Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-04-29
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'A'I''' u ~ = li'i\' II W 1t II us
eliminating railroad rates Manchester
lies only an hour; ride from it; older
rival, hut it cost more to ship freight to
Liverpool than ii did from Liverpool
to New York. Threats. cntrelty and
intlu"nc" were all In vain The fate of
Manchester depended on securing cheap
communication with the ocean. Liver
pool was relentless. Manchester dcclar-
Ell that sh" would cut her way to the
sea and become Il port. Liverpool Smil-
ed. The citizens of Manchester form
ed n canal company. raised $4O.OOO,OOO
and began their titanic task When
this amount was exhausted they Dor
rowcd SlO.OOOOOO more. When this
was expended they were ut the end of
their resources. The canal was not
completed and no more private capital
could he raised.
The city of Manchester came to the
rescue. 1t raised $25.OOO.NOO from Il
bond issue and became a partner in
not meet its interest, and again the city
came to It's aid. The canal was opened
to traffic several years ago and has
done for Manchester all that its advo-
Gates claimed for 1t. The city now
has invested in the enterprise S34 .OuO,-
600 and has a bill before parliament
authorizing it to advance $4,000, 900
more for the purpose of deepening the
canal 50 as to permit the passage OF
ships of the greatest draft. The mu
nicipality Is represented on the canal
board by eleven of its twenty-one mem
bcrS This Stupendous work when com
plctcd Will probably entail an eXpcndi
ture of SlOO,OWOOO and is likely to be
come exclusively the property of the
municipality of Manchester The city
has already made an investment larger
than any previously pledged by any
municipality in the world for a specific
business purpose.
ChiCagoS drainage canal was not dc
signed to yield revenue. but the Man
chester ship canal is primarily il bust
ness enterprise. 1t may therefore be
ClaSSed rs the most conspicuous exam
pie of municipal ownership in Great
Britain or elsewhere.
Even eliminating the ship canal. Man
chester easily occupies first place in
England in the volume of its municipal
work. 1t has constructed dwellings and
cottages for its laboriny classes. 1t has
an extensive system of baths and wash
houses 1t owns three municipal GENE
terics, with burial grounds set aside for
members of the Church of England
DiSsentcrS, Roman Catholics and Jews.
Manchester owns and operates success
fully an electric light and power gen
Grating plant. Its municipal gas works
turn a large annual revenue into the
city treasury. 1t owns $4,000 900 worth
OF markets. which are II large and
steadily increasing source of revenue
Its department for the scientific han
ding and disposal of refuse is the most
extensive in the world and has brought
about huge manufacturing plant and
II farm of 3.GSl acres, the whole Civ
ing employment to an army Of 300
men. Its publicly owned and operated
tramwayS rival those of Glasgow and
excel those of the Scottish metropolis
in some particulars. 1t has II we'll or
ganiZed works department which eX-
eCutcS most of the tasks formerly let
by contract, and it contemplates a tcIe-
phone system. which when installed
will complete the list of the ten utili-
ties mentioned in the Introduction of
this article as the more popular objects
of municipalization in Great Britain.
Manchester has expended $1,000 900
and more i'll erecting quarters for its
laDorinE class. Those first provided
and those now under way show in
striking contrast the development
which has been made along this line
in Great Britain Electric Transporter
ton had not then developed to Il point
where ii was possible for the working
man to live in the cnvirOnS of the city
1t was assumed that he was forever
fated to live in tenement houses. and
those who wished to make his life
more endurablc bent their energies to-
ward planning and building the best
of tenement structures
When the time cOmcS-and | am
enough of an OptimiSt to believe that 1t
will comc-whcn every work ngman in
Manchester. London, New York, thlca-
go and all populous centcrS shall he
able to rent or own a house and plot
of ground he will gaze with amaze
mcnt mt such structures as now front
OH Oldham road. Manchester and the
gloomy piles which London has reared
In Millhank and other central sites
The tenement house IS the worst single
feature in civilization which has
been umevenlv developed from the rap
I'd perfection of the machine There can
no more be a model tenement house"
than thcr" can he Il model death trap,
and Il tenement house is IA tenement
house he il next In Il tanncry with rent
rates of $50 IL week. payable in ad-
vance. or dubbed an apartment house"