New-York tribune., 1905-06-26
ENGLISH LOCAL RULE.
Doncaster, Hawogate and Other
To1cns -Fads and Enciencu.

far back the time of Antoninus. It's ceiebritv
dates. however. from f71G. when gallant SOL
dier. General st. Leger, sought to divert the at
tention of Yorkshiremen from the disastrous
war In America by establishing the stakes for
taree-year-o1d horses. Every autumn the St.
Leger draws enormous croNds to the circular
racecourse mile from the town: and as there
are other meetings during the year racing may
be regarded as the principal recreation OF Don
caster. It Is also municipal industry. The
corporation owns the racecourse. with its pad
docks stands and stables and makes nonav
out OF IT. 1t also has considerable landed prop-
erty and lets its houses and acres to advantage
Municipal trading is a source OF profit. Gas was
introduced by the corporation in 1853 and the
capital has been refunded except remnant OF
f16391, and there is moderate surplus every
year with the price for consumers as low as
half crown Thousand feet. The outstanding
Indebtedness for the water supply is Els 800
but there is margin of f5.547 for interest
when the annual balance sheet is made up The
gross profits from the electric tramways. con-
structed three years ago. are f4142, and the
markets light railways, slaughter houses and
public baths yield additional revenues. Every
thing is grist for the municipal mill, and so
much comes in that the corporation is enabled
to dispense with borough rate. and also with
a school board thereby relieving population
of nearly thirty thousand from the burdens OF
taxation, and making grants in aid OF Anglican,
Wesleyan and Roman Catholic schools without
| being embarrassed by the religious question.
These results would be clearly irnpracticable II
| the corporation did not own the raeecourse
and make good use of other municipal invest
ments.
Harrogate nearby in Yorkshire, offers an
other illustration of the English practical talent
| for turning everything to account IL was an
insignificant hamlet until the first Of the healing
ehaIybeate springs discovered early in the
seventeenth century; and although the wealthy
classes In the north promptly recognized the
| curative value of the waters and two hundred
acres now known the Stray, were set apart
by legislative action for public USE the growth
| of the town was sluggish until municipal enter
| prise was shown. Smollett in his day wrote OF
Rarrogate as "a wild common, bare and bleak,
| without tree or shrub or the least signs Of cu-
ttyation" That was before Harlow Moor had
| been purchased and improved the boys valley
| garden laid out. the storage sulphur reservoir
constructed the Montpelier garden and baths
| opened and the entire system of medicinal
| waters brought under the efficient administra-
| ton of the civic authorities. Harrogate is now
| a town as populous Doncaster, and its re-
| sources as a health resort have been largely
| Increased by municipal enterprise. The corpo-
| ration
| baths and springs, a winter garden and kur-
| saal and concert and assembly rooms and It
has improved the parks and paid out series
| of beautiful walks and drives Advantage has
heen taken of every resource for attracting vis-
itors and ministering to their pleasure and COM
| fort. unity of direction has been brought about
| and the various sulphur, electric vapor. super
| heated air, massage and high frequency bathS
| are under the charge Of munlelpai oHlcIal
! with medical advisers. bennington. in War
| wickshire conducts it's pump rooms, baths ana
| mineral springs municipal undertaking
! under the direction of a committee of the town
! council and the same practice prevails at Bath.
where large investments have been made in the
grand pump room, the Roman pronehaue anu
other improvements.
The COMBINATIONS of seaside resorts take an
enuallv wide view of their duties and response
| biIities Scarborough on the Yorkshire coast
| ewes its popularity quite much to good local
| government as to natural advantages Inc
town council controls large estates ana eorpof-
ate properties and is able to keep taxation at
! low level; but it has not hesitated 10 make
! large investments in electric plant and IN pun
lie works which have Increased the attractive
ness of a fashionable summer resort IhS
marine driveway and seawaH around the caSI7'
which fs now in the final stage of construction.
W
for q single Improvement in town Of 'iS,t"o
popuIation The town council considers 1t nee
eeearv to keep abreast with the seaside reseI5 -
IN Tho south and bv its enterprise scarborough IS
protected against competition and enabled to re-
tain IFS high reputation. Torquay, with sim'l@r
energy has undertaken gas. water, electric ''7-i1
and harbor works, and has sanatoTlums opeii-'''
promenade piers. concert rooms. baths ana
marine gardens Bournemouth corporation -
equally enterprisng in laying out uhde4S 4S--'N
driveways. winter gardens and golf Eroui-S,
and has not hesitated to convert one-tehtH ol
the area of the borough into pleasure sIoui''S-
At Brighton at least S1.OG0O00 has oeel -
pended in recent years in seawalis' pFoiileil''N
and parades on the front. and in lTnpro'InS ~
ton park and other pleasure grouhos- l"
and MANY other instances. munieipal ec'''i'
+,-as the nractical form of administering ti7
local estate with enlightened self-lhtereS'
the collective interests of the commuhl'S-
attractions of these pleasure resorts are H..
nlied bv carefully designed Improvements
arc sound business investments for to"!Ns va
out industries of their own
Municipal energies directed cautiously a.
a practical spirit throughout the Chiteu i
| dom pass without observation at Io
h.ood The vararies of faddists and the ecc>"
tricities of enthusiasts command al'-''
o,,oa and ,nsnire outcries against the aShse''
90, Ut. - r,rnicioal socialism. There Is TO
snd of talk when town councillor adF''
t.ao tram rides i'm working hours. or the hsl'i.s
|, - ,,,b1,a axnense cf all tenements occupied -
Eve ,,oor or when Mayor offers prize u " ="
,o,,,d for a healthy twelve-months 'Aif'' y
saaks to establish a municipal nursery "H0-
,oofbars can leave their babies while 'hes ." g.
-,or,,,ne, IN factories Solemn leading artlc'eS