The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-06-02
PUBLIC WORK OF CITIES
What Many Are Doing In Great
Britain.
VARIOUS ENTERPRISES MANAGED

back Railways" Sewage Farms
and Oyster Beds Are Some OF tLe
Specialties-Ncarly Two Hundred
Towns Have Their own Water Sup
ply.
English cities have gone much fur
ther h our own in carrying OH nc
tivities that used to be considered ex.
clusively matters of private business
An article In the Liverpool Post, sum
married. by United States Consul
Boyle, shows the extent to which this
process has been carried.
The town Of Bath owns it's hot
springs, most of the cold springs. the
Roman baths and the famous .puml
rooms. one of which has recently
been extended With Il Roman prom
epade at a cost of $15O,OOO.
B~ournemouth owns it's winter gar
dens and golf links and keeps a public
orchestra.
Harrogate receives a good income
from its royal baths and springs, Win
ter garden theater and the Royal Spa
concert rooms and gardens. M
bennington owns it's popular baths
and pump room..
Southport earns $17.5O0 a year with
pleasure boats on it's marine park
lakes and runs a Coney Island on the
beach, with a switchback railway.
's.Grjal fight" and other attractions.
Brighton owns it's royal pavilion and
aquarium.
Many towns dispose Of their drain
age on sewage farms. which they cul-
uvate with profit. Birmingham raises
over $125.OOO worth of stock, wool.
crops and milk on it's sewage farm ev-
cry year.
Colchester sells 100000 oysters a
year from its famous Colne oyster
fishery.
Bradford runs a hotel in connection
with Its public markets. and Plym-
outh owns both a hotel and a -theater.
Birkenhead clears $4,000 a year
from it's fleet Of twelve ferry boats
plying to Liverpool.
York owns a canal and q feet Of
tugs.
Manchester has invested S25. 600
in the Manchester ship canal, in which
1t holds a controlling interest.
Bradford tests wool. yarns and cord
at a profit. makes paving slabs from
the clinkers in it's refuse Instructors.
and turns fish refuse into fertilizer.
Liverpool makes artificial stone out
of clinkers and turns it into workmen's
model dwellings.
Leicester makes paving slabs Of
clinkers and it's three sewage farms
produce $4,000 a year.
All the common services of Glasgow.
except the cemeteries. have been mu-
nfcipalized.
Manchester clears $4,000 a year net
profit from it's fifteen markets; Liver
pools markets pay $72,S6O. and the
22S towns that w public markets
draw in ali S418.91O profit from that
source
The street railway systems owned
by the various towns clear over $780,
600 profit, which is rapidly increasing.
In every case, it is alleged. the trans
fer Of such a system from private to
public hands has led to better sery-
ice. cheaper fares, increased traffic and
larger profits. while the position of
the employees has been greatly i'm
proved in regard to pay and the hours
Of labor"
In Leeds the tramways have re-
lieved taxation $2O4.3SO a year.
Liverpool last year cleared $6O.145
from the supply of electricity.
One hundred and ninety-three towns
have their W water supply. from
which they clear a net annual profit
of S45O.64O. after providing interest
and sinking funds for borrowed CAPT
tai. and ninety nine towns W gas
works. paying a profit Of $1.974.125 a
year. Manchester alone clears $780,
600 from gas. instead Of paying three
millions to u corporation. like New
York.
"Hiking'' shoe. For Our Troops.
The Washington Times says that a
hiking shoe has been adopted by the
department for the use of the
in the p~hilinDinas Nynorionoo