The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-07-03
t,lasgow's Success III Gas Fro
uctior-suintr1ary Of Other
Public Undertaking What
Edinburgh Has Accom- Nj
p1ished- PresentsStatus u
IF Public Ownership. &

pally owned street railway systems.
against 1874 belonging to private compa-
nies, but the former represent an outlay
Of nearly s1saooDo0 cornpared with $50
| 0O0,0 OF private capital The mileage Ia
1907 municipal against Toi private The u
percentage OF profit on motley Invested IS I
I "a forsthe cities and 4 "a for the private x
companies. This percentage Is an increase
over last year Of I 3-S for the cities and IL
decrease OIL SIS for the private companies.
Tho net profit8to the cities was $S,00000D,
and to the companies S4,s00,ooO. These
figures arc official and do not go far. to
support the contention Of Robert T. Por-s
ter to the $effcct that public ownership
| Is d failure In Great Britain. He wrote H
d sories Of articles to that end recently
and Is either being denounced or laugh he'd y
at all over the United Kingdom In
| passing I will state that Mr.. Porter is v
responsible for similar statements which
have been widely printed In tho United
| States. tyt .55g IA 38 NJ u n III
n tho item OF electric lighting ana
power plants there are In Great Britain
either In operation or III course OF con -S
| struction S55 plants owned by the local
authorities. against 2l4 owned by com
panies. The former have invested $3.50,
100000, against $50, 0OO, 0O0 for the compa-
| MES. The net receipts OF some of the
larger towns and titles are as follows: "A
erdeen, $4,000; Lyme. $1,000; 81
Ayre, $4,000; Bath, $4,000; Bedford, s2s-
eco; Belfast, $4,000; Birmingham, sl700y0;
ton, 500, 900; Bradford, slS6O0 Brighton.
$4,000; Bristol, S135,000; Cardiff, s5O.0oO.&
Croydon. soc. 200; Derby. 500, 900; Edlnburgl,,
100000; Glasgow, s2s0,0oO; Hackney, $40, M
| 900; Halifax, $4,000; Hamstead $110.0Ou;
HUH $4,000 sIsing ton, 81, 900; Leeds
0W: Manchester, $4,000; Nottingham
$4,000; Oldham, $4,000; Plymouth. s4l.000!
Portsmouth. $4,000 st. Pancras, $3.50, 600: e.
Stafford. $4,000; Sheffield, Sis, 600; SOUTH
ampton, $4,000; Sunderl land, s64 00O; Vol er-is
hampton. s5s0O0. In the entire list Of cities
only one showed a loss and that was i
|SWhtby, Which lost $3.50 on the first
years working KS En- jS8}$ IN S ~
More than 200 towns and cities in Great
Britain own markets or slaughter houses
having Il market value OF not less than
si5 0OO, 900. 81 The public markets OF London
stand for an Investment Of $17,500,0O0s II
With hardly an exception these markets
are paying Investments but no effort is
made to exact an unreasonable rate OF
profit. VI j5s III II
sIt was not until 1899 that municipalities
were permitted to establish and conduct
Telephone enterprises, and progress hns 3
been slow By reason of the fact that liz
will come under38the controplf not the
ownership, of the III Imperial government
1t is likely that the federated lllunictpali-
I ties may vet defeat or materially modify
this arrangement. In the meantime .nlt
nicipal plants have been established IN
Glasgow. Guernsey, Brighton. Hull
Portsmouth. Swansea and Tunbrldge
| Wells, The rates for unlimited service
l4average ss25 a year, and the systems are
either self-sustainlng or show profits. 5Ins
all Of these towns and cities A.& r.. Bcr. III
nett has been retained as consulting eil-s
| gineer. j n every Instance the cornpetitio lon
$olB the municipal plant has resulted either
LIN the defeat of the telephone trust or the a
| granting OF greatly reduced rates. 3S
Municipal baths and wash houses are
maintained In 40 Or more towns ana cil-SS
| les of Great Britain, and there has been
| Invested In themgan amount exceeding
| So, 900 900. These are not intended as 4
profit paying institutions, but the aVerag sc \
! annual charge against the taxpayers does
not much exceed s15O, 900. These splendid
institutions have done much to lower he 4
! death rate in British cities. The effect II
5of Improved housing for the working n
classes, the widening OF streets, the eradi-{s
cation of slnm areas, the providing Q
pure water, parks and breathing spaces
and other municipal activities is most
iiseloqucntiy shown III the following table or
tho death rate for recent years in the Y
leading cities of Great Britain: