 1sre @ c11t
itn half and now an eight room house pays $ % a
year for water and ten rpoH1 Hly ay'o Company was
given to a private company and last year S-5Sttt
5 MAS had been paid on the stock Gas is 80 cents
thousand cubic feet and will pc % LOVER ,b II rit 9
Council will build its own plant
Particular interest was manifested at the
conventions morning session In paper oy
Robert P Porter director OF the eleventh
United States census. Comparison OF Euro
mean and American Methods and Results IN
describing the field of municipal activity In
Great Britain Mr.. Porter said 1t was prepared
to make the British citizen the constant sub
tact of municipal solicitude from the time when
in his cradle he is fed municipal milk to the
day when his remains are reduced TO ashes IN
a municipal crematorium." His paper continued:
tinued:
Resides the numerous industries at present being
carried on by British municipalities. applications
have been made to Parliament for lowers for the
manufacture of steam engines. dynamos. gas and
electric fittings paving & a65 e41G 6r s ss6
hotels bicycle tracks. etc street car factories
being undertaken and s system g or REs ;; nS1Fane
Eawnshfps municipal bakeries and even municipal
collieres have been seriously pTGp@se6ii 10 b the
streets policing. protection from nre. etc. must
be added all these more intricate businesses Thess
an tbs risk of the ratepayers. by representatives
not elected because Of special experience. but De-
Caus of party afiliat1on-
INCREASE IN LOCAL INDEBTEDNESS.
This rush Of English municipalities into specula-
tive enterprises has resulted IN an enormous IN
was given to loans amounting in the aggregate to
no less than sl4a 677. .465 and the average amount
oGIy lust short Of Sl2500SOo0. Never before has
there been sny M SRpgeacR 8 @ bs iS the aveTag for sons
years previously had been about S5.oe9O00 In Isl.
the pop1Iation 1t is now over $50. The. local in
DEB ed a in IN @ 55e 10 o2fs 81 3 in @ and stands
at $l650Ooooe0 at the present time.
Mr. / orter proceeded TO show what public
utilities the cities of the United Kingdom are
at present operating and how the service com
pares with that furnished by private enter
prise in the United States, in part, as follows;
To begin with the gas supply. local authorities
With a capital of about S157.5OJ00 and supplying
176 S4 sustGmers s. PFysse m @ %B hearty two
million customers The reduction IN p,lCe p r.,- y.
made by private companies in England haS oeyl, , -
great as. If not greater, and as a Iuit t"g P1I,-
t 81 ,bot bsreed by the municipalities In short in
England as elsewhere the private coiIPiH'eS ~
Srce ~ In recent official inquiry these facts were
clearly brought out IL was % SO % from, @ ron,9aniss
because companies have greater motive for eEtsr-
pprise: they have never been known 70 lead